Children & Infants
Acrodermatitis Enteropathica
A rare inherited condition in babies and children where the body can't absorb enough zinc, leading to a scaly rash, diarrhea, and hair loss.
Also known as: zinc deficiency skin disorder
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: An inherited difficulty absorbing zinc from food; Weaning from breast milk to cow's milk or formula in a genetically susceptible infant; Low zinc intake or increased zinc losses.
First thing to try: See a pediatrician promptly for diagnosis and to check zinc levels — proper zinc dosing must be medically supervised, since too much zinc can cause its own problems.
See a doctor if: Any infant with a persistent rash, hair loss, and diarrhea together should be seen by a pediatrician right away.
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- An inherited difficulty absorbing zinc from food
- Weaning from breast milk to cow's milk or formula in a genetically susceptible infant
- Low zinc intake or increased zinc losses
Change what you can
- See a pediatrician promptly for diagnosis and to check zinc levels — proper zinc dosing must be medically supervised, since too much zinc can cause its own problems.
- Continue or resume breastfeeding where possible; breast milk zinc is easier for a baby to absorb.
- Once a doctor has confirmed the diagnosis and started treatment, offer a zinc-rich diet alongside it — legumes, whole grains, pumpkin seeds, and leafy greens.
- Keep the diaper area and skin folds clean and dry to reduce irritation and prevent secondary infection.
- Support the immune systemYour body's built-in defense team that fights off germs and helps you heal. More → with regular rest, gentle daily activity, and a simple, whole-food diet while healing.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- Any infant with a persistent rash, hair loss, and diarrhea together should be seen by a pediatrician right away.
- Seek urgent care for signs of dehydration (very few wet diapers, sunken soft spot, lethargy).
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your acrodermatitis enteropathica — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
This condition shows up as crusty, red patches around the mouth, hands, feet, and diaper area, often with hair loss and loose stools. It usually starts in the first weeks or months of life, especially after a baby is weaned from breast milk onto formula or cow's milk, because breast milk carries a special zinc-absorbing factor.
Most babies with this condition have a genetic difference that keeps their gut from absorbing zinc normally. Breastfeeding tends to protect infants because breast milk zinc is easier to absorb, so symptoms often appear within a week or two of switching to cow's milk or formula.
Beyond the skin and hair changes, low zinc can make a child more irritable, clingy, and prone to infection, since zinc is essential for a healthy immune systemYour body's built-in defense team that fights off germs and helps you heal. More →. The good news is that with the right care, the skin, hair, growth, and mood usually all bounce back.
Because this condition involves a real, measurable nutrient deficiency and a genetic absorption problem, it always needs a doctor's diagnosis and supervision — this is not something to manage with home remedies alone.
Common signs
- Red, scaly, crusted patches around the mouth, hands, feet, and diaper area
- Hair thinning or loss
- Frequent loose stools
- Irritability, poor sleep, low appetite
- Slow growth
⭐ Community-ranked natural supports
Vote ▲ on everything that helped you, and ▼ on anything you tried that didn't — the ranking updates live. Tap 💬 to share what worked, so others can find it faster.
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas)
- Whole grains
- Pumpkin seeds and nuts (age-appropriate)
- Leafy green vegetables
Go easy on
- Excess dairy or soy-based infant formulas without medical guidance, which can affect zinc absorption
Diet changes support recovery but do not replace medically supervised zinc treatment.
⚖️ Good to know
- Zinc supplementation should only be dosed by a physician — high, unsupervised doses of zinc can cause copper deficiency and other problems, especially in infants.
- Do not attempt to self-treat with supplements or herbal preparations before a doctor's evaluation.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
This is a genetic condition requiring lifelong medical management with prescribed zinc supplementation, not diet alone.
Commonly offered
- Lifelong prescription zinc supplementation, dosed and monitored by a doctor–
- Regular monitoring of zinc levels and growth–
- Treating the skin rash and any secondary infection–
Worth knowing
- This is a medical condition that needs diagnosis and ongoing supervision — do not attempt to manage it with diet alone.
- Untreated, it can be serious in infants; work closely with a pediatrician or specialist.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
💚 Was this page helpful?
A quick tap helps us improve these guides. Saved on your device in this preview.