All white patches are not vitiligo

10year old Jyotsna developed white hypo pigmented patches on her face. She complained of mild itching in the areas where the patches appeared. She was taking allopathic treatment from a local doctor and was told that she suffered from fungal infection. There was no relief with the treatment and the patches were increasing and had now come on her neck and shoulders. Her mother then visited a homoeopathic doctor and she was told that her daughter suffered of Pityriasis Alba. Whenever Jyotsna would go out to play in the sun the patches would get aggravated and there would be itching too. She was given homeopathic medicine based on her case study along with home care advice and all her patches cleared in 4 months time. She continued taking treatment for another 6months to prevent the recurrence.

Pityriasis Alba is a commonly found skin disorder in children and young adults. The cause of Pityriasis Alba is unknown but it often co-exists with dry skin and atopic eczema. Ultraviolet radiation, excessive or inadequate bathing, low level of serum copper, yeast named Malassezia and worm infestations are known to trigger Pityriasis Alba. Sun exposure is said to aggravate the condition and on skin being tanned due to sun exposure the surrounding skin makes affected area more prominent. Pityriasis Alba lesions are mostly seen on the face especially the cheeks and can spread to entire face, upper arms, neck and shoulders. It appears on the skin as round, oval or irregular plaques that are white, red, pink or skin colored. There could be mild itching or scaling when exposed to sun.

Homoeopathic Treatment for Pityriasis Alba

Homoeopathy believes that any skin ailment is a result of some internal problem and needs to be treated from within.

Conventional medicines for fungal infections are quite strong and could cause undesirable side-effects like skin irritation, redness, swelling and blackening of the skin. Homoeopathy has no such side-effects. Homoeopathy is a good choice in treating fungal infections as it not only eradicates the disease but also prevents the recurrence.

Homoeopathic medicines prevent the recurrence of the disease by restoring the deviated immune system back to normalcy.

Children love sweet pills and Homoeopathic medicines are very easy to administer.

Homoeopathic treatment enhances the longevity of treatment and helps to improve the health related quality of life.

Self-Help

Skin of a child suffering from Pityriasis Alba is generally dry so it should be well moisturized with a mild moisturizer or unscented baby oil.

Perfumes may aggravate the disease so any cream used should not have fragrance in it.

Mild unscented moisturizing soaps or cleansers should be used for bathing children.

Use of mild sunscreens is a must as children play in the sun which could aggravate the disease.

De-worming should be done when the child suffers from Pityriasis Alba.

Advocate more fruits and green vegetables in your child’s diet which will help to increase their immunity.

Sugary foods and oily foods should be avoided.

Underlying anemia should be ruled out as this may slow down the treatment progress of the disease.