My son is 9 months old and has severe redness and bumps on his cheeks. His pediatrician says that it's eczema/dry skin. I wasn't convinced so I took him to a dermatologist and he said that it's keratotis pilaris rubra faceii. Nothing we have been doing is helping, and it's actually getting worse. This all started when we started him on baby food. I didn't notice any real reactions to foods as we were introducing them and then he started to get the bumps on his face, which I thought was acne due to teething and slobber. Now, I'm not convinced that it may not be a reaction to something that he's ingesting. It does not bother him what so ever, doesn't itch or anything. When he was about 1 month old, we switched his formula for tummy problems and then a couple weeks later figured out that he had acid reflux. He was put on medicine and has been off of that since we started on baby food. He's not gasy/grumpy anymore, just the rash on the face. He also always has red around his anus and I brought it up to his peditrician a couple of months ago and he said that it's from dirty diapers - even though we change him the instant we know he's dirty. I really think I want to get him tested for allergies. Is this something that I need a referral from his pediatrician, or can I find an allergist and make my own appointment?
Just thought I would give an update. We had our son tested for allergies (blood test - worst thing I've ever done!) and it all came back negative, i.e. - milk, eggs, nuts, shell fish, etc. Our pediatrician referred us to another dermatologist and he looked at my sons face and said that it looks like a combination of a few things : eczema, keratosis pilars and infantile acne. He gave us a prescription to treat the acne, which seems to be helping. He has an outbreak every once in a while but nothing like before. He said that if this medicine didn't clear everything up 100%, he would prescribe him Retin A when we go back in June. He didn't want to prescribe it right away because of how dry my sons face already is. We've been on the medicine for about a month and his face had gotten a lot better. It's still not back to soft and smooth, but nowhere near as red and irritated looking. I've also read that it could be 2-6 weeks to see full results on the medication.
Why not just stop the baby food? Then add one at a time back to see which one is causing this. You could just add one per week.
keratotis pilaris rubra faceii is NOT due to allergies. It's genetic and due to the skin producing an excessive amount of keratin so the ducts get clogged. Has nothing to do with what he's eaten or environment.
My daughter has it on her face and also on her upper arms - the outside part.
They have, however, linked eczema to allergies.
If you have a PPO you can probably find an allergist.... but sometimes the ALLERGIST wants a referral, unconnected to the insurance. THEY just won't see anyone unless their primary Dr says you should be tested.
That said.... the allergy testing is intense. They can do some tests via blood draw - usually just basic food. However, if they do a skin prick test, different story for an kid..... I had mine re-done last week and there was a 2 year old in the last room. it was insanely unpleasant for ME to be in the room NEXT to her.... so I can only imagine how SHE felt. I'm not sure if they can do something different for an infant... but you can't touch your arms for 20 minutes.... and that's AFTER 40 needle pricks are pushed onto your forearms.
I would probably test any child younger than 4-5 by eliminating as much as I could and then re-introducing items on at a time and watching for side effects. Yes, it's a pain..... but I don't know that I would subject a young kid to the skin prick test.
My DD had a rash on her face and butt and it was apples. Honestly, start looking at foods and seeing if anything "triggers" the rash. I blamed it on a lot of things - baby acne, early toothpaste (we had an Rx due to an issue). It wasn't til DD's face was clear and she had apple slices at a friend's house that we realized what happened. If you can't figure it out on your own, I'd ask for an allergy referral.
It all depends on your insurance wether or not you need a refural. and also the allergy dr. Some drs require them even if insurance companys don't. So first check with your ins and then if you know who you want to take him to ask them if they need one. Did the dermatologist not give you something to put on it? My guess is he's so young they may not want to give him an ointment for his face. But I know when my boys where little they said introduce one food at a time. That way if there is a reaction you know which one its to. But if you can get the allergy tests done that would be a great start!!! good luck!
Look into the heartrate allegy testing...they expose the baby to suspect foods/objects. If the heartrate goes up or quickens, then they suspect the baby is allergic. No needles or poking or breaking the skin so its more comfortable for the baby.
It does sound like its an allergy, so I would have him tested asap. It could be dairy, milk, soy - soy is just about everything these days, even hamburger meat.
I do not know about the keratotis pilaris rubra faceii but the red but issue is probably food related. He may not allergic but sensitive, this cannot be detemined with regular allergy testing at the doctor. You first step should be to eliminate anything that has a high acid content. Tomatoes & citric are very often causes of diaper rash in small children. Their digestive tracts are not yet mature enough to handle the added acid. If you check your ingredients you will often see citric acid listed, this is to keep the foods from turning but in a sensitive child it can affect their bottoms. Keep his food simple for at least a week, formula & very ripe bananas (fresh not packaged)& sweet potatoes are a good base & have very low chances of being the allegens. When hisbottom clears up add one food at a time every 3-5 days, & montior his diapers. If you see a change you know that he is sensitive to that particular food & should eliminate it from his diet. If you see not change add another food & repeat.
You could also go to a chiropracter that practices applied kinesiology. They can determine allergies & food sensitivites without the "sctratch tests" that regular doctors use. They may be able to help with the rash on his face as well.
Wow between the ezcema nad reflux it sounds like an allergy to me. You shouldn't need a referral from your pediatrician but that is up to your insurance company as to what they require.
My son had a very similar-sounding rash on his cheeks, behind his knees, and on his bottom. We found out that it was due to dairy, although he was allergy tested and always came up negative.
The we found out about intolerance testing.
Several have already written about it, but I just wanted to reiterate what they said... no needles, no scratches, and much more accurate results. A naturopath, a chiropractor, or a heartrate allergy test would all be able to help and point you in the right direction.
In the meantime, dairy, gluten, eggs, soy, and citrus tend to be the most problematic. You may or may not want to limit one or more of these to see if you can identify the "culprit."
It does sound like an allergy, though not a terribly severe one since it's not affecting his tummy, his breathing, or causing any swelling. Have you tried giving him a dose of Benadryl to see if the rash goes away? There is definitely Benadryl that is safe for a baby to take at that age for an allergic reaction, just make sure you contact the doctor for the proper dose based on his weight. If the rash goes away, it's almost definitely an allergy.
You can get testing - my son was 9-10 months old at his first allergy test. There can be a lot of false positives though.
I would recommend slowing down the food. Feed just one food at a time for several days and closely follow his skin and look for any other reactions. If all goes well, try a new food exclusively for a few days after that - don't ever do two foods at once. Write down how he reacts to each so you don't have to struggle to remember each one.
When you do get ready for allergy testing, do it with a pediatric allergist, not the pediatrician and not an allergist for adults.
Are you feeding him anything besides store-bought, pureed baby foods at this point? Is he strictly on fruits and vegetables or have you tried anything else? Eggs are a very common allergen, as is dairy (if you're feeding him yogurt).
Good luck! I hope you're able to solve this problem.
My daughter has an allergy. One item I remembered from our pedi visit. Allergy tests prior to 2 years old are not always accurate. What I suggest is do what we do. Start reintroducing food slowly. Give the food 3 days to see how he reacts. Some turn out to be allergic to wheat or like my mom allergic to corn. The corn thing was a problem for a while with the corn syrup being in everything. Same problem with wheat. You really have to check the ingredients. Also what are you using to wash him? What do you use to wash his clothes. Use baby soap for him and for his clothes. When using the dryer are you usng one of those sheets to make clothes soft like downy. Many kids are allergic to that as well.
Yep, sounds like allergies to me. Ask your pediatrician for a referral, because I believe you will need to see an allergist that deals with kids. Also, try a soy formula.
