White spots on the skin can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from simple fungi and white freckles to skin problems such as dermatitis, hypomelanosis or vitiligo.
When a spot appears on your skin, you should take note of its size, location, appearance, and if you have other symptoms, such as itching, dry skin, or flaking, then make an appointment with a dermatologist so that the cause can be identified and to start the most appropriate treatment.
Possible causes of white spots or patches on the skin and their treatment include:
One of the most common causes of small white spots on the skin, which cause itching and can spread through large areas of the body, are ‘beach’ fungi, also known as pitiriasis versicolor or tiña versicolor.
Although it is known as?Beach?candidiasis, the person probably already had thrush, but did not realize until after going to the beach because the affected area was not tanned. The fungus that causes this thrush naturally inhabits the skin, but due to certain alterations it becomes unpleasant, multiplying a lot and forming typical spots that affect the neck, trunk or back.
What to do: Apply an antifungal ointment indicated by a dermatologist, which may be isoconazole, ketoconazole or miconazole, shampoos, soaps and gels may also be indicated to complete the treatment. To prevent others in the house from being affected, each person should wear their own bath towel and not share their clothes.
Sometimes light-skinned or olive-skinned people sunbathe when they go to the beach or pool and, within a few days, the skin is skim and small white spots appear, especially on the arms, chest and back.
What to do: It is important to moisturize your skin daily and always wear sunscreen before exposure to the sun because the skin is thinner and more sensitive and presents an increased risk of sunburn, ideally you will hydrate your skin very well about 10 days before going to the beach and eating foods rich in vitamin A such as carrots , tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, papaya and mangoes, because the more hydrated the skin, the greater the risk of flaking and development of imperfections.
Atopic dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin that occurs mainly in infants, but can occur at any age. Dermatitis usually causes red spots, patches or bumps, but when they go away they can make the area whiter.
What to do: The usual treatment is a steroid prescribed by a dermatologist, such as Fenirax, twice a day. The skin should also be kept hydrated and an antihistamine may also be needed to relieve itching.
People with light olive skin may develop several small white freckles that can appear on their hands, arms or legs, especially from the age of 40, which usually occurs in people with light skin or exposed to the sun. sun for many years without sunscreen.
What to do: It is recommended to protect your skin from the sun by always using sunscreen when going to the beach or pool, or whenever you spend more than 15 minutes in the sun. Wearing a hat and gloves can also be helpful in preventing sunlight from worsening skin lesions.
It is a disease that causes large white spots on the skin and can also affect the inside of the mouth, the cause of which is not fully known, but is believed to be due to a genetic change or an alteration of its immune system, when the body begins to fight melanocytes.
What to do: Your doctor may indicate treatments such as light therapy or the application of corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive creams and ointments, one of the medications that may be indicated is Melagenin Plus, which stimulates the production of melanocytes and melanin and unifies the tone of your skin.
It is not caused by any fungus, it is rather a characteristic of the person and very common in Brazil, in these cases some parts of the body are clearer than the general weed of the person, and although sun exposure improves contrast, the affected parts are always clearer than the rest of the body. This skin change is more common in people who have a certain type of allergy.
What to do: Although you don’t need specific treatment, sun exposure early in the morning or late afternoon can be helpful in trying to level your complexion.
Also known as Bourneville disease or Epiloia, it is characterized by the appearance of scattered white plaques that can affect any part of the body, although the trunk is the most common and they are usually identified for the first time in infants or children up to the age of 6, and there may be only 1 or more than 100 plates in the body.
What to do: You should consult a dermatologist to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment to avoid complications, such as seizures or even kidney problems.
Non-melanoma skin cancer can produce an irregular spot on the whitish skin and this spot has different textures and colors, in this case you should go to a dermatologist to be examined and confirmed if it is skin cancer and how to treat it.
White spots on the skin don’t always mean the presence of worms, however, associating this symptom with worms is normal, because when a person has worms, it’s common for their body not to completely absorb vitamins and nutrients from the diet, and this vitamin deficiency. may cause white spots on the skin. The main vitamins that cause white spots on the skin are calcium, vitamins D and E, and these can be found in milk, sardines, butter and peanuts, for example.
If the cause of white spots on the skin are actually worms, they should be identified by a parasitological examination of the stool and treatment may be done with the use of worm medications.