white spots in my kids face

white spots in my kids face
white spots in my kids face

Most parents are worried when they observe white patches on their children’s skin over the face and bring them for consultation. Many of them have heard that these are due to some deficiency and others think that these are due to some serious skin disease, for this reason I thought of writing about these.

These patches are whitish (not shiny white), has ill defined margin and merge with the surrounding skin. They are oval or round in shape, about 0.5cm to 5cms in size, mildly scaly and usually occurs on face. These may occur on arms or chest also. These are very common, about 30 to 50 percent of children get them. They occur on dark as well as white skin but are more prominent on dark skin because of contrast. 

In the summer, it's common for children and young adults to develop a benign skin condition called pityriasis alba. It consists of multiple lighter round patches of skin on the face and often is a little scaly so that it looks rough or like it's peeling slightly. It is unclear exactly what causes pityriasis alba but it does seem to be more common after sun exposure and in people who have eczema.

Pityriasis alba can last for weeks to years and is more noticeable in the summer when the surrounding skin is more tan than the affected spots. The lighter areas usually occur on the face but can also show up on the neck, shoulders and arms. The majority of people with this skin condition are between 3 and 16 years of age.

It's best to continue using sunscreen when outside to avoid sunburns and try to keep the skin color on the face about the same shade throughout. Moisturizers can help, and sometimes using a mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone may improve the appearance of the skin as well as any itching that might accompany the spots.