<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Recently, there was a post which asked about reactions to gluten-containing
products in non-food items, like shampoo or skin cream.  The listowners asked
for comments from the CEL-PRO subscribers, who are clinicians and/or
researchers in the celiac field, and received these two:
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
While most celiacs are unlikely to have a reaction to topical gluten
there are some individuals who claim to get a reaction to these non-food
substances. For a gut reaction it would seem that it is necessary for the
substance to get to the gut lumen.  I am not aware of any studies on the
penetrance of topical substances to gut lumen.
...
I tell celiac patients who ask, that if there is an easy alternative
shampoo/ cosmetic/etc. use the non gluten containing substance.  I do not
routinely counsel patients about avoiding gluten in these substances.
I have met some patients who have an anaphylactoid response to gluten and
these patients I tell to avoid gluten in all forms.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
There are countless coeliacs who several times a week have dermal contact with
gluten.  These are coeliacs who bake for the rest of the family with regular
flour. In my experience ( an adult coeliac clinic of well over 500 patients)
none of the many coeliacs who do home baking for the rest of their families
with gluten containing flour develop symptoms,  either in the GI tract or the
skin. I not aware of baking being associated with poor response to a gluten
free diet. Topical gluten in the upper airways causes symptoms of allergic
rhinitis in an occasional patients.  I have always assumed this to be due to
coexistent atopy.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are the views of just two celiac professionals, and not the result of
tens of scientific studies.  In the early days of this CELIAC list, there were
an number of posts claiming serious reactions, so not everyone will agree with
these doctors.  As with so many other issues, each Celiac must make their own
decision.  Having read these, I will still try to avoid obvious
gluten-containing non-food items for my Celiac son, but if none are available,
I will probably go ahead and use the gluten product.
 
Bill Elkus
Los Angeles