Should You Try an Elimination Diet for Eczema?
Updated on June 18, 2026
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Many things can trigger atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema: fragrance, laundry detergent, hot or cold weather, stress, and, in some cases, the foods you eat. Some people with the condition have tried an elimination diet. This diet involves avoiding specific foods that you think may be responsible for your symptoms, and then reintroducing the foods and noting if your symptoms return.
Common food triggers for eczema flares include milk, eggs, peanuts, and fish, in people who are allergic to these foods. Wheat is also on the list, says Daniel P. Friedmann, MD, a dermatologist with Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas.
Some people believe that excluding these foods through an elimination diet has helped them identify the root cause of their flares, but research hasn’t found evidence that there’s a significant benefit.
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Common Signs and Symptoms of Eczema
Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema.
Eczema Elimination Diet: What Research Shows
About one-third to two-thirds of children with moderate to severe eczema also have a food allergy, suggesting a link between food and eczema. But food and food allergies are rarely the root cause of eczema.
Still, many people who wonder whether their diet affects their skin turn to elimination diets to see whether a particular food is to blame. Research has examined whether it’s an effective strategy for reducing symptoms or flares.
One research review that included data from nearly 600 people who participated in randomized controlled trials found that dietary elimination led to slight improvements in eczema severity for people with mild to moderate eczema, but the certainty of the evidence was low. Fifty percent of those who eliminated foods saw improvement, compared with 41 percent of those who ate their usual diet.
Those findings seem to promote elimination diets as beneficial for those with eczema, but they should be taken with a grain of salt.
“The study found that while elimination diets may help some patients, the risks of elimination diets may outweigh the potential benefit,” says Alice Hoyt, MD, a food allergist with Hoyt Institute of Food Allergy in Metairie, Louisiana, who was not involved with the study.
An article from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Joint Task Force argued that this review’s data analysis showed that most people who try an elimination diet would see little to no benefit. They also noted that avoiding the potential harms related to the diet, like the development of a new food allergy, were something that most people with eczema would want to prioritize.
It’s also possible that you may be incorrectly attributing eczema symptoms to food. The authors of another research review wrote that elimination diets frequently cause inaccurate identifications of food allergies, which in turn lead to unnecessary testing, referrals to new doctors, and changes to diet, while neglecting the basics of eczema treatment. Researchers argued that instead, certain foods or dietary supplements might be added to the diet to help manage atopic dermatitis.
Perspectives
Dana
Living with eczema
“Eczema triggers are not just skin care based. So, very common triggers are your diet. Dairy is a very big trigger for me, although I love it.”
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What Are the Benefits and Risks of an Eczema Elimination Diet?
This type of diet for eczema relief comes with pros and cons.
The benefit of trying the eczema elimination diet is that you may successfully identify a food that triggers skin issues, helping you to avoid flares by cutting that food from your diet. But there are also some downsides that you may run into during the process of figuring out if a food is to blame.
Inadequate Nutrition
Elimination diets can lead to unbalanced eating if you rule out entire food groups in an effort to find your trigger, says Susan Bard, MD, a dermatologist with Manhattan Dermatology Specialists in New York City and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health. This excessive restriction can lead to malnutrition.
Unproven Results
You also may be spending your time following an unproven diet rather than pursuing more effective and well-established atopic dermatitis treatment options, such as topical medication.
“The reason we don’t typically recommend long-term elimination diets to modify atopic dermatitis is because there’s no evidence that it will actually change the disease process,” Dr. Hoyt says.
Severe Food Allergies
Hoyt says that avoidance of a food may increase the risk of developing an anaphylactic food allergy in people with food allergies. Research supports this idea: One review of studies found that elimination diets may offer a slight — but not important — improvement in severity, itch, and sleeplessness in people with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis. But the authors wrote that this potential minor benefit must be weighed against the risks of developing a food allergy and not choosing more effective treatments instead.
Expense and Difficulty
Following an elimination diet could also raise food costs and add an extra burden to you as an individual or caregiver. Plus, it can be particularly challenging for children who may be asked to give up treats and their favorite foods.
Is It a Good Idea to Try an Eczema Elimination Diet?
Because of the potential risks, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Joint Task Force does not recommend elimination diets. There’s currently not enough research supporting elimination diets to improve eczema if you’re not truly allergic to a food.
It can be worth a try, however, if it seems clear that a food is to blame for an outbreak, Dr. Bard says. “I tell patients that if they see an obvious association between a certain food and eczema flares to avoid that food,” she says. Better yet: If you’ve been diagnosed with an allergy to a certain food through a food allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) test or skin prick test, then it’s a good idea to eliminate that food from your diet.
Your dermatologist will likely recommend that you visit an allergy specialist to determine what food allergies you may have and to advise on whether an elimination diet will be right for you, Dr. Friedmann says.
And a registered dietitian can also help you make sure you’re sourcing necessary nutrients, Hoyt says. For instance, if you eliminate dairy, you’ll need to find other ways to meet your calcium needs. “The point is to optimize good nutrition,” Hoyt says.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
- What Is Eczema? National Eczema Association.
- Why and How to Start an Elimination Diet. Cleveland Clinic. April 12, 2022.
- Eczema: Research Summaries – Eczema: Can Eliminating Particular Foods Help? InformedHealth.org. February 11, 2021.
- Oykhman P et al. Dietary Elimination for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. October 2022.
- Eczema. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. June 28, 2023.
- Moncayo-Hida J. A Look at the Food Elimination Diet Trend for Atopic Dermatitis. National Eczema Association. December 5, 2023.
- Chu DK et al. Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema) Guidelines: 2023 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology/American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters GRADE– and Institute of Medicine–Based Recommendations. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. March 2024.
- Rustad AM et al. The Role of Diet Modification in Atopic Dermatitis: Navigating the Complexity. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. October 23, 2021.
- Eczema: Research Summaries – Eczema: Can Eliminating Particular Foods Help? InformedHealth.org. February 11, 2021.
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Lydia J. Johnson, MD
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Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Lydia Johnson, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist. Her medical career of more than 20 years has included work in private practice and in an academic medical center, as well as ...
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