<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I would like to thank the dozens of people who responded to my question. I
never expected that something that I considered an incidental personal issue
was one that is so universal. I will try to keep the summary simple. Opinions
were as wide as the ocean. I found several words and phrases common to all of
the responses. “Ingest, sticky, sensitivity, Dermatitis Herpetiformis,
irritant, topical”, to state a few. It appears that gluten peptides are, indeed,
too large to be absorbed through the skin. However, once the offending
substance is on the hands there is the possibility that gluten can be ingested. In
this case, lipstick would definitely be a culprit. Shampoos, conditioners and
soaps containing gluten may cause reactions. Application of makeup or lotion
with the hands, rather than using a sponge, could trigger a response. Those
of us who suffer with Dermatitis Herpetiformis must be more careful for the
most obvious reasons.
Another theory is that many of us may have allergic responses to these
glutens. As we know having a skin or food allergy to gluten is different than
being Celiac.
I received several medical opinions. One was a quote during speech at a
conference from Dr. Peter Green. He does not believe that there is any credence
to gluten free skin products being an irritant. Dr. John Zone is a
Dermatologist specializing in Dermatitis Herpetiformis. He was asked this question and
his answer was that topical products containing gluten are not harmful to a
Celiac. Dr. Megan Tishy sent a personal response. “We have years of research
ahead of us regarding Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis and gluten
intolerance in general. I think we will have the answer to your question in the
next 5-10 years I hope!!). But for now there is just a huge gap between what
we know for sure about celiac disease, and what we experience (symptom-wise)
as Celiacs.” Finally, Jax Lowell Powell devoted an entire chapter in the
Gluten Free Bible to make up and skin care products.
The bottom line is this. All decisions we make must be personal and based on
our own experience. Some of us are more sensitive than others. I’ve decided
that I will continue a vigilant quest to find gluten free make up and skin
care products as a precautionary measure. I will be cautious but will not allow
myself to become paranoid. As in all things we do in life common sense must
prevail and our choices are based on our own needs. I I will save all
responses for several weeks. If anyone would like to read them, please send me an
e-mail and I will forward them to you.
Most sincerely,
Andrea New York
*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*
|