To be shocked by multiple white patches on child’s face after foreign sun exposure

I do people would stop assuming they know what it is, without a photo or presumably a medical degree. Just take her to a GP.

Also thinking could be fungal, I’m sure as a child I had white patches on my shoulder one summer. Ketoconazole can treat it. Obviously it could be something else but it’s a good place to start and easy to get hold of.

Some people tan very fast, others much more slowly, so the same sun exposure can have very different effect.

Factor 50 isn’t proper sun protection though - factor 50 while wearing UV protective hats to shade your face while being primarily being in the shade and out of the sun completely between 11am and 3pm.

Of course most people don’t adhere to that, which is why the PP was faux confused and not actually confused.

It is possible though, DH has recently come back from a week in Majorca and is not any more tanned than when he went (he’s still milk bottle white) because he didn’t leave the shade for more than 15-20 mins a day.

But isn't that the same as lots of conditions? They just appear.

Have a word with a pharmacist where you are - pitryiasis versicolor can present as white patches rather than pink, and is easily solved with a few washes with a antifungal shampoo.

DH gets it frequently in hot countries as he sweats a lot in his work. Really common.

Assuming it’s not itchy ?
if it’s itchy and bothering her , you could seek advice while you’re on holiday and in the meantime cut down on sun exposure even more than you’re already doing

This happened to my teen last year - was extremely noticeable - was p alba as others have said. Nothing this year at all. Now uses LRP cicaplast all year as a barrier cream which I think helps

I know it’s probably not vitiligo as others have said, but I just wanted to show you mine! It started with a patch on my knee when I was a child but is now most prevalent on my arms. It does make me feel a bit self conscious in the summer. Hope you get a definitive answer from your doctor.

Could be fungal. Very common when in and out of water/using damp towels etc

That’s not true. You can still tan even with factor 50.

Another vote for pityriasis alba. I am mixed race and have occasional eczema/allergies which show up as spots on my face. When the spots go and I get a tan, I get white patches on my face. Vitiligo has no pigment at all so that patches are stark white whereas these are paler spots which look white/pale but are different to vitiligo. They become unnoticeable when my tan fades.

I think PP means if it’s the tan making it show, then she’s (faux) confused how the child is tanned, because with proper sun protection she should be as pale as she was in the UK.

Send that forrin sun back where it came from, sez I.

Far and away the most likely cause, given the history here, is fungal. Agree with PP re using over the counter antifungal shampoo (have a word with the pharmacist).

Vitiligo much less likely. I suppose not impossible, but doesn’t fit the history unless you’ve held back information regarding personal/family history of autoimmune diseases.

Chances of it being sun damage to melanocytes at this age is almost nil!

It sounds like a fungal skin infection- I've had it on my upper back before. Go to the GP. I had to treat mine with Nizoral shampoo, weirdly!

My son gets tinea versicolor which is considerably worse in the summer when he's hot and sweaty and wearing sun lotion. It also stands out more in the sun. If you've been applying lotion regularly I'd look into that first x

This. My DD had the same last year. Went to GP who confirmed this is the most likely reason and that it would go away as the tan faded. That’s exactly what happened and this year she hasn’t had any patches. Get it checked out but most likely there’s no reason to panic.

If you have insurance I would go and see a private dermatologist in Turkey. This means you get an answer far quicker than you would waiting for a UK GP referral to a dermatologist. When my daughter had an issue with a rash we went to a private hospital and saw a dermatologist there and I was blown away with all the tools they had readily available, same day answer and treatment plan. Wishing your daughter the best.

Maybe because they don't have vitiligo?

My daughter had the same - it is due to sun damage, precisely after years of sun exposure without any burns. But it recovered after a few months.

I also agree that it sounds like vitiligo. My DD has had it since very young (she's now 20) but this year it is way more obvious than usual (for the last few years it's been basically invisible) and she is developing more patches for the first time in a very long time. I assume it must be something to do with the the increased sun exposure this year or possibly a different type of sun ... .(I am just musing really!)

Please tell your DD that vitiligo is cool these days - there are lots of models now with the condition and it's much more widely known about. My DD hated it when she was younger, but once her peers at school had stopped with the idiotic comments she has grown to like it and feels it's part of what makes her unique.

(Asusming here there is no llink to an auto immunne condition and it's just her skin affected).

Vitiligo can develop out of nowhere. I first had it, on my hands, whn DS1 was a newborn, and I thought it must be something to do with all the extra cleaning I was doing with a newborn in the house! (This wasn't the cause, of course.)
@TraciePollins I'm worried that your fear/panic may have been escalated by the dramatic first reply (which seems extremely bizarre to me!!). If it is vitiligo, it is a harmless condition. It also changes a lot. Just because she has it on her face now, she may not next summer. And of course during the winter it will not be visible because her skin won't be tanned.
You can minimise its appearance by being even more diligent about sunblock. But beyond that, no action would be needed. xxx

I'm afraid not but it does mean that if something new comes along then my first thought will be 'autoimmune' rather than anything else. So far I have been fortunate that the main conditions (thyroid and blood clotting) have been manageable with medication.

For the vitiligo areas on my face I am careful to use a high factor suncream as these areas are vulnerable to burning in the mildest of sun exposure.

Does someone need to have one parent who’s a cunt, to be prone to vitiligo? Great description though 😂