Q: My baby will be 5 months old by the end of June and have an allergy of wheat and lactose. I was advised to bath him with a plain aqueous cream and to apply Elidel cream. The problem is the skin becomes dry and tight. Kindly advise on the product should I use and with regard to lactose. We are using Nan 1 lactose free milk and he doesn’t like the milk. Is there any other brand of milk I can gave him?

A:There are lactose free formulas available in market. These include Soyal and Zerolac. However, I am not certain about the diagnosis. How was the diagnosis of wheat and lactose intolerance established in your baby? Lactose intolerance would usually manifest as diarrhoea and not skin rash. A baby as young as yours would not have been given wheat, so it is very unlikely that wheat allergy would cause skin rash. What appears to me instead is that he may be suffering from atopic dermatitis. I of course cannot be certain without examining the child. Do take a second opinion from a dermatologist before changing the baby’s diet permanently.