white patches on babys face

i have an 8 week old baby girl who has developed white patches on her face and stomach. The patches are round and oval in shape and are predominantly on her cheeks. what could this be is there a cure for this? my baby is of asian origin and has tanned skin so therefore the patches are very obvious.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

There could be several causes of these white spots. It would be best to consult your doctor with your parents to find out the cause in your case and plan the further management accordingly.

Some of the perceived causes are emotional stress, hereditary factors, worms, sunburns and physical illness. This skin condition can be aggravated due to diseases like hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, pernicious anemia and Addison's disease.

Fungal infections of the human body are very common, and are often quite bothersome. One such example is a condition known as tinea versicolor, a superficial yeast infection that produces white spots on the skin that are difficult to remove.

You should talk to your doctor and rule out the above causes.

Let us know if you need any other information.

Regards.

[ulan0401]

My baby too who is turning 3 months had dry skin that developed white patches on her upper cheeks,particularly near her eyes some told me this is due to cold weather, is that true dr. bumika? What ointment or any other remedies would you recommend?..i tried applying petroleum jelly and it seems to help at times,especially when I see some rashes on her face though the white patches remain..Thanks in advance..

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

'Distinguishing between hypopigmentation and depigmentation is crucial to narrowing the differential diagnosis. Hypopigmentation is a decrease in the level of pigmentation of the skin, whereas depigmentation is a total loss of skin pigment.'

Skin biopsies are helpful only rarely.

It would be best to consult a skin specialist and rule out the following causes in the case of your daughter -

' * Vitiligo
      –Affects 1% of the population
      –Begins as a focal or diffuse (more common) hypopigmented patch that  
        progresses to total loss of pigmentation of the affected skin (chalk white)
      –Usually symmetric; often tops of hands, perioral, periorbital skin, knees, elbows

    * Pityriasis alba
      –Very common, especially in black children
      –Less distinct borders than in vitiligo, does not result in complete depigmentation
      –Plaques may appear lighter than surrounding skin and may be scaly
      –Often secondary to mild inflammation, such as tinea versicolor or atopic eczema
      –Completely reversible and does not cause permanent hypopigmentation

    * Piebaldism
      –Congenital, permanent, and irreversible
      –Newborns often have a patch of white scalp hair and depigmented patches on the  
        trunk with normally pigmented patches within these larger depigmented areas

    * Chemical leukoderma (depigmentation)
      –May be caused by phenols, germicides, and many other caustic chemicals
      –Results in confetti-like macules of depigmentation in exposed skin

o Albinism
            –Congenital
            –Disorder of melanin synthesis with several phenotypes, ranging from  
              complete lack of pigmentation (white hair and translucent or “red” iris) to the  
              more common diffuse hypopigmentation or “yellow” albinism that is prevalent  
              in the black population
            –Affects the skin, hair, and eyes
            –Photophobia, decreased visual acuity, strabismus, and risk of skin cancer

  o Congenital birthmarks (e.g., nevus anemicus, nevus depigmentosis) are isolated patches of hypo- or depigmentation that remain unchanged over time

  o Tuberous sclerosis is an inherited systemic disorder that results in hypopigmented macules in the shape of an “ash leaf ” on the trunk, and confetti-type depigmented macules on the arms/legs.'

You could read about this in detail at the following links -
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/s/skin_conditions/book-diseases-2c.htm

and

http://www.dermatologyinfo.net/english/chapters/chapter38.htm

Let us know if you need any other information.

Post us about what the doctor advises.

Regards.

[baby130]

Thank you for your advise. I have been to see my GP regarding this and have been told he will refer the matter to a dermatologist. He also said there is hypopigmentation but due to my daughters age and other factors he does not think this iis vitiligo.

Kind Regards

[baby130]

hi

i have been using aqeuous cream on my babys face for the last few days and this has really helped my daughters skin.

this may be something that can also help your baby,

regards

[ulan0401]

hi
thanks for the info, i'll try it and i'l let you know later if it would work for my daughter too..i consulted my pediatrician friend and i was told not to put petroleum jelly as it is hot for the baby's skin that's why I'm not applying anything, frequent cleansing with lukewarm water seems to help as i observed..did the white patches fade off from your daughter's face already? hope our babies will have the flawless skin that they should have..Godbless you more..

[ulan0401]

it seemed aqueous cream did not work for my baby's face,her rashes got worse, i'm worried bout her condition,i'm afraid its baby eczema..

[baby130]

Hi

The patches on my babys face are areas where she has lost pigmentation. She has also got a patch like this on her stomach. althogh the patches have not disappeared with the cream the have not got any worse. please do keep me posted regarding your baby's condition, as like yourself i am also very worried. I am due to see a dermatologist in January and can not get an earlier appointment. I hope and pray youe baby get's well soon.

[baby130]

Hi

I have today managed to see a dermatologist who has confirmed my daughters skin condition to be pityriasis alba. He advised to use oilatum and aqueous cream and to discontine other baby products as people with pityriasis alba have sensitive skin. The condition is not permanant but does take several months to get better. The dermatologist also advised that vitiligo not very commen in babies which was a relief to hear. I hope this helps.

[ulan0401]

It's good you've seen an expert for your baby's condition, the rashes of my baby's face got better,the pedia doctor gave 1%hydrocortisone..the white patches still there but maybe due to the very cold weather here,it's more of dry patches..Thanks for the info..Godbless

[171007]

hi
my 1 year old son got white spots on his face.is it due to calcium defeciency?its not spreading,rather developing different areas on face.what you suggest me to do for this?

[maluvie]

Hi guyz  My 5 weeks old daughter is having the same problem i hv been using acquoes cream it makes her skin dry. it worries me a lot coz she is hving 2 colour body
other part is white and other part is dark with top layer ie dark cuming out slowly hopiNg to get help soon guys. Thanks by Maluvie

[Mer_lyn]

Would like to check if you have an advice, my daughter is turning 4months old next week. We notice a white spots on her chest and back. As we observed it increase in volume. Her pedia advice us to put some cream as medication.

Do you have any idea if what is the real cause or problem about my baby?

Thanks in advance for your assistance

Merlyn Regalado

[ceszka]

same condition here as may mos old baby got it when shes on her 3mos old.been told by her pedia to use water either purified,distilled or being boiled.but still the patches are there even i uses a cream on it applying 2x a day.any suggestions i mean an effective way of getting rid on it.it appears on her forehead and some on scalp.pls do helpme tominimize these white spots.thanks

[dewo22]

Hey my daughter is two months and she has a big white spot on her scalp.I don't know what is ..os growing.if anyone knows what it can br please help out..

[dewo22]

hey my daugher has the same condition but hers is on her scalp... can you tell me what your doctor said about these patches.. im really sacrred.. it could be a bad condition like vitiligo..  please respond to me.

[ammu730]

MY 3YEAR BABY GIRL HAVING WHITE PATCHES ON THE.WHAT COULD BE THE CAUSE?TREATMENT ALSO

[Laina718]

Hi, I ran across this old post in search for answers to my 11 week old son's skin issues prior to his Dr. appointment.  We're African American and he started losing some of his pigmentation on his face and neck.  His face and neck started looking blotchy/ two-toned and he developed rashes in small patches throughout his body.   I wanted to share what my pediatrician told me.  All of this was caused by cradle cap.  I knew he had it, but I had no idea that it could spread and cause pigmentation loss.  I was doing a common home remedy treatment such as rubbing coconut oil on his hair and combing out the flakes and washing his hair every other day.  However, the doctor told me not to use any more oil and instead prescribed hydrocortisone valerate cream 0.2%.  He said wash his hair daily and apply the cream not just on the scalp, but on the rashes and sites of loss pigmentation.  It should take about 2-3 weeks to clear up and his pigmentation will return.  I hope this helps, because after reading some of the posts on here and other sites I panicked and thought he might have had something more serious and permanent.

[jocy1109]

Hi Doc,

I have a nine month-old baby who has white spots at his back, and after a few months, the white spots were gone.  I didn't applied any cream on the spots.  However, the spots also scattered on his arms and face, and now it's getting more on his face.  The pedia told me that he is too young to be given medications.  What shall I do?  Hope you could help me, as this is bothering me so much.
Thank you in advance