Main Children’s Skin Diseases: The most important

You have noticed a rash on your child's skin? Your baby complains of itching? These can be symptoms of an infectious skin disease.

In children, these occur more often than in adults because their skin is especially sensitive to external stimuli. In addition, they proceed differently due to the specific structure of the epithelium.

What are the most common skin diseases in children, as well as whether they can be diagnosed and cured by yourself or you need to see a doctor immediately, read on.

Lichen

More than 70% of kids suffer from this infection. Lichen is a general term in dermatology used to refer to a group of skin illnesses. These include:

• pink lichen (Zhiber disease) is characterized by pink spots on the body;
• lichen planus is a disease that causes the appearance of red spots with white scales. It often occurs after stress, with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, diabetes, hypertension, and allergic-toxic reactions;
• lichen planus — appears as small white spots on the skin and is associated with the overgrowth of fungi of the genus Malassezia, which are present in most people. It may occur due to warm and humid climate, excessive sweating, hormonal changes, weakened immune system, or it may simply be a genetic predisposition;
• shingles is a viral disease that can be distinguished by painful rashes on the body;
• Ringworm is a fungal disease that is most often diagnosed in children. That’s because the source of infection is stray animals — dogs, cats, etc. With frequent contacts, the risk of infection increases, but it does not appear immediately. Sometimes, symptoms may appear after several months. The main manifestations of the illness are itching and a pink or reddish spot with a ridge on the periphery. Peeling is clearly visible in the middle of the spot. In addition to the body, ringworm also spreads to the scalp, in such cases, there is usually thinning of the hair and its breakage at the base.

Treatment of lichen must be carried out under the supervision of a dermatologist. In addition, according to the Ministry of Health, such treatment should take place in a hospital. The reason is that a kid with manifestations of lichen is dangerous for others. That’s why, if you notice the symptoms, immediately go to the hospital.

Atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic allergic inflammatory skin disease accompanied by severe itching and dryness. The formation of the skin barrier is disturbed, and moisture loss increases. Most often, it occurs in early childhood.

Also, symptoms of atopic dermatitis include:

• redness of the face;
• rash and peeling on the head, cheeks, and neck;
• in older children, it is localized in the abdomen, groin, and back.

To improve the kid’s condition, you need to:

• daily moisturize the skin and the air in the room;
• remove possible triggers of the disease, for example, detergents, clothes made of coarse fabrics or synthetics.

But to cure atopic dermatitis, you need to use comprehensive care, so be sure to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

If atopic dermatitis is not treated, it can cause bronchial asthma, nervous disorders, and disrupt intradermal metabolism.

Rubella

Rubella is an acute viral infectious skin disease that mainly affects unvaccinated children aged 2 to 9 years.

The main symptoms of rubella are:

• small point rash;
• slight increase in temperature (up to 38° C);
• mild runny nose or cough;
• vomiting.

Treatment of rubella is symptomatic with adherence to bed rest.

If you notice strange rashes or other symptoms of a skin illness in your kid, we advise you to consult a doctor. He will help you determine the cause of the disease and prescribe the right treatment.