Sometimes parents are surprised to discoverstrange pink oval-shaped spots on the child's skin, the origin of which causes genuine bewilderment. As a rule, most often these spots turn out to be nothing more than a sign of the presence of a disease such as lichen in the child. Lichen is a fairly common disease, up to 90% of all children suffer from it at least once in their lives. The age category is also very wide - lichen in an infant is as possible as in a high school student. The first question that arises in parents: how to treat lichen in children? Before telling you how to treat lichen in a child, it is worth telling what this disease is. As a rule, the definition of "lichen" implies a whole group of skin diseases of fungal origin. And of course, animals can also provoke lichen in children. But they are not always the culprits of the disease. This point must be taken into account when deciding how to quickly cure lichen in a child. Despite the fact that it has a number of similar symptoms, the treatment still requires different ones. The following symptoms are possible with the disease:
- The emergence of lesions on the shoulders, abdomen, legs, in some cases - on the nails and the scalp.
- The spots at the beginning of the disease have a pale pink color, almost always the skin on them is scaly.
- In some cases, it is possible to increase body temperature and increase lymph nodes.
Parents who are faced with this problem should notthere is no need to despair and be scared - treatment of lichen in children is quite simple. If the disease is not advanced, and treatment of lichen in children is started on time, the time required for complete recovery is about two weeks. Adults need to remember that lichen is an extremely contagious disease. That is why, having discovered signs of the disease in your child, it is necessary to exclude all contacts with the children's group, in order to avoid infecting other children. During the disease, it is unacceptable to attend kindergarten or school, play with children on the playground. If there are two children in the family, their contacts should also be separated as much as possible. Lichen is a fungal disease, accordingly, the source of the disease are spores. Therefore, all personal hygiene items must be treated daily. It is also necessary to change bed linen and bathe the baby daily. The first question that arises in parents: how to treat lichen in a child? However, the answer to it should be given by a doctor - a dermatologist. You should not try to decide for yourself how to treat ringworm in a child, because there are several types of this disease, and treatment should be selected based on this. Unfortunately, many parents believe that the disease they have is ringworm in children. And they try, having discovered ringworm in children, to look for treatment with folk remedies. However, in fact, in medicine, there is no such thing as "ringworm" in children. However, as in adults. There are the following types of ringworm:
- Multicolored lichen in children occurs in half the cases of all diseases.
- Red flat lichen in children is the most common type.
- Peregrine lichen in children is less common, the treatment takes a little longer than all other types of lichen.
- Ringworm in children. Treatment is the least troublesome and lasts from 5 to 7 days.
- Tinea in children. Treatment should be carried out under the constant supervision of a dermatologist, in particularly neglected forms, inpatient treatment is indicated.
- If you look at pink lichen in children - the photo will help you to distinguish it from other species. However, an accurate diagnosis should be made only by a doctor.
Multicolored lichen in children
Pityriasis versicolor is the most commona common form of the disease, which accounts for up to 50% of all cases of lichen. The causative agent of versicolor lichen is a fungal infection. As is known, the fungus reproduces much more actively in a warm and humid environment. This explains the fact that this type of lichen is most often found in southern latitudes, where the climate is warm and with high humidity. While among residents of northern latitudes, the percentage of cases of versicolor lichen is only 7%. Unfortunately, versicolor lichen, which occurs in children, is often mistaken for cat lichen by parents. Accordingly, the child receives inadequate treatment, which does not bring relief, but only worsens the situation. A towel, bed linen, and personal items can become a source of infection with versicolor lichen. However, the risk of infection in this way is extremely small. Most often, sick people have a predisposition to this disease. As is known, a huge number of various spores and fungi live on the body of any person. Until the immune system is weakened, these fungi do not manifest themselves in any way. But as soon as the immune system fails, the fungi become active. Remember that versicolor lichen in children has an incubation period of up to 14 days. If your child has been in contact with a sick person, carefully monitor the situation for at least two weeks. This is necessary so that in case of infection, treatment is started immediately. Most often, the area affected by versicolor lichen is the skin of the shoulders, back or chest. Also, lesions can appear on the face and neck. The spots of versicolor lichen usually have a color that varies from light red to lemon or brown. The lesions often tend to merge into large spots and peel. Most often, doctors use the so-called "iodine" test to make a diagnosis. Its essence is as follows: iodine is applied to the lesion. In case of a positive result, the lesions acquire a coffee color. Also, dermatologists use special lamps, under the rays of which the spots of lichen become bright lemon-colored. Treatment of multi-colored lichen in children takes a lot of time and should be carried out only under the supervision of a doctor. It is also necessary to pay close attention to strengthening the immune system.
Red flat lichen
Lichen planus is quite rare.in children. As a rule, this type of disease very often develops into a chronic form, which is difficult to treat if it was started untimely. This lichen in children has the following symptoms: red blisters with liquid inside appear on the child's skin. As a rule, the lesions itch a lot and cause the child a lot of unpleasant sensations. The question of how the human body becomes infected is still a subject of debate among doctors - dermatologists. Some experts believe that the nature of the occurrence of lichen planus is neurogenic, others are inclined to toxic-allergic, and the third group even calls it a viral origin. And in favor of each of these theories there are scientific facts confirmed by numerous studies.
- Neurogenic nature of the appearance of redflat lichen is confirmed by the fact that very often the onset of the disease occurs immediately after the child has experienced stress (mother's going to work, going to kindergarten, school and other stress factors).
- A much higher risk of redness in those children who have a history of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as hepatitis, pancreatitis and the like.
- In some cases, the appearance of red plane lichen is one of the manifestations of an allergic reaction to certain pharmacological preparations.
The lesions are most often localized on the skin.arms and abdomen, in rare cases, damage to the oral mucosa is also possible. Diagnosis and treatment of lichen planus should be carried out by a doctor - a dermatologist, and in his absence - a therapist.
Ringworm
In case there is a suspicion of a cutwormringworm in children treatment should be started immediately. If you look at ringworm in children, the photo will give an approximate idea of what this type of disease looks like. Ringworm is very difficult to confuse with other types, since it affects the scalp and nail plates. This type is ringworm in children on the head, which parents so often complain about. When examining the affected area, you can see a break in the hair about two centimeters from the hair follicle. It is this fact that gave the name to this type of ringworm in children on the head. In addition, a sick child develops round red spots on the skin, the number of which is constantly increasing. The lesions are extremely flaky, the child feels severe itching. Most often, this type of disease is encountered by parents of children who attend children's educational institutions (kindergartens, schools, etc.). The fact that this group of children most often suffers from ringworm is explained by the fact that it is highly contagious and is very quickly transmitted from a sick to a healthy child. Most often, infection occurs when using common towels, combs, toys and simply physical contact. Another reason for the occurrence of mass infection in children's groups is that the incubation period of ringworm in children is very long - up to one month. In addition, this disease can be latent for a long time. That is, parents do not even suspect that their child has the disease, they do not isolate him from the children's group, and all the time, being with children, the sick child is a source of infection.
Peregrine lichen
Pityriasis versicolor also occurs in childrenquite often, but its treatment is quite specific and should be carried out only under the supervision of a doctor - a dermatologist. Dampness and heat are also faithful allies for this type of lichen. Children who are prone to increased sweating are especially often subject to it. At the beginning of the disease, pale pink spots appear on the skin of the shoulders, neck and back without signs of the development of an inflammatory process. After some time, the spots acquire a color from yellow to all shades of brown. If you do not start treatment immediately, after a few days, versicolor lichen appears on the face, arms and legs of children.
Pink lichen
If pink lichen is detected in children, treatment isIn most cases, it is quite simple and is carried out exclusively at home. However, a consultation with a dermatologist is still necessary, since even if you look at pink lichen in children - a photo does not always give an accurate idea of the course of the disease. In addition, it is imperative to differentiate it from other types of lichen. A photo can help suspect pink lichen in children, but it is unlikely that parents will be able to accurately establish a diagnosis, as a result, time may be lost. But it is extremely important, if pink lichen is detected in children, to begin treatment as soon as possible. Pink lichen in children rarely appears on the face, most often it is localized on the stomach, back, arms and legs. The spots have a pale pink color, the skin in the lesions is very flaky. This lichen in children has symptoms similar to the disease red lichen, but the spots in this case begin to peel from the middle of the lesion. It is this feature that is the main diagnostic sign of pink lichen. At the beginning of the disease, one large spot appears, along the edges of which new and new, smaller, lesions of the skin begin to appear. The nature of the disease with this type of lichen, as a rule, has an infectious or allergic form. The infectious form is extremely contagious, so all contacts of the child must be stopped immediately. The child should also have a personal comb, towel and dishes. Treatment of pink lichen in children does not take much time, but should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor and only with those drugs that he has prescribed. Many parents act rather rashly: they go to the pharmacy and buy the first ointment for lichen for children that catches their eye. However, the remedy that is great for red or multi-colored lichen, in this case not only will not help, but can even cause a significant deterioration in the child's condition. That is why it is so important to use only those ointments for lichen for children that are prescribed by a doctor and will bring relief.
Shingles
If the doctor suspects shingles in childrentreatment will be started immediately and very intensively, as this form of lichen is the most severe and can lead to very unfavorable complications. It should also be noted that shingles is very rare in children. The origin of shingles is beyond doubt. The disease is caused by viruses. Most often, this disease appears in the autumn - spring period. This is explained as follows: the virus can enter the human body at any time and for a long time not manifest itself in any way. And in the autumn - spring period, the immune system of most people is weakened, and therefore is not able to suppress the virus in the body, which is activated and begins its rapid development. Unfortunately, this type of lichen is difficult to treat and in most cases it is simply impossible to completely cure it. Medical drugs simply suppress its activity and the virus returns to a "dormant" state. And with the slightest weakening of the immune system, it will not be slow to make itself known. In case of illness, a sick child may complain of chills and severe headache, often a high temperature. After a short period of time, red spots with liquid contents appear all over the patient's body, without strict localization, which can cause painful sensations. And the weaker the immunity, the wider the lesion. Parents should not hesitate and decide how to independently treat lichen in a child. At the first signs of the disease, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help from a doctor - a dermatologist.
Treatment depriving folk remedies
Very often, parents, having discovered lichen in their childrenTreatment with folk remedies is considered almost a panacea. However, as already written above, the signs of lichen in children can be very diverse. Sometimes even an experienced doctor with many years of experience finds it difficult to do this, focusing only on the external signs of lichen present in children. Sometimes, an accurate diagnosis requires a laboratory study of skin scrapings. And only after receiving all the necessary data, the doctor will decide how to cure lichen in a child. However, there are several simple rules that make it easier for parents to figure out how to cure lichen in a child.
- During the disease, you must stop taking baths, as this can provoke an even larger area of skin damage. It is recommended to replace the bath with a short shower.
- Another secret of how to get rid ofchild, is the right choice of clothes during illness of the kid. As mentioned above, a warm and humid microclimate is an ideal medium for intensive disease progression. And under synthetic clothes, this kind of microclimate is created, so all clothing should be made from natural cotton materials that quickly absorb sweat secretions. In addition, it is a remarkable preventive measure of depriving children.
- Also, in order to successfully deprivechild, it is necessary to limit daytime walks in the summer. This measure is explained by the fact that sick children should avoid contact with affected areas of the skin with direct sunlight. Move the walk for the morning or evening time. If, however, there is an urgent need to go out with the child to the street in the daytime, make sure that all the lesions are covered with clothing.
- If the child sweats a lot, especially in the summertime, the following simple method will help you: dissolve 100 grams of the most common table salt in one liter of water and wipe the child from head to toe. Do not wipe, it is necessary to let the child dry on his own. The only case in which this should not be done is if lichen is detected in an infant. The baby's skin does not yet have sufficiently strong protective properties and exposure to a concentrated salt solution can cause an allergic reaction.
Of course, prevention of occurrence is very importantlichen in children. After all, it is much easier to prevent the disease than to rack your brains later about what lichen looks like in children, how to treat it and how not to infect the whole family.
- Try to avoid possible contact of the child with stray cats. Such animals, often, are carriers of fungi microsporia, causing the disease with ringworm.
- Try to buy your child clothes only from natural fabrics. This will also reduce the risk of developing the disease by various types of lichen.
- Well, and most importantly, what first of all?should pay attention to parents, this strengthening of the child's body. After all, strong immunity is a pledge that no infection will occur, even if contact could not be avoided.
In addition, I would like to encourage parents tomutual respect. If you notice signs of lichen in your child, immediately isolate him from the children's group and inform the teacher or medical worker of the educational institution. Do not expose other children to the risk of infection. We recommend reading: