Skin Allergy to Coffee

By

StacyS

We have a coffee allergy in our family: we get very itchy rashes with blisters and flaky skin. My grandad got it on his arms, hands and feet, my dad on his feet, my aunt on her hands, and I get it on my feet. In all of us, it didn't start appearing until we were about 35. Luckily, I've never really been a coffee drinker, though I'll have a cup or a few sips occasionally. I've found the severity of the symptoms vary w/ different coffees, some give strong symptoms, others more mild. Even mocha ice cream and coffee liqueur has given me strong symptoms.
I don't know if this helps any, but good luck in your search!

By

zoltan282

I'm living in Hungary. For years I did not know why those strange rashes appear on different places on my body(like acne or days later mild eczema, inflamation, at my armpit, upper leg part inside and underwear area). I realized that it is caused by some food or drink and I started to watch my daily diet. And yes, after half a year of checking my diet and the skin reactions I found out that it is caused by coffee. Most of the coffee causes those symptoms for me(100% arabica ie. all brands that I tried). but there is one Hungarian brand which doesn't. It is interesting and I do not know why, probably it's coming from few added chemicals, additives when they grew the coffee beans or something. So watch your coffee.

By

GarlicQueen

Absolutely you can develop a skin rash by drinking coffee! I've seen it on my own face! People are just too addicted (including myself!) to want to admit the truth! When I stop drinking coffee for just one day, I can see and feel my chin rash settling down. As soon as I have my cup or two, my chin starts to burn! You don't have to have a Phd to see the writing on the wall!

By Lyndsay (Guest Post)

No, I never was "officially" diagnosed as I have neither the time nor money to keep going to doctors. I like the Bigelow tea the best. Funny thing is, eczema and psoriasis are not the same thing, and that is what I was told. Could be either one. Also Gold Bond Healing lotion works really well at healing up the wost of it. I'm all clear now and it is wonderful!

By Kelly (Guest Post)

I'm wondering if Lindsay ever found out for certain whether her skin problems were from coffee. I am suspecting the same thing myself. I have been diagnosed with eczema / psoriasis and I'm trying to find out where it is coming from. It is all over my hands, legs and arms. I love coffee, but if that is the cause, I like English Breakfast tea enough.

By ca (Guest Post)

juz wanna check. could coffee possibly cause outbreaks? i.e. acnes and pimples on face?

By Lyndsay (Guest Post)

For anyone researching something similar in the future, I am down to one cup of coffee weekdays, and none on the weekends, and it definitely has made a difference in my skin. I am almost totally cleared up. To Shellee who suggested English breakfast tea many thanks! I've tried a couple of different brands and found one I like best. With a little sugar and cream it reminds me of the first tea I ever had as a little girl. Delicious!

By Kat (Guest Post)

I think its coffee. Sometimes my skin gets red blemishes and spots when I drink coffee. If I dont drink acidic drinks (Coffee and Softdrinks) I get clear skin.

By hilljillie (Guest Post)

I believe that dermatitis can be caused by coffee. My brother discovered it by accident. He had terrible itchy patches on his hands, and all the creams rx'd by the doc didn't help much. One day for no specific reason he decided to quit coffee--skin problems dissappeared. My father also had the same cronic problem (he drank it black), but passed away before my brother found his cure.

By

HomesteadFamily

I have heard of other coffee drinkers complain about a rash however, it ends up that it is what they are placing into the coffee. Do you drink it black or not. My bet is you do not.

By suzin (Guest Post)

There is a skin rash some people get from eating gluten. You might check out celiac.org and see if it tells about it on that site.

The most definitive test for delayed food allergies is blood test called the IgG ELISA test.

Most people have delayed reactions to foods they are allergic to versus the immediate reaction to single foods that often can be life threatening. Think peanuts, eggs, strawberries and the like.

Delayed food allergies can be persistent and annoying and take a toll on your health.

This test can be done by independent labs via mail as well as through your doctor. It's expensive, but most insurance companies will cover it. Also, labs offer a choice for the number of foods tested, usually 48 or 96 foods.

Hope this helps.

By

luvmygingerkids

An allergist can test you to see if coffee is indeed the culprit. Don't stop with your regular doctor, ask for a referral to an allergy specialist.

Here's a really good link on dermatitis, etc.

http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/

By Lyndsay (Guest Post)

I'm thinking coffee because I realized after eating high acid foods it is worse. So I began keeping track of what I eat every day, and coffee is the only acidic thing I have every single day. I just wondered if anyone else out there has discovered this too.

By Shellee (Guest Post)

I'm allergic to gluten/wheat, dairy and eggs, and I didn't have dermatitis, I had boils (which are not fun!). My best friend has a skin allergy reaction when she eats tomatoes. Eliminate coffee for 2 weeks (acquire a taste for English Breakfast Tea, which is delicious with cream and sugar) and see if your skin clears up - if it does, it's the coffee, if not, it's something else. If that happens, start eliminating things you eat every day (wheat/gluten, dairy, tomatoes, nuts, etc) for 2 weeks each until your skin clears. Good luck!

By

auntieM39

Your doctor says it's dermatitis and you think it's coffee. What makes you think it's coffee? Surely you ingest a lot of other things during the day. My dad developed a very disgusting rash on his arms and part of one leg. Later it moved around his underwear area & the other leg. The dermatologist said it was either dermatitis or lichen simplex and gave him a soapless skin wash and some kind of salve. Sometimes a doctor just doesn't know what's wrong. I do know that you can develop allergies at any time of life. An allergist would probably tell you to eliminate any suspected foods or drinks for several weeks and then reintroduce them back into your diet one at a time and see if one might be the culprit.