Psoriasis In Children: How Does It Affect Them? – Being Parents

If your child walks up to you and shows you a red dot with some sort of silver plaque, it may be a sign of psoriasis. The other symptoms are pain and a lot of itching.

Although this is a disease that usually occurs in adults, it also affects children.  What should you know about psoriasis in children?

The first thing to take into account is that this disease is not contagious. Because of this, you don’t have to exclude your child from the rest of the family, or prevent them from playing with their friends.

However, although it is not contagious, psoriasis causes a feeling of loathing in others. For this,  curing your child of this disease is important so that he is not affected psychologically and emotionally.

What is psoriasis?

It is a  chronic skin disease associated with the immune system.  Although not contagious, it can become inherited. It can be recognized by the inflammation of the skin: it becomes reddish with grayish patches or scales that gradually grow larger.

Areas affected by psoriasis

The scales or plaques produced by psoriasis can be different sizes, so that your child can get psoriasis in a small area without anyone noticing. But it can also affect a large part of his body. The most common areas where psoriasis usually appears in children are:

• ?? The scalp : usually with hair loss in the affected area.
• ?? The face : frequently on the jaws and cheeks.
• ?? Elbows and knees.
• ?? Nails.

Also, it can appear on other parts of the body. In children, most of the time it looks like a splash.

Why does my child have psoriasis?

The reasons for psoriasis in children are not defined, but it is known that it has a close relationship with the state in which the immune system is found. This is affected because the T lymphocytes, which normally have the task of protecting the body, attack the skin as if it were a wound or an infection. 

As a result, there is a rapid change of skin cells. This results in scales on the skin. However, some possible reasons have been corroborated:

Stress

Despite their young age, children can be stressed for different reasons:  the relationship with their classmates or siblings, school or sports pressures,  among others.

Cold

Excessive cold can also cause psoriasis in children. This is because babies tend to stay home more often in cold climates, so  they are not exposed to the sun, which is a good medicine for controlling psoriasis.

Genetics inherited from parents

Although it has not been conclusively proven that some of the parents passed on the disease, it is estimated that  if you have this disease your child will have a 50% greater chance of having it too.

Irritations on the skin

If your child has suffered burns, has a cut while playing, has been scratched by animals, or has a rash, you need to be extra careful. All of these skin irritations increase your child’s chances of developing psoriasis.

How to cure psoriasis in children?

Unfortunately, psoriasis has not yet been cured. It is therefore a chronic disease that can go away and reappear when you least expect it. Do not panic:  there are many effective treatments with which you can control this disease in your child. 

Here are some of these methods:

• ?? If the psoriasis is mild,  you can use moisturizers or oatmeal baths to combat the itching and irritation  (this method is recommended for babies).
• ?? Sun exposure is essential for relieving psoriasis,  but be very careful with too much sun as it could make your child’s condition worse.
• • Phototherapy, where the child will receive artificial light with antibiotics that kill bacteria more quickly.

Regardless, you need to be by her side at all times to help her build good self-esteem and learn to cope with the disease. It is important to follow the medical advice: this way it will be easier to fight it.