Can I Heal My Childs Skin With Diet?

This is a really interesting question and one I'm asked often. 

Skin conditions represent 34% of disease in children; 20% of children have eczema and children with serious skin conditions have their quality of life impaired to the same extent as those with chronic illnesses such as epilepsy, renal disease and diabetes.

The most common skin conditions affecting children are;

• eczema
• diaper rash
• seborrheic dermatitis
• chickenpox
• measles
• wart
• acne

Conditions such as chickenpox and measles can of course be treated and last only a relatively short period of time (even though it might seem like forever when you have a distressed toddler on your hands!) Eczema and dermatitis on the other hand can be more difficult to treat and in some cases last months or even years. 

The most common primary treatment routes for skin conditions often begin with a mild topical steroid cream. ‘Topical’ means something that is applied to the skin. 

There are many types and brands of topical steroid creams. Although they are most commonly grouped into four categories depending on their strength - mild, moderately potent, potent and very potent. As an example, Hydrocortisone cream 1% is a commonly prescribed cream and is classed as a 'mild topical steroid'. The greater the strength (potency), the more effect it has on reducing inflammation but the greater the risk of side-effects with continued use. Side-effects can include;

• Skin thinning (atrophy)
• Stretch marks (striae) in armpits or groin.
• Easy bruising (senile/solar purpura) and tearing of the skin.
• Enlarged blood vessels (telangiectasia)
• Localised increased hair thickness and length (hypertrichosis)

If we're to look at a topical steroid alternative for children, where do we begin? Can a change in diet really yield skin clearing benefits in infants? Absolutely. In atopic eczema particularly, diet plays a pivotal role. 

In one study at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia, 44 out of 51 tested infants were found to have a food allergy to cow’s milk, eggs or peanuts. These are three relatively simple foods to exclude from your child's diet without risking any nutrient deficiencies (there is more calcium in a handful of watercress than a glass of milk, so the milk = essential for calcium theory promoted by the dairy industry is inaccurate). 

If you are weaning your child and you suspect the eczema is caused by food allergy you could keep a food diary to see if it occurs after eating a particular food. Any recognised sensitive foods should be removed for a minimum of six weeks to see if it improves the eczema, and then added back into the diet with a doctor’s guidance.

Many other childhood skin conditions can also be alleviated by excluding specific foods. Psoriasis for example can respond particularly well when nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, aubergine - egg plant, peppers and goji berries) are excluded from the child's diet.

Sometimes working out which foods exacerbate your child's condition can be a case of trial and error. There are a number of reasons why altering diet in children is not quite as simple as making changes as an adult;

• Your child may simply not enjoy particular foods
• You can't always be in direct control (school dinners, meals at friends homes etc)
• A careful balance is important to ensure your child does not become nutrient deficient 

There are also lots of positives in making changes to your child's diet. Encouraging them to understand a little about health and wellness from an early age. Getting them to enjoy lots of healthy foods with an abundance of nutrients will not only look after their skin but their general health as well. 

Healthy eating can be enjoyable for children. Juicing is a particularly favourite to get tons of healthy nutrients into children who are not so great with their greens! Encouraging your child to help make the juice is all part of the fun. Why not try adding kale, broccoli and cucumber to sweet fruit such as apple to make a healthy, delicious fresh juice. The key is to keep fruit to a minimum but fruit is the bit that will make the juice taste sweet and therefore more appealing to your little one - so it's a balancing act!

In treating childhood skin conditions, excluding the following foods seem to have the most dramatic effects on improving skin;

• Dairy - particularly cows milk 
• Peanuts
• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Sugar

Try eliminating these wherever possible to see if they have a noticeable effect and encourage your child to drink lots of clean, fresh water daily as opposed to manufactured fruit juice and soda drinks. 

Healing your child's skin may not be as simple as treating adult skin disease, but rest assured that arming them with the knowledge that food can have this dramatic effect from a very early age will give them the tools to stay healthy and well for life.