# Why would my 10 month old have purple under his eyes?



## Mama_in_Maine (Jun 7, 2006)

My 10 month old son has dark purple rings under his eyes. He gets enough to sleep..could it be a deficiency or something?


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## my3peanuts (Nov 25, 2006)

Sounds like allergic shiners...


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## Mama_in_Maine (Jun 7, 2006)

I was wondering if it was allergies..could it be something he is eating? Or maybe something in the air..my 3 year old daughter has them too..but she has been tested for many allergens and no bites..


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

I was also thinking allergies.


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## mum2be (Jul 6, 2005)

My dd has them too and we assumed they were allergies. Don't know what exactly is the culprit though.

I'm in Maine too, btw


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

Is he vaccinated?


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## Mama_in_Maine (Jun 7, 2006)

Nope.. no vaccination


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## mykidsmyworld (Jan 18, 2007)

My son has allergies and he gets those to, it seems to show more on days when there is a higher mold or pollen count, it could be enviromental allergies,
maybe a allergy skin test to give you some ideas,
they aren't 100% but they can help guide you.


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## NotTheOnlyOne (Oct 23, 2006)

My ds had purple under his eyes at 2 and 3 weeks... and it WAS due to malnutrition. We found out soon after, that he did NOT in fact have severe reflux, he had a pyloric stenosis and he was not gaining weight or getting any nutrients from bm because of it. After the surgery to fix that, the dark circles disappeared. I look at pictures from right before his surgery and cringe. I am not saying thats what you ds's problem is at all.... just throwing in my experience.


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

Does he have allergies?


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *my3peanuts* 
Sounds like allergic shiners...


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

rarely it can be iron deficiency- is he weak/tired/pale inside his lips or eyes? otherwise I agree, allergies.


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## RootBeerFloat (Nov 22, 2005)

I'm voting for an allergy. Look at food or environmental. With dd, they showed up around that age and it was gluten (wheat, rye, barley, kamut, spelt; oats are almost always cross contaminated). They showed up again around 19 months and it was dairy. Her gut is a mess and we're working on that; they are very stubborn this time I think she's having vitamin deficiencies due to malabsorbption from longstanding exposure to allergens.

I was in denial about her food issues for a long time and I regret it alot now. I wish I would have acted sooner. It feels really overwhelming, but an elimination of common allergens is so worth it.


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## peachpie (Jan 25, 2007)

dh gets these with environmental allergies (mites, pollen).


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## Mama_in_Maine (Jun 7, 2006)

Ok..DS is non-vaccinated, and is on a gluten and casein free diet (except for casein from my breastmilk) and I eat very limited gluten and no dairy whatsoever so I am guessing it's got to be environment. Hmm...


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## RootBeerFloat (Nov 22, 2005)

If you eat any gluten at all, he's getting it through you. It takes a long time to get it out of your system. There are many other common allergens as well--corn, soy, citrus fruits, MSG etc. Also gluten and dairy is often added to foods, so be sure to read labels.


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## poppysmom (Apr 20, 2006)

My DD (16m) also has purple under her eyes. She was diagnosed with an egg allergy a month ago but that is all she tested positive for. I asked about her eyes and the allergist suggested it may be her adenoids. Since she has been in daycare and over the winter she has been prone to colds especially the snotty, backed up, post nasally drip kind that are all up around her sinuses (do they are don't they have sinuses at this age ?!/! - who knows). Anyway, the allergist said this could be do to the colds and her adenoids may be enlarged. She told us to just wait until the cold season is over and see how they are then. There is a surgery but she doesn't advocate surgery for such young ones if it's not necessary and hopefully they will just shrink with time. I googled and read this:

What causes dark circles under the eyes?
The most common cause of dark bluish circles under the eyes is congestion of the nose. The veins from the eyes drain into the veins of the nose. If the nose is blocked up, the veins around the eyes become larger and darker. To understand what's going on, we need to look at the nose.

These dark circles are sometimes called allergic shiners because nasal congestion is usually caused by nasal allergy or hay fever. Dark circles are also caused by chronic sinus infections, recurrent colds, or blockage of the nose by large adenoids. (If the dark circles are caused by large adenoids, your child probably breathes mostly through his mouth instead of his nose.) Dark circles under the eyes are especially noticeable in children with fair complexions.

Overall, dark circles under the eyes are not a sign of poor health or troubled sleep.


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## poppysmom (Apr 20, 2006)

ps - and she is not vaccinated....


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## B2* (Feb 22, 2006)

table salt & sodium can also lead to under eye "shiners"


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## mama2mygirl (Dec 14, 2005)

I also think allergies. My dd gets them and for her it's a dairy allergy.


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## milkamama (May 14, 2005)

hey,
just an fyi...as pp said anything that you are consuming dc is getting through your breastmilk...so if she is supposed to be gf/cf and you are eating these things and breastfeeding, dc is too! it takes weeks for dairy and gluten to leave your system...so you do have to practice patiences.

my ds2 had dark cirlces under his eyes...we knew he had major allergy issues and they have cleared since learning what the allergens are and eliminating them. ds's are food and it took a LONG time, many elimination diets, healing diets, supplements and allergy testing to figure it all out.

we are still on a healing path...you might want to check out the healing the gut sticky...and tribe.

good luck.


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## 3 little birds (Nov 19, 2001)

This is common with wheat and dairy allergies. Only elimination of foods will prove the allergy. Testing tends to be useless imo.


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