The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Nantou Hospital said cases of pale, scaly dry patches on the faces of children and teenagers reported recently are symptoms of pityriasis alba, a mild, noninfectious and easy-to-treat skin disorder, calling on parents to remain calm.
Lee Yu-fan (李瑜芬), a dermatologist at the hospital, said that several parents have recently taken their pre-adolescent and adolescent children to the hospital because of the strange discoloration, worrying that their children might have contracted an infectious disease.
However, the discolored patches of skin usually turn out to be pityriasis alba, also known in Nantou as “summer snow of the face,” a noninfectious condition frequently occurring on facial skin that causes no pain or itchiness, Lee said.
According to the hospital, pityriasis alba cases have been on the rise in recent months, which is typical of the summer vacation period, when reported cases increase by about 10 percent, compared with other times of the year.
The condition is most frequently observed in children and teenagers, especially those aged between three and 16, and the months of July and August usually see the greatest number of patients visit the dermatology clinic, the hospital said.
Lee said the cause of pityriasis alba remains unknown, but some researchers have hypothesized that the white patches are due to exposure to ultraviolet rays, with children and teenagers being more vulnerable because they have “thinner skin.”
“With proper treatment, the white patch will fade without any trace or scarring,” she said, adding that precautions believed to be effective include avoiding prolonged exposure to sunlight and the regular application of sunscreen lotions and skin-healing moisturizers.
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