<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I must respectfully disagree with some of the conclusions in the post below
regarding topical (skin) reactions to wheat products/gluten. I am not a
"sensitive" celiac nor do I have DH - but I have begun to develop red,
irritated rashes whenever my skin comes in contact with wheat germ oil. And I
am not alone; in the past 8 weeks I have met or had e-mail contact with at
least a dozen other celiacs with similar reactions. Our experience is that it
is possible to react to wheat products *without* ingesting them.

I spoke to my allergist, who is very knowledgeable about celiac, about these
reactions, and his thought is that the skin, which is a very reactive organ,
can also develop sensitivity to wheat. This is not yet a scientifically tested
theory, and he wouldn't even speculate if topical reactions could have any
connections to damage to the villi.

I would just suggest that people who choose to use skin or hair care products
containing any wheat or barley (some Clinique products have barley in them)
pay careful attention to their skin until they are sure they're not reacting
to those ingredients. If you do have unexplained skin irritation, recheck the
ingredients of the products you are using.

Maureen

> Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 2005 19:00:14 -0500
> From:    Karen Tambasco <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Summary-Professional Hair Products-
>
> <<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
>
> Hi Everyone- Well the information is slowly coming in.  Obviously there are
> many hair products out there to choose from but many of them say right on
> the label "contains wheat starch, wheat germ oil etc."
>
> Because I know there are many individuals out there that may be new to all
> of this, I would like to state, it is my understanding that for a celiac to
> have a reaction to gluten, it must be ingested.  So for those new people
> that might be asking themselves, why is shampoo a problem?   It is a problem
> for those Celiacs suffering with DH.  The gluten containing products will
> aggravate the skin condition if the cream, shampoo, conditioner, ointments,
> etc.. contain gluten.  It is a concern for Celiacs if the residue of the
> shampoo as it is washed from your hair and runs into your mouth and is
> ingested.  I didn't believe that this amount of gluten could be a problem at
> first, but for some it is.  Therefore, it always best to double check the
> labels and be aware of the fact that the minutest amount of gluten could be
> causing a reaction.

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