White lichen: causes, treatment, consequences
Many people associate the word "lichen" with a dangerous disease. In fact, this opinion is erroneous. By this term usually mean a whole group of pathologies of the skin. From the materials of this article, you will find out what symptoms are accompanied by white lichen, infectious or not this type of disease, how to deal with it correctly.
General description of pathology
Most people think stereotypically. At a word "deprive" in memory at once images from medical directories come up. Many mistakenly believe that the only and at the same time contagious form of this pathology is the cutting option. In reality, white lichen( often called simple) is distinguished by a different clinical picture, it is absolutely safe for others and does not require serious treatment.
Diagnosis of this disease is very difficult, because the reasons for its occurrence and the order of symptomatic manifestation have not been studied so far. As a consequence, the selection of effective treatment tactics is also limited.
This disease is more affected by small children and adolescents, with the majority of patients - boys. Simple lichen can take a chronic form, and already in adulthood to disappear without drug therapy. Self-healing is a fairly common phenomenon. That's why the ailment is not as dangerous as it might seem at first glance.
Causes of the disease
The causes of the appearance of white lichen are still not studied. It is assumed that the disease is associated with the penetration of Malassezia into the body. These fungi block the access of ultraviolet rays to the skin by producing a special substance. In addition, bacteria slow the transport of melanin from melanocytes to keratocytes.
Disputes in the scientific world are not only about the causes of the pathology, but also about its belonging to a group of diseases. Some specialists consider white lichen to atopic dermatitis, others - to a mild form of staphylosterepiddermia. There is no common opinion on this issue.
The disease almost does not cause discomfort to patients, so only 10% of those infected become active with it. Scientists have identified a certain group of people who are more susceptible to this disease:
- Patients who had previously suffered an allergic form of dermatitis.
- Boys from 3 to 16 years old.
- People with hereditary predisposition to bronchial asthma.
- Patients with eczema or hay fever.
If infection occurs during the first years of a child's life, lichen can remain on his skin for many years. In this case, doctors speak of the chronic form of the disease. The lichen passes with time, without causing any disturbance.
What are the symptoms of the disease?
Most often there is white lichen on the face skin, but sometimes the spots are localized in the shoulder area and on the back. This disease manifests itself in the form of oval light spots, whose diameter ranges from several millimeters to 5 centimeters. The edges of the rashes have pronounced boundaries.
A small child on the skin can have one or several such spots at once. As the disease progresses, they increase in size and merge together. Rashes cover small transparent scales. Sometimes, before the appearance of white spots on the baby's skin, you can see pale pink papules with convex edges. They persist for 2-3 weeks, and then they are covered with a thin film and take on a form typical of simple lichen.
In adults, the disease is extremely rare. If you notice a characteristic rash on the skin, most likely, it is pityriasis. White spots, despite the relative safety of pathology, should not be left without attention - it is necessary to seek advice from the appropriate specialist.
What is dangerous? Consequences of
The disease does not pose a health hazard to the child and leaves no visible traces on the skin after recovery. Without adequate therapy, lichen can persist for weeks or even years, and from time to time it becomes more noticeable.
Do I need to see a doctor?
As already mentioned, the causes of the onset of the disease are still poorly understood. However, this does not mean that pathology can be neglected. When the appearance of characteristic rashes on the skin is better to show the baby doctor.
After the specialist confirms the disease, you can start treatment at home. If the spots are not a manifestation of white lichen, an additional examination will be required to establish the cause of their occurrence. A similar clinical picture exists, for example, in vitiligo. In this case, a completely different treatment is prescribed.
As a rule, to confirm the diagnosis of "white lichen", the physician should conduct a physical examination of the patient and check the skin with the help of a Wood lamp. This is a special device that gives ultraviolet light. When a routine examination is not sufficient to confirm the disease, the patient is assigned an additional examination. It includes a biopsy and a histological analysis of the skin.
Therapeutic recommendations
One of the reasons for the development of the disease is the drying of the skin, so dermatologists recommend starting treatment with correction of daily care.
Parents should ensure that the child is washed only with warm water. Means of personal hygiene should have a gentle effect. The next step on the road to recovery is the use of drugs to moisturize the skin( on a regular basis).In summer, it is recommended to use sunscreen for additional protection against ultraviolet rays.
If the above recommendations do not help for several months, deprive a person of their body, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor for more serious therapy. Usually, small patients are recommended ointments based on corticosteroid hormones. Subject to all precautions, such treatment can be very effective and at the same time safe for a small organism.
Sometimes, instead of hormone ointments, doctors prescribe creams with pimecrolimus or calcipotriol( "Elidel", "Protopik").Such treatment is especially effective for small patients with atopic dermatitis.
Treatment with folk remedies
White lichen is a relatively common disease that sometimes passes on its own. Many patients instead of drug therapy prefer to use the prescriptions of folk healers.
It is well proven in the treatment of this pathology of aloe. It is necessary to cut one leaf of a plant along, and to wipe a problem place with juice. A positive result is noticeable in a few days.
Herbal preparations are also considered a good way to fight the disease. It will be required to mix one teaspoon of celandine, wormwood and tansy. The resulting mixture must be filled with a glass of boiling water and left for 10 hours, after filtering. The broth can be used as lotions.
Is it possible to prevent white lichen?
Treatment of this disease, if the accompanying symptoms do not cause inconvenience, is often not required. And, nevertheless, despite the easy course of the pathology, the lack of itching, many patients are interested in prevention methods. How to prevent disease?
To minimize the likelihood of lichen appearance, doctors recommend observing a few simple rules:
- First of all, all the cuts and lesions on the skin need to be treated with an antiseptic solution, because it is through microcracks that bacteria and viruses enter the organism.
- Never use other people's hairbrushes or personal care items.
- It is important to monitor the functioning of the immune system, not to allow its depletion. For these purposes, you should eat and exercise in a balanced way. Problems with immunity is a factor that has a lot of diseases.
Many are interested: is white lichen contagious or not? The answer is unequivocally negative, but this does not mean that the visit should be postponed for an indefinite period. If you do not take any action to combat pathology, you can even damage the body and delay recovery.