Keratosis And Pigmentation In Children

Compared to adult skin, children’s skin is much more sensitive. Marks on a child’s skin could stay until he turns into an adult. A good example is skin blemishes. These skin blemishes can increase and grow worse as they get older.

There are certain risks for having skin abnormalities, and we’ll take the case of keratosis and pigmentation. The two body components that involve these skin disorders are keratin and melanin. Keratosis is the overproduction of keratin (protein component of hair and nails) while pigmentation is the overproduction of melanin (responsible for skin tone). These two are important when it comes to certain bodily functions. Mainly, keratin is for protection because hair protects the head, while melanin prevents over penetration of ultraviolet rays in our skin. Basically, they do no harm, but overproduction of these can cause unsightly skin.

Keratosis

There are many types of keratosis each is determined by their characteristics or factor that caused it. Wart like masses on skin is inherent when you have actinic keratosis.

Keratosis Pilaris – this condition causes goosebump-like skin.   This condition is genetic and affects hair follicles. Excessive keratin which is accumulated on the hair follicles of the skin causes it.

Seborrheic Keratosis – Have the same symptoms like actinic keratosis.

Your children can have them too, and how can you avoid it? Having these skin disorders is inevitable but you can try to put up some techniques to lower risks. Since keratoses are caused by many factors, not just the sunlight, but also by genetic factors, it is hard to prevent. If keratosis runs in the family, it is most likely to occur in your children. Some keratoses are not curable, but they can be treated or removed.     Options consists of surgery or skin creams/serums.

Pigmentation

The normal pigmentation of skin is just alright, but excessive pigmentation is a trouble. The main effect of over pigmentation is that it causes skin to get uneven color. Melanin actually prevents excessive ultraviolet rays to get into the skin. The darker the skin, the more melanin the body produces. Excessive exposure to the sun could cause uneven pigmentation of the skin. Using umbrellas on a bright sunny day is an efficient means to prevent this. Another is the use of sunscreen. There are also lotions in the market that can resolve uneven skin tone.

The strength of ultraviolet rays in sunlight during 10 AM up to 4 PM is at its highest so try to avoid staying under the sun at those times. Sunlight is not really harmful, your children also needs it for vitamin D (read, for strong bones and prevention of rickets).