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

[TraciePollins]

Currently on holiday in Turkey. Very very very hot.
DD is 12 and after about 6 days of sun, her face has developed multiple very white patches all over her cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. The white patches are really noticeable as in between these white patches is very tanned skin.
I have applied SPF50 waterproof to her face every 2-3 hours all day every day from the minute we leave our hotel until sunset since we've been here. Kept in shade plenty in between sea and pool.
She has never ever had this before and we've been on plenty of summer holidays in hot weather before, but this is her first time in heat as strong as Turkey.
So now she has a face which is white irregular patches of skin in between tanned skin all over her face.
When we left England 6 days ago she had the same normal complexion with the same colour skin all over her face that she's had all her life.
I'm shocked as I've never seen her skin do this before. Never any sign of it ever in her life.
What on earth has happened?
She's crying because it is freaking her out - the multiple white patches really stand out against the darker tanned skin surrounding the white patches. Her face looks completely different now compared to how it did a week ago before coming away.
What is this? Will it go away?

It’s because of the sun exposure which destroys the pigmentation in the skin. I’d go to the doctor to check it’s nothing else. Usually retinoids can help but not sure on a child.

Might be fungal or vitiligo?

Sounds very like vitiligo. I’ve had it for 45 years.

there are ways to treat it, if this is what it is.

If it is vitilgo, why has she never had any signs of it before now though?
She's had years of summers of sun exposure and has never before had this, which is confusing me.

What can a doctor do?

She should be wearing a hat as well as sunscreen to protect from any sun exposure/tanning.
Keeping her in the shade from 11 until 3 is also protective.
Seeing a Dr is good advice.

I am Australian with very fair children and I don’t understand how they could be so tanned white patches stands out in a few days. We go to the beach every day for weeks in summer and much as I’d like them to my kids don’t wear a hat in the water, and they have never been tanned like that.

It’s fickle. I lose pigment quickly but then the same patches can re pigment.

it most often starts on bony sites: knees, fingers, ankles, elbows. Or it can develop where there are folds of skin - armpits, groin.

the mouth, forehead and eye sockets are often affected , being folds / bony sites on the skull.

having said this, it’s surprising you didn’t notice before this holiday. Get a diagnosis and let us know as it could be something else although it does sound like vitiligo. The good news is that vitiligo is ‘only’ cosmetic (although distressing for a girl of that age) and can be treated.

Some of posters here are both ignorant and scare mongering. It could well be frugal - tinea verisicolor. See a doctor. If it is tinea versicolor they can prescribe an antifungal. The tropical sun has not destroyed her pigment!

Vitiligo can present at anytime, but it most commonly begins before the age of 30. Roughly half of all cases appear before age 20, often starting in childhood.

Causes (copied from online):

• A disorder of the immune system (autoimmune condition)
• Family history (heredity)
• A trigger event, such as stress, severe sunburn or skin trauma, such as contact with a chemical

Afaik it can start at any time.

Check her skin care and its contents.

I only see my vitiligo with a tan so just a few weeks a year maybe, it’ll go back as it was before once the tan fades.

My mixed race dd has vitiligo that only shows when she has prolonged sun exposure as she is quite pale (relatively) usually, so it doesnt show. Sounds like that to me.

ETA

DD is 15, has EDHS and eczema. Not sure if any of that info helps. I am white british with EDHS and eczema. Her father is Jamaican (British born, and a cunt).

Almost certainly tinea at her age. A fungal infection that isn’t incredibly easy to get rid of, but which will be gone in a few weeks with antifungal cream. I had it two years ago also on my face. Unfortunately the anti-fungal creams gave me perimenopausal acne — all so thick and heavy, but it did clear up the white patches for good.

It sounds like it could be Vitiligo but best to get it checked with doc when you go home. It first appeared on me at 24 slowly with a white dot on my thumb. Doc said at first it was a fungal infection and gave me shampoo. Didn't do anything, went back to doc saw another one and they said it's vitiligo.

If it is vitiligo be careful to ensure you're using and reapplying factor 50, there is no melanin in these parts of the skin where vitiligo is, so no protection at all from UV rays. If you get those bits burned they can be really sore. I have to watch my hands if they get burned they swell up. Other than that I have it on face knees legs hips elbows, pretty symmetrical on both sides. Doesn't bother me apart from needing to be ensure I've got suncream on particularly my hands and face.

Once her tan fades it will be less noticeable.

If it is vitiligo, it will glow in a uv light. Shines the way white T-shirts do.

It could also be because you applied the sunscreen on wet skin or didn’t wait for long enough to go back out into the sun/pool and the application was patchy or uneven.

No its not because of this. What nonsense.

op it does sound like vitiligo. Mine is on my hands and feet and becomes more noticeable when I've been in the sun. Mine has actually repigmented a lot over the past few years, so its not a given that it always progresses. Usually when its on the face it tends to start around the mouth, nose and eyes. Is this the case with your DD? It could also be tinea versicolor which was what I was initially told when it appeared on my hands. Take her to doctors asap to check.

My toddler had something similar which we were pretty sure was this (pic uploaded). He has eczema. Evened out after a week or so

Thanks. The first patch started on the apple of her cheek. Then spread to both cheeks and now forehead too.
There is none around her mouth/ nose/ eyes.
And there is none at all anywhere else on her body.
I will take her to Dr.

Foreign sun? I did not know that there were more than one sun.

Could be vitiligo.

Hi in my teens many moons ago I used to get white patches during the summer. My Gp saiditwas hormonal and I used season shampoo on my skin. I would leave it on overnight and it would go away, nothing noticeable when the tan would go and it did come back over a couple of summers but only when I went to Europe-hotter I suppose. It I haven’t had any flare fora very long time.

Just one thought OP do you apply the sun screen before leaving? You need to apply it 30 mins before exposure.

Please be careful. I have permanent white patches on my right forearm I can date to a particular holiday where I was forced to stand in the sun.