"It may happen that various skin changes, rashes, and infections appear in the intimate areas of your small child. In such cases, parents are in a difficult situation regarding which specialist they should contact..."


They can also consult a pediatric dermatologist with certain intimate problems. Our pediatric dermatologists explore and treat the 12 years of age or younger diseases in the intimate area of ​​little girls and boys who they have not yet entered puberty and have not yet started sexual life.

 

What problems can you contact our pediatric dermatologists with?

 

  • infectious diseases, vaginal discharge
  • inflammatory diseases, vaginitis
  • rashes, herpes in the genital area
  • colds, recurrent colds

Our pediatric dermatologists do NOT treat menstrual disorders, developmental disorders, or intimate teenage problems. In case of the mentioned problems, be sure to consult a pediatrician!

 

What intimate complaints can occur in children and what can cause them?

 

In general, intimate infections and diseases are more common in little girls, because on the one hand the urethra is shorter than in the case of boys, and on the other hand the protection of the vagina against pathogens and infections is weak.

In childhood, we cannot yet talk about the acid protection of the vagina, so vaginal discharge and infections must be treated differently than in adulthood. The body is very wise. As long as the vagina is not under the influence of hormones, the cervix is ​​hermetically closed and gonorrhea (tripper) and pneumococcal pathogens (except for pneumonia and peritonitis) cannot enter the abdominal cavity. This also applies to germinating fungi, which, in turn, often infect the vaginal epithelium, especially in girls and boys with diabetes, obesity, and immunodeficiency, but they hardly reach the abdominal cavity. The source of the problem is usually some kind of bacteria. Symptoms of infections may include itching, discharge, vaginal discharge of a different color than normal, and an unpleasant odor.

A typical intimate complaint is also a cold, which is especially common in little girls, but also in boys. A cold is accompanied by frequent and painful urination and urge to urinate.

In the case of small children, out of curiosity, they may insert toys or other objects into their body openings, or even grab their genitals. In such cases, bacteria can enter the genitals, which can cause infection and inflammation, e.g.: vaginal discharge.

 

How is the complaint investigated?

 

The child is not a small adult. Our pediatric dermatologists also adhere to this when examining and treating intimate complaints. During the investigation of the problem, there is no penetration, and we do not perform an ultrasound examination. Our specialists take a sample from the problem area as needed and then send it for a culture test.

 

Certain intimate diseases can be avoided with proper care

 

With this, we have already determined how many problems can occur in childhood, which parents are mostly ashamed of and do not think about the suffering they cause their children. Girls are much more frequent victims than boys. The reason is that they wipe themselves after defecation and urination incorrectly, not from front to back, but the other way around! Thus, the surrounding pollutants, even bacteria, viruses, etc. they easily enter the vagina (even parents often make this mistake when changing diapers). Painful defecation, viral warts, vesicular lesions, or possibly extremely itchy lichen (atrophic skin condition) make life very miserable for those who often cannot express it in words.
Since pediatric dermatologists are extremely well-prepared to treat the diseases of this stage of life, the parent who trusts them as soon as possible will do well. The care and treatment of puberty is no longer the task of pediatric dermatologists.


Our doctors

Dr. Márta Mészáros

pediatrician, obstetrician-gynecologist