Xiaotian, a six-year-old Chinese girl, is a cute little student. Her mother is usually very attentive and takes good care of her daughter. However, recently, while out shopping, she noticed that Xiaotian’s eyelashes were looking a little shiny under the sun, and seemed to have turned white. But the mother thought that it might just be the reflection of the sunlight and didn’t worry too much.
When they got home, the mother’s intuition kicked in and she felt that something might be wrong. So she called Xiaotian into the room and carefully examined her eyelashes. The more she looked, the more worried she became, as Xiaotian’s eyelashes were indeed turning whiter. At this point, realizing the situation could be serious, the mother immediately took Xiaotian to the hospital. After receiving the doctor’s diagnosis, Xiaotian’s mother was astonished.
The doctor said that although Xiaotian only had a few white eyelashes, there were actually many large white spots around her eyes. It was just that the child’s skin was relatively fair, and at this stage, the white spots were not very noticeable, so they were often overlooked. Xiaotian was actually suffering from vitiligo, an “incurable disease”!
After hearing the doctor’s conclusion, the mother carefully observed the skin around her daughter’s eyes and found that there indeed was a large area of skin that differed from the rest of the skin around her eyes.
In fact, Xiaotian’s mother knew a little about vitiligo. People with this disease will have white spots on certain areas of their skin, and their hair may also start to turn white. This explained why Xiaotian’s eyelashes had started to turn white, as the vitiligo had spread to this area.
Although it is considered an “incurable disease”, vitiligo can be effectively controlled. So, after the diagnosis, the doctor prescribed oral medications, topical creams, and phototherapy for the little girl. After returning home, Xiaotian cooperated well with the treatment and took her medication diligently every day as per the doctor’s instructions. However, vitiligo doesn’t improve that quickly. When Xiaotian went to school, one side of her eyes had black eyelashes, while the other side still had white eyelashes.
How does vitiligo affect children? These 3 points are the most common.
Xiaotian’s unusual appearance worried her mother, who was concerned about the potential negative impact on her daughter. So, how does vitiligo affect children?
– Point one: Impact on physical health
After a child develops vitiligo, the affected areas of the skin become more sensitive to sunlight due to the lack of melanin. If sun protection is not properly applied, the affected areas are more prone to sunburn.
Additionally, vitiligo can impact a child’s immune system, leading to a decrease in overall health.
– Point two: Impact on mental health
This has a greater impact on children, as vitiligo requires long-term treatment. Moreover, the treatment process is relatively “complicated”, involving not just oral medications but also topical creams and the use of specific treatment devices. This can place a significant psychological burden on children, causing anxiety and even depression.
Furthermore, vitiligo can also lead to external mental pressure. For example, comments and teasing from others about their appearance can create a psychological burden and develop into feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem.
– Point three: Impact on appearance
The areas of skin affected by vitiligo will be significantly whiter than the surrounding skin, and any hair growth in these areas will also turn white, greatly impacting the child’s appearance.
However, the impact of vitilrxmgo on appearance is not necessarily negative. For instance, Xiaotian’s classmates didn’t find her appearance “very ugly” but rather “very beautiful”. Since Xiaotian had white eyelashes on one side and black on the other, many of her classmates thought this was “super cool”.
Nevertheless, vitiligo generally has a negative impact on appearance, as it often leads to an asymmetrical look, with unpredictable lesion sizes and shapes. As a result, most vitiligo patients end up facing “unattractive” appearances.
How to reduce the risk of vitiligo in children? These 3 points are the most important but often overlooked.
– Health damage
Health damage mentioned here includes various aspects, such as long-term exposure to harmful substances, certain illnesses, injuries, excessive sun exposure, etc.
Both internal and external injuries can cause damage to melanocyte cells in the affected areas, leading to vitiligo.
Therefore, parents must pay attention to maintaining their child’s physical health to avoid any harm to their body.
– Eating too many snacks
Snacking can indeed cause vitiligo, and it is a very common reason. However, the reason snacking causes vitiligo is not because snacks contain disease-causing factors but because it affects the child’s regular meal intake, leading to nutritional deficiencies.
In other words, the real cause of vitiligo in children is malnutrition. So, parents must establish healthy eating habits for their children to ensure comprehensive nutrition.
– Excessive mental stress
According to related sources, if a child undergoes excessive mental stress or overworks their brain, they may develop vitiligo.
Therefore, parents should pay attention to relieving their child’s mental stress and avoid forcing them to study beyond their capacity. Instead, create a balance between studying and resting to ensure a healthy psychological environment.
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