Suggest Treatment For Reddish Patches On The Cheeks In A Child

Posted on Mon, 27 Feb 2017

Question: My 10 year old son has a reddish patch of skin on his face between his cheek and mouth. He has had it for at least a month, we thought it was harmless and would just go away. yesterday, after drying off from a shower, he said it was a little painful. As you can see in the photo, its gotten a little bumpy/crusty today. It's winter here, very cold and windy. I'm wondering if maybe its a little eczema? If so, what over the counter cream could we try? Any other suggestions?

Answered by Dr. Sumanth Amperayani (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Looks like eczema or insect bite allergy

Detailed Answer:
Hi...this looks like eczema.

The trick of the management is keeping the skin moist and never allowing it to be dry. For this lotions like Oilatum will help. Regarding cure options - eczema is a sort of allergy...allergies can only be controlled and can never be cured. But usually kids grow out of it...that is as the age progresses.

But if it's spreading fast you can use mild steroid like hydrocortisone cream if it's over the counter medication in your country.. apply it twice a day for 7 days.

Regards - Dr. Sumanth

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar