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📝 Episode Description

If your baby has eczema, you may have heard that it could increase their risk of developing a food allergy. But what does the research actually say, and what should you do when you’re introducing allergenic foods?

In this episode, I sit down with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Rebecca Hartman to unpack the connection between eczema and food allergy risk. We talk about why the skin barrier matters, how eczema severity affects risk, what signs of an allergic reaction parents should watch for, and practical ways to care for your baby’s skin while starting solid foods.

If you’re feeling nervous about introducing foods like peanut or egg because your baby has eczema, this episode will help you better understand the evidence and leave you feeling more confident about your next steps.

 💡Listen to this episode to learn

1. How eczema may affect your baby’s risk of developing food allergies and what the latest research says

2. What the difference is between mild, moderate, and severe eczema and why that matters when starting allergenic foods

3. How to recognize signs of an allergic reaction and support your baby’s skin barrier during the transition to solid foods

🔗 Links From this episode

• Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 (this program is approved for 30 CPEUs for Registered Dietitians) 

JOIN NOW AT $50 OFF CODE: BLWPOD50

• Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners — free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners

📢 Other Episodes Related To This Topic

• Episode 60 - From Fear to Food: The New Rules for Introducing Allergenic Foods with Kelly Clear, MD, FAAP
• Episode 274 - Baby Has Skin Reactions to Milk, Egg and Peanut: What Should I Do Next? with Carina Venter, PhD, RDN
• Episode 382 - Food Allergy Prevention 101 with Tina Sindher, MD
  
  

🔎 Resources & Research

• Hartman, R. I., Storer, M., & Kimball, A. B. (2016). Dermatology’s Researchers of the Future: Our Workforce Pipeline and Richest Opportunities. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 136(2), 345–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2015.12.014
  
  
• Hartman, R. I., Chu, E. Y., Acker, S. M., James, W. D., Elenitsas, R., & Kovarik, C. L. (2013). Cutaneous metastases from visceral malignancies mimicking interstitial granulomatous processes: a report of 3 cases. The American Journal of Dermatopathology, 35(5), 601–605. https://doi.org/10.1097/DAD.0b013e31827e2fc1
  
• Chang, M. S., Huang, L., Mostaghimi, A., & Hartman, R. I. (2020). Lifetime history of total body skin examinations in patients with disabilities: examining for differences in skin cancer screening. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.10.028
  
  
• Chang, M. S., Hartman, R. I., Xue, J., Giovannucci, E. L., Nan, H., & Yang, K. (2020). Risk of Skin Cancer Associated with Metformin Use: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Observational Studies. Cancer Prevention Research (Philadelphia, Pa.). https://doi.org/10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-20-0376
  
  
• Haynes, D., Strunck, J. L., Said, J., Tam, I., Varedi, A., Topham, C. A., Olamiju, B., Wei, B. M., Erickson, M. K., Wang, L. L., Tan, A., Stoner, R., Hartman, R. I., Lilly, E., Grossman, D., Curtis, J. A., Westerdahl, J. S., Leventhal, J. S., Choi, J. N., … Greiling, T. M. (2020). Association Between Halo Nevi and Melanoma in Adults: A Multi-Center Retrospective Case Series. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.08.056
  
• Sullivan, M., Hartman, R., & Mahalingam, M. (2020). Poikilodermatous plaque-like hemangioma: A benign vasoformative entity with reproducible histopathologic and clinical features. Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, 47(10), 950–953. https://doi.org/10.1111/cup.13734
  
  
• Nelson, C. A., Pérez-Chada, L. M., Creadore, A., Li, S. J., Lo, K., Manjaly, P., Pournamdari, A. B., Tkachenko, E., Barbieri, J. S., Ko, J. M., Menon, A. V., Hartman, R. I., & Mostaghimi, A. (2020). Patient Perspectives on the Use of Artificial Intelligence for Skin Cancer Screening: A Qualitative Study. JAMA Dermatology, 156(5), 501–512. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2019.5014
  
  
• Singer, S., Tkachenko, E., Hartman, R. I., & Mostaghimi, A. (2020). Gender Identity and Lifetime Prevalence of Skin Cancer in the United States. JAMA Dermatology, 156(4), 458–460. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2019.4197
  
  
• Liu, K. J., Tkachenko, E., Waldman, A., Boskovski, M. T., Hartman, R. I., Levin, A. A., Nguyen, B. M., Ruiz, E. S., Sharon, V. R., Sowerby, L., Tiger, J., Yang, F. C., & Mostaghimi, A. (2019). A video-based, flipped classroom, simulation curriculum for dermatologic surgery: A prospective, multi-institution study. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 81(6), 1271–1276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2019.03.078
  
  
• Tkachenko, E., Lin, J. Y., & Hartman, R. I. (2019). Regional vitiligo induced by imiquimod treatment for in-transit melanoma metastases. JAAD Case Reports, 5(5), 427–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdcr.2019.03.015
  
  
• Hartman, R. I., & Lin, J. Y. (2019). Cutaneous Melanoma—A Review in Detection, Staging, and Management. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America, 33(1), 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hoc.2018.09.005
  
  
• Hartman, R. I., & Hill-Kayser, C. E. (2014). Proton therapy and radiation sensitivity in dyskeratosis congenita. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, 36(1), e51–e53. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPH.0b013e31828e5d5a

💬 Podcast Episode Transcript