Getting a diagnosis

If you suspect that your child has an immediate food allergy or that something they are eating is making their eczema worse then you should discuss this with your doctor. They may wish to trial a food exclusion or recommend that your child has some allergy tests. Most large hospitals have a Paediatric or Dermatology department where one of the doctors has an interest in allergy and a few large teaching hospitals have specialist Paediatric Allergists.

Fortunately, most children grow out of their eczema by later childhood and many common food allergies such as milk and egg are also often outgrown. It is therefore important that if a diagnosis of food allergy is made, your child should still receive ongoing follow up care to check for the possibility that the food could be safely introduced.