Very Dry Skin

[AliB]

My daughter has recently started gluten-free.

She has had odd rashes here and there, sometimes itchy, sometimes not and often gets dry skin, but currently the skin on her legs is extremely dry and flaky. She can scrub them clean, then the next day it's all back again. Creams don't seem to be making much inroad.

Anyone else had this problem pre or post gluten-free? What have you done to help prevent or stop it?

(I tried enquiring some weeks back on the DH section about what it is like in its early stages but no one replied! i keep seeing descriptions of DH when it is bad, but nothing about any initial problems with it or whether the dry skin and odd rashes could be a precursor).

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[mushroom]

  AliB said:

My daughter has recently started gluten-free.

She has had odd rashes here and there, sometimes itchy, sometimes not and often gets dry skin, but currently the skin on her legs is extremely dry and flaky. She can scrub them clean, then the next day it's all back again. Creams don't seem to be making much inroad.

Anyone else had this problem pre or post gluten-free? What have you done to help prevent or stop it?

(

Yep, Ali, I have all of the above, and have not been able to do much about it I am afraid. My legs look like a peeling alligator, and I have strange itches, rashes, peeling skin. also bruise easily and, of course, I also have psoriasis in addition to the above. I constantly have to control the urge to scratch. It all seems mostly impervious to creams, lotions and ointments, although I have noticed recently my lizard legs are not quite as scaly. Sorry I can't give any ideas of what to do about it all. My dermatologist has no ideas either. Just keep doing what I'm doing, she says.

[brendygirl]

Me, too. I have very dry skin. My skin drinks in lotion. I get mild rashes in different areas all the time. I also get hives a couple times a year. I have had dry, scaly patches and then they just go away. I use vaseline and baby oil as well as lotions. I make sure the lotions don't have oats or anything in them.

Good luck.

[ShayFL]

Dry skin is often a sign of fatty acid imbalance. Not enough Omega 3. Are you guys taking fish oil? Flax? Hemp? Chia seed? Walnuts? You need to include a lot of these in your diet to counteract all of the Omega-6s we get. Americans eat wayyyyyy too much Omega-6 which is found in high amounts in every other kind of oil except those above.

Other common cause is Hypothyroid. And yes, children can be hypothyroid too.

[lizard00]

  ShayFL said:

Other common cause is Hypothyroid. And yes, children can be hypothyroid too.

That was exactly what I was going to suggest. One of the common symptoms of hypothyroidism is dry, scaly skin. It is also not uncommon to see thyroid problems along with undiagnosed celiac disease.

[mushroom]

  ShayFL said:

Dry skin is often a sign of fatty acid imbalance. Not enough Omega 3. Are you guys taking fish oil? Flax? Hemp? Chia seed? Walnuts? You need to include a lot of these in your diet to counteract all of the Omega-6s we get. Americans eat wayyyyyy too much Omega-6 which is found in high amounts in every other kind of oil except those above.

Other common cause is Hypothyroid. And yes, children can be hypothyroid too.

I take flaxseed oil every day and often fish oil caps; my free T3 was low normal but all the others seemed okay. Do you think I should explore further because I am always cold.

[ShayFL]

Most people do not feel good until their Free T-3 is in the upper range with some needing to exceed it a little (like me). I am just over. But no signs of hyper at all. My doctor monitors me closely. She allows my TSH to be suppressed and my T-3 to be at the very top because it gets rid of my symptoms. Cutting back on my dose of Armour bring symptoms return with a vengence. I monitor my heartrate daily (it shouldnt go over 80 bpm at rest), my temperature weekly (should be around 98.6 and not over 99) and assess myself once a month (make sure I dont have anxiety, insomnia, heart palps, sweating, loose stools). I know hyper due to post-pardum thyroiditis. It wont sneak up on me or my doctor.

If your T-3 is at the very bottom, your thyroid is in the toilet.

I know thyroid. I have studied it for 12 years since the birth of my daughter when I had the thyroiditis. One doctor even said that I knew more than he did about thyroid......LOL At least he was being honest.

[Calicoe]

Yes, I had this problem before figuring out gluten and dairy intolerances. My leg skin was extremely, extremely dry, and my facial skin would at times cake over in a dry mask. It was horrible. I am figuring this all out on my own, so I don't have any official diagnoses, apart from my own observations. The dry leg skin has disappeared with my going gluten-free, but I also introduced flax seeds, walnuts, and vitamin B at the same time because of my debilitating brain fog. Perhaps it worked for the legs as well. I have noticed that when I cheat with cheese, the hard, red facial skin comes back for a couple of days. I think it is called Scleroderma, and is associated with celiac disease:

Open Original Shared Link

Disorders associated with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity include: anemia, arthritis, ataxia, nerve disease, neuropathy, brain damage, attention deficit disorder, autism, bacterial overgrowth, cancer, lymphoma, candida albicans, casein or cow's milk intolerance, chronic fatigue syndrome, cognitive impairment, Crohn's disease, depression, diabetes, Down Syndrome, dyspepsia, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, flatulence (gas), gall bladder disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, growth hormone deficiency, heart failure, infertility, impotency, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal permeability, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney disease, liver disease, malnutrition, migraine headaches, miscarriage, multiple sclerosis, obesity, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, pancreatic disorders, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, schizophrenia, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, skin problems, thrombocytopenic purpura, thyroid disease, and tuberculosis. Celiac com. (Also see: Symptoms of Scleroderma)

[mushroom]

  ShayFL said:

Most people do not feel good until their Free T-3 is in the upper range with some needing to exceed it a little (like me).

Thanks for your reply ShayFL. I think that is something I will check out further in Reno next month.

[Calicoe]

  ShayFL said:

Most people do not feel good until their Free T-3 is in the upper range with some needing to exceed it a little (like me). I am just over. But no signs of hyper at all. My doctor monitors me closely. She allows my TSH to be suppressed and my T-3 to be at the very top because it gets rid of my symptoms. Cutting back on my dose of Armour bring symptoms return with a vengence. I monitor my heartrate daily (it shouldnt go over 80 bpm at rest), my temperature weekly (should be around 98.6 and not over 99) and assess myself once a month (make sure I dont have anxiety, insomnia, heart palps, sweating, loose stools). I know hyper due to post-pardum thyroiditis. It wont sneak up on me or my doctor.

If your T-3 is at the very bottom, your thyroid is in the toilet.

I know thyroid. I have studied it for 12 years since the birth of my daughter when I had the thyroiditis. One doctor even said that I knew more than he did about thyroid......LOL At least he was being honest.

I get a lot of those same symptoms. I often wonder if I am dealing with a hypothyroid issue.

[RiceGuy]

I have found coconut oil to do wonders for the skin, including dry, "alligator skin". Just be sure it is a high quality product. The only one I found to work is a Open Original Shared Link, which is not exposed to damaging temperatures during processing. No other type has come close to this. Applying it to the skin is said to work, but eating it will not only help the skin, but also help in other ways, and of course won't simply get rubbed off.

Other fats may certainly help in various ways, but none of the ones I tried seemed to do much except the coconut oil. I guess try a few different things and stick to what works.

I believe methylcobalamin (B12) will help the skin too, and many celiacs are deficient in B12.

[Calicoe]

Yes, I've heard a lot of good things about consuming coconut oil. Thanks for the great advice. I'm going to introduce it to my regimen.

[Hallie Davis]

I have the DQ8 gene. Also have CREST scleroderma. the skin on my lower legs is exceedingly dry and flakey. When I put on dark socks, the flakes form dust all over them. It is a problem I have had for years. Ask you child's doc to run the ANA test on her. If it is positive, with any staining pattern whatsoever, demand the anticentromere B test which is highly specific for CREST scleroderma. My diagnosis was delayed for many years because other autoimmune diseases were masking what othewise would have been an anticentromere pattern. Finally the test was done this winter and was highly positive.