By Lorea Bagazgoitia, dermatologist.
Children’s skin has many similarities to adult skin. In fact, shortly after birth it already works the same, or even better, because it has not yet been exposed to aggressions such as pollution or the sun.
However, there are certain skin pathologies that do affect this age preferentially. For this reason, the objective of said article is to review these most frequent conditions in children, their characteristics and therapeutic approach, in such a way that these brushstrokes can be useful to address questions in this regard from the pharmacy.
dermatitis in children
It is common to hear that a child has ‘dermatitis’. However, these comments do not always refer to the same type of dermatitis. In babies, especially, we can distinguish two, which sometimes overlap in time and have nothing to do in terms of pathogenesis and evolution: seborrheic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis.
Seborrheic dermatitis: Seborrheic dermatitis is a characteristic disease of adults, however, its presence in babies during their first three or four months of life is frequent. Redness of the skin and yellowish scales are typically seen on the sides of the nose, forehead and, characteristically, the scalp, where it is called cradle cap. Persistent maternal hormones in the baby’s bloodstream favor oilier skin and, therefore, the overgrowth of the malasezzia fungus, which induces inflammation in the skin, producing that characteristic redness and flaking. It resolves spontaneously from the fourth month of life. Being strict, no treatment is required given this evolution, but some parents prefer to accelerate its healing, for which we can use cosmetic products aimed at this, antifungals or, on occasions, topical corticosteroids under medical supervision.
atopic dermatitis: atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease that can appear at any age. However, it is very common in children and it is not uncommon for it to be present from the first months of life. Babies with it have redness and flaking on the cheeks and areas of extension. The affected areas, in addition to simple dryness and flaking, may also suffer fissures and exudation. It is considered that these areas of inflamed skin are the consequence of a defective structure of the epidermis, accompanied by immune dysregulation.
Atopic dermatitis can be the beginning of the atopic march, a phenomenon that describes the fact that many children with dermatitis present other allergic symptoms in the following years (rhinitis, asthma, food allergy). In this sense, it seems important to keep outbreaks of dermatitis well controlled in the first months of life, as it could prevent the development of future allergies. For this, the medical assessment of the child is important, as well as an adequate therapeutic orientation.