baby food allergy ointment

At present, there is no special topical ointment that specifically targets "baby food allergies." All ointments that claim to "treat food allergies" are marketing gimmicks - topical ointments can only relieve local symptoms such as skin redness, itching, and rashes caused by food allergies. They can neither remove allergic antibodies in the body nor solve the problem of food allergy from the root cause. Misuse may actually aggravate skin damage.

Last week, I met a mother in the outpatient clinic. She was carrying three boxes of "imported baby food allergy ointment" bought from a purchasing agent. She said that her baby's mouth was red after eating half a strawberry. After applying it for three days, it became so swollen that it hurt even to drink milk. I took it over and looked around, and there wasn’t even a national drug approval mark. The ingredient list was all in small languages. You could guess it without sending it for testing. It was most likely a Sanwu product with powerful hormones added, specifically to make money from anxious parents.

In fact, when I talk about this matter with colleagues in different departments, everyone's judgment logic is really different. Most of my colleagues in the pediatric department are conservative and say that if the area where food has just been stained is a little red and the baby is not scratching or fussing, it is safest not to apply any medicine. Use a warm, wet cotton towel to wipe away the remaining food residue, and then apply a thick layer of Vaseline to isolate the saliva and external stimulation. It usually disappears in two or three hours. After all, the thickness of the baby's perioral skin is only one-third that of adults. Applying medicine randomly can easily damage the already fragile skin barrier. But if you ask your dermatology colleagues, if your baby is itching all the time, scratching his face, or even has tiny ulcers, it is still recommended to use 1-2 times of weak hormone ointment (such as 0.05% desonide cream) to quickly suppress the inflammation and avoid scratching and causing Staphylococcus aureus infection, which will cause more troublesome marks. Both statements are actually correct, but the priorities are different. One is afraid of over-medication, and the other is afraid of skin damage. Parents can choose based on their child's condition, and they don't have to worry about who to listen to.

If the allergy manifests itself as large wheal-like urticaria on the body, and the baby is rolling with itchiness, calamine lotion is the most cost-effective option. Apply it with a cooling effect and it will relieve the itching in ten minutes. It can be used as long as the skin is not broken, just avoid the eyes and mouth. Oh, by the way, if it has been broken and there is exudation, don’t apply calamine blindly. Go to the hospital first and let the doctor see you. Most likely, you will be prescribed mupirocin ointment to fight the infection first, and then use it with weak hormones. Usually it will be cured in two or three days without any side effects.

Last year, my distant sister-in-law’s baby was allergic to cow’s milk protein. After drinking regular milk powder for the first time, not only did she get a rash on her face, but she also vomited twice in a row and became very depressed. At first, she only focused on applying Internet celebrity ointment on the baby. After half an hour, she found that the baby’s breathing was a little rough, so she rushed to the emergency room. The doctor said that it was a moderate allergic reaction, and she had to drink cetirizine drops, an oral anti-allergic drug specially designed for children. If it was serious, she would need epinephrine. Applying ointment didn’t help at all, but luckily it was delivered in time. I really want to remind all parents: as long as your child has difficulty breathing, frequent vomiting, poor energy, and cold hands and feet after an allergy, don’t worry about which ointment to apply, just call 120 or rush to the emergency room. At this time, the skin symptoms are trivial, and anaphylactic shock is really fatal.

After working in pediatric nursing for almost 8 years, what I want to remind parents most is not to be fooled by the gimmick of "special ointment for food allergy". Think about it, allergies are originally caused by the body's internal immune system treating food as an "intruder". How can ointment be applied to the surface of the skin to cure the internal problem? If you really want to prevent food allergies, the most effective thing is to remember your baby's allergens and don't touch unfamiliar foods. If you accidentally eat them and something goes wrong, check your mental state first. Treat mild cases symptomatically. If severe cases are serious, send them to the doctor immediately. This is more reliable than buying any number of internet-famous ointments claiming to be "all natural and hormone-free."