We went on our family cruise in June/July of this year. Upon return, I noticed my son had small rashes on his face in his T-zone area. Slightly raised white bumps that eventually discolored his face. The doctor mentioned it was a fungus he must have picked up from the cruise. He gave us a cream (not sure of the name) but it doesn't appear to be working. I talked with a mom at the school my son attends and she mentioned to pick up a cream for athlete's foot AF. It helped the raised bumps but his color has not returned. Has anyone dealt with anything like this...??? I am at wits end and don't want my son scared for life!
Whatever you do, keep him out of direct sunlight until it's cleared up. When my son was attacked by a dog and we had to use ointment on his face for the cuts the instructions said to keep him out of the sunlight. You can see his scars, but they aren't dark. But they would be a lot lighter had I followed the directions and kept him out of sunlight. Sounds like it's just gonna take some time, but it will fade.
D.,
Perhaps your son's face rash has nothing to do with being on the cruise itself, but from the FOOD on the cruise. You eat so many different kinds of food on a cruise, mainly due to the giant buffets. Maybe your son ate something on the buffet that didn't agree with him. I would take him to the allergist (or a chiropractor who is certified in N.A.E.T. - PM me if you are interested in knowing about this - it's an alternative type of allergy treatment) and have him tested for allergies. Good luck!
Go to a dermatologist just to get a proper diagnosis.
We see Dr. Allen Menter (Baylor downtown). He is TOP NOTCH, Well known and fantastic. If you can't see him, see one of his PA's because they are great as well.
I saw him years ago for some skin discoloration and he worked wonders for me. I have taken my daughter to him for 3 yrs now as a proactive approach to the teen years and skin issues. Daughter has great skin, as do I.
Just check it out before you put different products on your child's face. Be wary of skin allergy reactions to any product.
Hi D.,
This does seem like a fungus or even rosesea(sp). I have had this myself in the past and now. My doctor gave me a RX topical cream and I cannot remember the name(I am at work now and cannot check)but interesting enough she told me to wash my face (or the affected area) with Head & Shoulders shampoo. Apparently it contains a fungus killing ingredient. Hope this helps. Sincerely, T.
If the doctor gave him an antifungal, then an athlete's foot creme won't do much differently as it is an OTC antifungal.
Go back to the doctor or to a dermatologist. They can do lab tests to see what it is and prescribe the appropriate medicine.
Don't freak! He's not going to be scarred for life. In my day, scarring for life was chicken pox scars and no kids are innoculated against chicken pox. Even those scars faded before adolescence. By then, you'll be anxious about his acne scars!
No personal experience, but my good friend just told me about her 2-year-old son who it sounds like has/had the same thing. She used medicine for Athlete's Foot per the doctor, and the bumps are gone now but the discoloration (or lack of color) is still there. Doctor said it would be fine when his tan fades and the skin would all be back to the same color. Just thought I'd share since I heard this the other day.
Was the doctor a pediatrician? Either give him another try or go to a dermatologist. I wouldn't experiment with something like this. He may rub his face and touch his eyes, etc... A doctor should be involved.
I'm not sure how helpful this is, but all 4 of my kids get this each summer after swimming in our community pool. My pediatrician said that it is some type of fungus that is contagious and really only starts showing up when the rest of their skin is very tan. He said that you have to bathe the kid in Selsun Blue and let is sit on the skin for at least 10 mins. Apparently, the same thing that causes the fungus is responsible for dandruff/dry scalp.
Now, I do not subject my kids to this b/c it would be nearly impossible to get all of them to cooperate and we swim all summer long. The fungus is usually gone a few months after school starts--no scarring.
Hi D.:
My 3 year old son also got some sort of fungus all over his body. When the small scaley patches went away they left white patches all over his skin. Sounds like the same thing your son has.
I have taken my guy to a dermotologist and am not happy with the lotion and cream he prescribed. It hasn't helped at all, not to mention that I think he just waved off the fungal issue (that was diagnosed by our pedi).
Please keep me informed with any information you may recieve.
By the way, is your son tan in color by any chance? My son is very light skinned, but bi-racial.
I took my daughter to Dr. Ghali for a similar type situation. He said it was a fungus and prescribed some cream to put on it. The fungus cleared up but the white spots lasted awhile but eventually disappeared as well.
It sounds like the warts that my children had a few years ago. My son had them on his face. I suggest you go see a dermatolagist. We used Pediatric Dermatolagist Dr. Gahli in Grapevine. He used what he called "Bug Juice" and froze them off. It took 2 treatments for some, but there was no scaring and they were gone quickly. They are contagious and are frequently picked up around pools. I hope this helps.
If you have bot already done so, go see a dermatologist.
Ask you local pharmacist about Lotrisone cream. It is A. anti fungal cream. Maybe they have A. over the counter generic that will work just as well. I used to have a discolored patch on the back of my hand and applying this for several days made it go away.
