********* Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Ok, this is weird. Moose gets bright red on his cheeks when he eats citrus; specifically, fresh oranges or tomatoes. But the thing is, he only gets the red on his cheeks if he gets the FOOD on his face. For example, if I make a salad with fresh tomatoes. He doesn't actually like tomatoes, so I pick those out of his salad. But the lettuce etc. has tomato juices on them. Then, since he's six, :tongue_smilie:, he gets the lettuce/dressing/etc on his face while he eats. This makes the skin around his mouth/cheeks turn red. Today at lunch, I sliced him up a fresh navel orange. Well, he got the juice all over his face while he ate the slices. His cheeks are bright red. But if he drinks orange juice, or eats mandarin oranges with a fork, nothing happens. What in the world does this mean? Should I avoid giving him citrus? He doesn't have any other sort of reaction. No itching, hives, trouble breathing, etc. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 It can be a sign of pollen-food reaction? It's similar to an allergy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hmm. Did a little googling. He's currently on a daily allergy med (otc children's allegra) because he sneezes constantly if not. I think it's something like a mild pollen-food allergy or oral allergy syndrome. I guess my question is if it's dangerous. Can his allergy get WORSE without warning? The redness on his cheeks from fresh tomato or oranges doesn't seem to bother him, so is it ok to let him eat fresh citrus, or should I avoid it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 (edited) It can be a sign of pollen-food reaction? It's similar to an allergy. My son had this when he was younger. Our allergist did not consider it dangerous. Kids often outgrow it, my son did. We did have an Rx for Elidel (sp? I am not at home) for the times that the rash was itchy and bothersome. Edited April 9, 2012 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 My son had this when he was younger. Our allergist did not consider it dangerous. Kids often outgrow it, my son did. Same here for both my kids. It also happened when they ate catsup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 My son had this when he was younger. Our allergist did not consider it dangerous. Kids often outgrow it, my son did. We did have an Rx for Elidel (sp? I am not at home) for the times that the rash was itchy and bothersome. DS's allergist said that its not dangerous, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I tend to back off the citrus and tomato during the high pollen months for DD because it causes her discomfort if she over does it. But we don't consider it in the same catagory as DS' anaphylaxis to foods. My son started out with the redness, then it moved to excema and digestive issues, then it worsened over time. Keep an eye on it, if you haven't already, educate yourself on the signs of anaphylaxis but I would probably just consider it OAS for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 The backs of my hands and fingers get itchy if I get fresh tomato juice on them while chopping tomatoes; I don't have any other problems with tomatoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I always thought that it was just a reaction to getting citric acid on the skin. It's not dangerous that I know of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I always thought that it was just a reaction to getting citric acid on the skin. It's not dangerous that I know of. That's what I thought too. All of mine have experienced it when young. For the dressing, you might also want to check it for MSG. A couple of mine, my dd especially, react in the same manner to ranch dressing than contains msg. A ranch dressing that is msg free is not generally a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I always thought that it was just a reaction to getting citric acid on the skin. It's not dangerous that I know of. :iagree: This. No biggie. Some kids have very sensitive skin and it reacts to the acid in citrus. It's just an irritation, not an allergy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 :iagree: This. No biggie. Some kids have very sensitive skin and it reacts to the acid in citrus. It's just an irritation, not an allergy. Ah. Good to know. Thanks Diane. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 DD used to do that really bad with ranch dressing and sometimes ketchup. It didn't seem to bother her, but her pedi warned that if it was doing that to her skin on the way in, it could on the way out, too. So we limited her because she was too young to make such a connection if it did hurt later. I was also told she should outgrow it. She still (almost 4) gets it sometimes, but not as bad as when it started at about 1.5. I never did find out exactly what it was that caused it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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