Vitiligo and other skin conditions in children: the importance of early diagnosis

The 17th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Dermatology is due to be held from the 19th to the 21st of October in Palma (Mallorca, Spain). The importance of early diagnosis is to be one of the issues addressed at the meeting.

According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, “Early diagnosis can result in more appropriate management of the disorder and also promote more accurate messages regarding the prognosis of the disease.”

At the meeting, two Spanish specialists will be presenting the details of new diagnostic and therapeutic criteria for infantile mastocytosis and infantile haemangiomas.

As for vitiligo, the sooner the condition is addressed, the sooner its progress can be halted.

Dermatologists insist that it is advisable to start treating vitiligo as early as possible in order to control the skin depigmentation process and repigment the areas affected.

The first symptoms of vitiligo include: whitening or greying of the hair on the scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows; slowly expanding white patches in the groin area and on the hands and face, and mild itching during the depigmentation process.

The evolution of the condition is unknown and it is recommendable to seek assistance from a dermatologist, who will be able to conduct a diagnosis and assess the advancement and treatment of the condition, as soon as the first signs appear.