Wet wipes and allergies: fact or fiction?

Posted: 24th September 2018 | Posted by Costa

Wet wipes and allergies: fact or fiction?

Allergy diagnoses are on the rise and people are becoming more aware of what can set off a reaction. You may have read the news lately about the risk of allergies children face from the use of wet wipes. Everyone seems to have mixed thoughts about whether this is fact or fiction – is the rumour being exaggerated or is it as risky as some people report?

Where did the rumour come from?

It’s critical that you’re aware of the origins of these rumours before assuming the worst. The idea came from a US study carried out by Northwestern University. They found that wet wipes could play a factor in developing an allergy, but only under certain circumstances.

Many newspapers ran with the story of “wet wipes cause allergies” which misrepresents the findings of the study. That isn’t to say you can’t develop allergies thanks to wet wipes – it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Research

The study showed how neonatal mice reacted to several allergens include peanuts and dust irritants. It isn’t always easy to pinpoint the causes of allergens. There’s still a long way to go; however, new research has put the spotlight on factors such as altered skin absorbance and exposure to dietary or environmental allergens.

Figures suggest that 35% of children who have allergies also have atopic dermatitis. This is typically caused by genetic mutations that affect the skin barrier.

With this in mind, the study was done using mice who had skin barrier mutations. The mice were exposed to peanuts, which had little effect on its own. However, when other factors were used in the study, the results showed that the mice began to develop dry skin – akin to dermatitis. Really, the results of this study were nothing new or groundbreaking.

What does this tell us?

Primarily it suggests that allergies develop due to non-direct exposure to them through the skin. This isn’t a concern though because it would require a ‘perfect storm’ of conditions. For an allergy to potentially occur, the baby wipe residue would have to be improperly washed away. Then a child would have to come into contact with an allergen. This is on top of the genetic predisposition they would need to have.

So where does the panic come from if we now know that you have to jump through multiple hoops to even come close to developing an allergy?

Apart from general media hysteria, it’s always a good idea to be vigilant with what products you use on your child. Soaps, like those found on baby wipes, can cause the skin barrier to damage the fats which over time can cause dry and itchy skin.

The bottom line though is that it’s unlikely that a child would develop an allergy from wet wipes alone. We’re becoming a very health conscious nation, so it’s understandable why we’re quick to believe the rumours without understanding the science behind it. It’s critical to take the rumours with a pinch of salt.

If you need to find out once and for all what’s causing your child’s skin to itch, book a test with one of our consultants today to find out more.