Understanding 5 Common Skin Diseases in Children: Treatment and Prevention

One of the health issues that often affect children is "skin diseases," which include various types with different causes and symptoms. Parents should watch for symptoms to find suitable treatment and learn ways to prevent them.

1. Dry skin rash

During cold and dry weather, children's skin may itch and develop white flaking patches, especially on the legs. The skin there tends to be drier than other parts because it has less fat. Other factors include taking warm baths, which feel relaxing but often last longer than usual, further drying the skin.

In cases of very dry skin, red, inflamed rashes can develop. Excessive scratching may cause wounds, providing entry points for infections that can lead to further skin problems.

Treatment

1. Avoid long warm baths.
2. After bathing, apply a moisturizer with a high content of emollients twice daily, morning and evening, to keep the skin hydrated.

2. Molluscum Contagiosum

Molluscum contagiosum appears as bumps with a soft, grainy center resembling cooked rice, hence its name. It is a viral infection affecting all ages but is more common in children due to their weaker immunity against the virus, making infection easier.

Usually, molluscum contagiosum causes no symptoms, but patients notice raised bumps matching skin color or red, which can spread rapidly, especially in those with weakened immune systems, such as patients on immunosuppressive drugs or with certain skin diseases like atopic dermatitis. It is often seen in preschool children.

Treatment

In healthy individuals, the condition may resolve on its own but can take from one month up to two or three years. For symptomatic cases, several treatments are available:

1. Scraping off the lesions using local anesthesia applied to the bumps before removal with medical instruments.
2. Topical medications that gradually reduce the bumps, though this takes longer than scraping, such as salicylic acid or retinoid creams.
3. Oral medication may be used when patients want to avoid the pain of scraping or combined with topical treatment, for example, cimetidine.

3. Warts

Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), producing hard bumps on the skin, commonly on the palms and soles, which can be painful when walking.

Treatment

Warts can resolve spontaneously but usually take a long time, so treatments include:

1. Topical medications that cause warts to shrink, such as salicylic acid.
2. Cryotherapy, freezing the wart for 10-30 seconds, repeated 2-3 times to destroy it.
3. Electrocautery or laser ablation.
4. Immunotherapy, which enhances the body's immune response to fight the virus, such as injecting the rubella or mumps vaccine into the wart to stimulate white blood cells to help remove the wart.

4. Head Lice

Head lice are small insects living on the scalp, transmitted through direct contact. They are common in crowded places like schools and shelters.

Initially, there may be no symptoms, but white nits appear attached to hair strands. Some children experience itching, which can be severe enough to cause scalp sores and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Treatment

1. Wash hair thoroughly, dry it, then apply 1% permethrin lotion for 15 minutes. Repeat treatment after one week.
2. Use a fine-toothed nit comb after washing to remove lice eggs from the hair.
3. Oral ivermectin speeds recovery but is only suitable for children over 5 years old and weighing more than 15 kilograms.
4. Treat all household members with lice simultaneously to prevent re-infestation.
5. Clean bedding, pillowcases, and combs with hot water.

5. Saliva Allergy Rash

This rash occurs when children frequently come into contact with saliva, which touches the skin of the face, arms, and legs. Prolonged exposure causes inflammation that can thicken into a rash with oozing. Children may experience pain and itching, scratching leads to skin inflammation. This can affect children from 2 months to 3 years old.

Treatment

1. Frequently blot saliva with a dry cloth. If saliva is excessive, wash the area with clean water and dry thoroughly. Avoid rubbing, which can worsen the rash.
2. Moisturize the skin after wiping saliva, after washing the face, and after bathing regularly.
3. For severe cases with oozing, apply saline-soaked gauze to the rash for 2-3 minutes to absorb fluid, then dry and apply medication and lotion to moisturize.
4. Apply anti-inflammatory medications. Two main types are corticosteroids, which speed up healing, and non-steroidal options for frequent recurrence or when corticosteroids cannot be stopped within seven days or cause relapse after 2-3 days.

Information provided by Dr. Sanchawan Wittayakornruk, Department of Outpatient Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University.