9-year-old child has white spots on his face

Recently, a friend reported that his 9-year-old child had white spots on his face. In daily life, many parents think that their children have intestinal roundworms when they see white spots on their faces, and they rush to deworm their children. In fact, the so-called "worm spots" are medically called pityriasis alba, also known as simple pityriasis (commonly known as peach blossom ringworm), also known as streptococcal pityriasis, which is a common skin disease in children and adolescents. The causes of this disease may be streptococcal infection, inadequate development of children's sebaceous glands, lack of sebum protection on the skin, malnutrition, lack of B vitamins in the body, excessive washing, and sun exposure.

The disease usually starts in spring and disappears in summer and autumn. It mainly manifests as hypopigmented round or oval patches, mostly on the face, around the mouth, cheeks, forehead, and can also be seen on the neck, shoulders, arms, chest, and buttocks. The subjective symptoms are not obvious, and a few patients may experience mild itching. Apart from affecting appearance, pityriasis alba has little effect on physical health. People often call these white spots "worm spots" and even use them as a basis for diagnosing parasites such as roundworms. They blindly use anthelmintics, which results in the toxicity of the anthelmintics causing liver damage in children.

There is no necessary connection between white spots on children's faces and intestinal parasites. Someone observed 1,650 patients with white spots on their faces and found that the false positive rate of parasitic infection was as high as 70%. That is to say, 70% of children with white spots on their faces do not have worms in their stomachs. Therefore, it is unreliable to diagnose ascariasis based solely on "worm spots". The diagnosis of whether a child is infected with ascariasis can only be based on stool test results or the detection of ascariasis in the stool.

Pityriasis alba generally does not require special treatment, let alone deworming. You should pay attention to keeping your face clean, do not use soaps with too strong alkaline properties, and use some oily moisturizers in the dry season. If your child feels itchy or uncomfortable in the affected area, apply a small amount of hormone cream.

When white spots appear on a child's face, parents must tell the child more about skin care methods. It is best for the child to wear a sun hat or hold a parasol when going out. Never let the affected area get injured again, and don't eat spicy or irritating foods. You can eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, but the premise is that they cannot contain too much vitamin C. You must go to the hospital for regular checkups. Only in this way can you observe the status of the disease. If the disease is serious, it is better to have surgery as soon as possible.