Could goat’s milk and other food-containing skin products be dangerous for patients with inflammatory skin conditions?

by Wiley

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy suggests that individuals with inflammatory skin conditions should avoid using skincare products that contain food products such as goat’s milk. 

The study reports on seven patients with inflammatory skin conditions who experienced anaphylaxis—a serious allergic reaction—after ingesting goat’s or sheep’s milk or cheese products.  All of the patients had a history of using to goat’s milk skin products to treat their inflammatory skin conditions prior to the onset of their allergic reaction.  

“Marketing of skin products derived from goat’s milk is extensive and targeted to patients with ‘sensitive skin’ who commonly have underlying inflammatory skin conditions,” the authors wrote. “Our findings provide novel evidence of the origins of adult-onset milk allergy and adds to the growing body of evidence that use of foodstuffs as therapy for inflammatory skin conditions can lead to the development of new food allergies.”