Warts, Acne and Other Common Skin Diseases in Children

Posted by: mrfiveseo on: December 28, 2012

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Eczema
Parents know that no matter what they do, children get into things they shouldn’t, sometimes causing horrific skin irritations. Did you also know there are common skin diseases, which, if left untreated, cause intense discomfort and infections?
One skin disease that comes to mind right off the top of my head is eczema. My daughter, who is now 16, has dealt with eczema all of her life. Her eczema is allergy-based. Most cases are. But if we don’t treat it immediately with topical corticosteroids then it inflames and can even cause impetigo, another common skin disease in children.
Now, impetigo is not normally ’caused’ by eczema; but if the eczema is left untreated and constantly irritated (such as excessive scratching), then your child is more likely to get impetigo (a bacterial infection of the skin).
Eczema (in this case ‘atopic’) can happen at any age, but seems to be very common in children, people with allergies such as hay fever and even people with asthma. The eczema lesions on my daughter are reddish in color, raised and dry; sometimes scaly. According to medicine net, this is a common appearance. They can also appear in a circular pattern; resembling ring worm (a fungus of the skin); which we have also experienced. Ring worm can only be treated with an anti-fungal cream, where as eczema can only be treated with the use of steroid creams as stated previously. Eczema can also be ‘wet’ (oozing) and can even burn. Most people with eczema experience it mainly on their face, inside of the elbows, inside of the knees and neck; but eczema can appear on any part of the body.
Above I mentioned one form of eczema, but there are several others as stated on medicine net. All of these forms are very similar to atopic eczema with some slight variations. They include; contact, seborrheic, nummular, neurodermatitis, stasis dermatitis and dyshidrotic eczema.
Contact Eczema is as it states: eczema resulting from contact with either a chemical or an allergen, poison ivy being a prime example.
Seborrheic Eczema is more commonly referred to as ‘cradle cap’ or even dandruff by parents and doctors alike. If you have ever seen a baby with this condition you know what I mean. It is yellowish, scaly and oily. It does seem to run in families and the best defense is dandruff shampoos and proper washing of the scalp.
Nummular eczema is a rather uncommon form and seems to happen mainly in elderly men.
Neurodermatitis, stasis dermatitis and dyshidrotic eczemasare more common in young adults, older adults and sometimes even the elderly.
Acne Vulgaris
Acne vulgaris is one of those skin issues we don’t always think of as a disease; but it is a disease. This disease is not just prevalent in the teenage population, but also some adults have to deal with this sometimes scarring condition. I am focusing on the child (teenage) side of acne.
According to Julie C. Harper, MD; acne vulgaris “affects 82-100% of the population at sometime during their lives.” That most definitely makes this condition a ‘common’ problem.
Doctor Harper states that it is also “characterized by non-inflammatory follicular papules or comedones and by inflammatory papules, pustules and nodules in its more severe forms.” Basically, this just means you have either an ‘inflamed’ (large, swollen acne) form or a form that is not inflamed (such as blackheads/whiteheads). Unfortunately the more severe cases of acne not only cause damage to the surrounding tissue, but can also cause psychological and social issues amongst teenagers.
Researchers don’t really know the ‘exact’ cause of acne vulgaris, but they have come up with multiple, plausible factors. One of them is NOT food. Acne is not caused by what you eat or drink; despite what we were told as teenagers.
The combinations of factors that cause some teenagers to have severe acne include hormones, excess oil production (why their skin seems to look oily more often than not) and Pacnes which is a bacterium that is found in many acne lesions; as reported by Julie C. Harper.
From personal experience and doctors that I have spoken with; the best treatment for acne is to not only keep your skin as clean as possible and use benzyl peroxide; but don’t ‘over’ wash. Over washing is actually considered an irritant to your skin. Even for people with bad acne, you only need to wash twice a day. Once in the evening before bed and once in the morning; that is all; no more.
If you have severe acne, sometimes the best thing is just to consult your physician. They may have prescription drugs that can assist you in controlling the acne.
Warts
Growing up I don’t ever remember having problems with warts; although many of my friends did have warts. My first experience with warts was with one of my daughters. She grew a lovely ‘plantar’ wart. These warts grow on the soles of your feet.
All warts are caused by the HPV virus (human papillomavirus), are contagious and most of the time can be removed rather easily. Plantar warts can have the typical ‘wart’ look which is fleshy to white in appearance, hard and rough. Sometimes, like with my daughter they will have small, dark spots within the wart. These are not ‘seed’ as many of us have been told as children; they are actually tiny points of blood. These warts can be quite painful and sometimes need the intervention of a doctor to remove.
Warts, whether on your hands or feet are treated the same. In my daughter’s case, we were told by her doctor to apply over-the-counter medicine for warts according to package directions. If for some reason the wart hadn’t cleared up, then the doctor would have tried removing it himself. Other options include freezing (doctors use liquid nitrogen), duct tape which causes irritation to the wart and other therapies; according the mayoclinic.com
All though warts are not life threatening, they can be quite irritating depending on which part of the body they are located. It is always best to have a physician confirm that it is indeed a wart; especially if using over-the-counter products are not working.
Herpes (oral)
I am not sure about you, but I don’t always think of herpes (oral) as being a childhood disease; but it is and quite common. Oral herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus and causes what we commonly call cold sores on children and adults. I did not realize until I began researching oral herpes that is not only affects the lips (cold sores), but also affects the inside of the mouth.
Whether you know it or not, oral herpes is highly contagious. According to eMedicineHealth; everyone has been infected by at least one subtype of the herpes simplex virus by the time they are an adult. If you weren’t germ-a-phobic before reading this, you may well be one now. This brings a new meaning to ‘wash your hands’ that I am always drilling into my children’s brains. Also, you can have herpes and never even know. This is referred to as asymptomatic infection.
Basically, the virus lives within your body, yet you do not experience any of the painful symptoms associated with herpes. I feel for anyone who has this disease. I had a friend while I was growing up that had oral herpes and she told me on more than one occasion that it is painful.
Oral herpes is very recognizable by the blister that can form on the lips. There is, according to my friend, a tingling sensation and then a blister develops. Herpes unfortunately is not curable; but some of the best treatments include taking over-the-counter medications for pain and discomfort. Your physician may even be able to give you a prescription that can help with the duration of your outbreak.
This article is for information purposes only. I am not a medical expert, and I do not play one on TV.
Sources:
The Doctors at Medicine Net
Eczema (Dermatitis) Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Julie C. Harper, MD; “Acne Vulgaris”, eMedicine
Mayo Clinic Staff; “Common Warts” Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic Staff; “Plantar warts” Mayo Clinic
Author: Lisa Chan, MD, FACEP, Associate Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona; “Oral Herpes” eMedicineHealth