CHILD’S HEALTH/SKIN DISORDERS: FRECKLES AND ABSCESS (BOIL)
FRECKLES
Freckles are light brown, flat spots (lighter in colour than moles commonly scattered on the skin of the face, neck, chest and arms in children over the age of 4 years. Children with fair skin and red hair have a greater tendency to develop freckles on exposure to sunlight, and it is thought to be based on heredity. Children (and adults) with freckles are at no greater danger of developing skin cancer than anyone else with fair skin. There is no treatment at all that will lighten freckles. Encourage your child to accept his freckles as a part of him, as something positive and attractive, which makes him special.
An abscess of the skin can occur in both children and adults. It is an infection caused by a germ (usually Staphylococcus aureus) which invades a skin pore. You will notice a painful, reddened lump which is filled with pus. After several days the abscess comes to a head and either bursts itself, or can be lanced and drained by your doctor under sterile conditions. After it has opened, it will no longer be so painful, and should start to heal. Do not attempt to squeeze the boil yourself, as this is extremely painful and can lead to spread of the infection to other parts of the body, or even into the bloodstream.
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