Child Having Black Itchy Patch On Wrist With Red And Raised Area Around. Underlying Cause?

Posted on Thu, 4 Jul 2013

Question: Good evening...I am writing from Mumbai ! india. I have discovered a tiny black patch on my 9 year old son's waist today. The area around it is slightly red and raised. It's also itchy. He is otherwise fine and active. Just been complaining of stomach ache and gas for last few days. I just wanted to know if it's something I need to worry about. Also for your information..it's monsoon season here and it's been raining for the last few days . It's quite hot and humid

Answered by Dr. Geetika Paul (59 minutes later)

Hi Mr XXXXXXX

Thanks for your query.

Owing to the clinical appearance of the skin lesion, it looks to me as a case of vector dermatitis which in simple terms means an insect bite.

Now since it's monsoon time , so such lesions are very common in this time of the year.
Also seen more frequently in children ,owing to their more outdoor activities and playing in open.
Insect bite leads to an irritant and allergic response in our skin which can manifest with sudden appearance of red and raised lesions.
The associated itching and discomfort is all result of the irritant response.

So firstly, you need not worry about it.
All that you need to do is to apply a topical antibiotic/steroid combination over the lesion. Even a simple soothing agent like calamine will help.
In addition, your child might need some oral antiallergic medicine for 2 to 3 days in order to relieve the itching.
Most of these lesions subside within 2 to 3 days of treatment, but if there is increase in size of lesion inspite of treatment or there is increasing discomfort, then i would advise you to see a local dermatologist.

Also you should check the beddings and clean them once.

Hope it helps,

Any further clarifications you need, please ask.

Dr Geetika Paul.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad