Why do children have white spots on their faces?

When people see white spots on the face, the first thing that comes to mind is vitiligo. However, for newborns, this situation may not necessarily be vitiligo. Moreover, the white spots on the face of newborns are basically not large, which is very different from the presence of vitiligo in patches. So when parents encounter this problem, they must figure out what disease the white spots on their children's faces are.

White spots on the face ≠ parasites in the stomach

There have been many medical research reports proving that there is no direct correlation between whether or not a child develops white spots on his or her face and roundworm infection. Therefore, the term "worm spots" is unscientific and has misled our ancestors for so many years...

What causes white spots on a child's face?

Many kinds of skin diseases can cause white spots on the face, and the white spots caused by different skin diseases are different in morphology and pathogenesis.

Pityriasis alba: also known as simple pityriasis, it is the most common skin disease in children that manifests as white spots on the face. Its pathogenesis is still unclear. Atopic constitution, dryness and sunlight exposure can all trigger it.

Pityriasis versicolor: commonly known as sweat stain, it is a superficial fungal disease caused by Malassezia infecting the stratum corneum of the epidermis. It often occurs on the face of infants and young children, and can appear as hypopigmented spots (white spots) or hyperpigmented spots (brown or coffee color).

Vitiligo: It is an acquired depigmentation skin and mucous membrane disease. The pathogenesis is still unclear, and it is generally believed to be related to abnormal immune function. The lesions are often milky white or light pink, with a smooth surface and no rash.

Anemic nevus: It is a congenital localized hypopigmented spot, which is a single or multiple light-colored spots in round, oval or irregular shapes, generally distributed unilaterally or confined to a certain part. They occur shortly after birth, and the white spots rarely continue to expand and remain in shape.

If we find white spots on our children's faces, we should first consult a professional dermatologist to identify the cause and then provide symptomatic treatment instead of blindly buying medicine for the children to apply or take orally.