A child’s skin is very sensitive, unlike adults. Skin care for children should be gentle, because skin damage in childhood could carry on until he gets old. A good example is skin blemishes. Freckles could carry on later in life.
Regarding keratosis and pigmentation, there are risks factors for having them. Melanin and keratin are involved in such skin disorders. The excessive keratin causes keratosis, while excessive melanin causes hyperpigmentation. These two are important when it comes to certain bodily protection. Mainly, keratin is for protection because hair protects the head, while melanin prevents over penetration of ultraviolet rays in our skin. Keratin and melanin are risk free, but too much of it is not good for the skin.
Keratosis
Keratoses are characterized into different classification.
Actinic Keratosis (also solar keratosis) – commonly found in fair skinned people. White people have less resistance to sunlight. Actinic keratosis causes crusty scaly patches to appear on skin, specially those areas that get more sun exposure.
Keratosis Pilaris – this condition causes goosebump-like skin. This is a genetically influenced skin disorder, particularly involving follicles. Excessive keratin which is accumulated on the hair follicles of the skin causes it.
Seborrheic Keratosis – Is always mistaken for actinic keratosis.
The issue is how will you protect your children from them? The truth is preventing these kind of skin disorders is almost impossible, but risks can be decreased. Since environmental and genetic factors play a big role on odds of having keratosis and pigmentation, it could be hard to prevent. If keratosis is inherent in your family, then possibility of getting it are high. Some keratoses are not curable, but they can be treated or removed. You can just choose from surgery or keratosis removal cream/lotion application.
Pigmentation
The normal pigmentation of skin is fine, but excessive pigmentation is a problem. Uneven skin tone often caused by one form of hyperpigmentation. Extra ultraviolet rays that the skin absorbs are inhibited by melanin. The darker the skin, the more melanin the body produces. Overexposure to the sun’s harmful rays contributes greatly to hyperpigmentation. One way to prevent this is to use umbrellas when going out on a sunny day, or applying sunscreen is another way. There are also lotions in the market that can improve uneven skin tone.
The strength of ultraviolet rays in sunlight during 10 AM up to 4 PM is at its highest so try to avoid staying under the sun at those times. Exposure to the sun is not at all bad, and in small quantities it is beneficial, but it should be controlled.
