Pityriasis versicolor is a skin lesion of unknown origin, presumably possibly of a viral nature. This disease manifests itself in the form of characteristic patchy rashes, and at the initial stage it can be represented by only one (maternal) spot.
In clinical dermatology, this disease is also called roseola scaly, pitiriasis rosea, or simply Gibert's lichen rosea (pictured).
What does it look like?
A similar skin disorder appears in the form of numerous oval-shaped spots and bright pink color, which are localized, as a rule, on the skin of the trunk and extremities. The cause of pitiriasis is currently unknown. Some scientists put forward several theories for the occurrence of pink lichen, however, none of them exhaustively explains the origin of the pathology. However, it is well established that the cause of the disease is not a variety of fungal pathogens.
Observations show that pink lichen Zhibera in humans occurs most often against the background ofcolds in autumn or spring.
The violation is presumably reactive in nature, that is, it is the body's reaction to the impact of certain internal or external factors, as well as to the infection of an infectious agent unknown to medical science.
With improper external therapy, a bacterial infection can join this disease, causing purulent phenomena, especially in cases where a person has a decrease in immune defense.
Theories of the origin of pathology
The etiology of this disease is not fully understood. Pink deprive Zhibera is not dangerous for life and is not infectious and is not transmitted, and can occur due to a wide variety of factors. There are several theories regarding the causes of pathology:
- Viral theory: there is an opinion that the disease provokes a virus. It should be noted here that roseola scaly has the same incubation period as the virus that caused it, and such a theory reflects the fact that in nature there is one of its subspecies, which causes Gibert's disease.
- A bacterial theory that arose when scientists noticed that vaccinations with the streptococcal vaccine sometimes caused lichen-like reactions. This is also evidenced by the fact that often this disease often occurs after a cold.
- The theory of reactive inflammation, which considers this pathology as an immune response of high sensitivity to bacterialinfection.
- Multifactorial theory - takes into account the alleged influence of all of the above reasons, as well as the detrimental effect of psychological factors (stress, psychosomatic phenomena) on the condition of the skin.
Not dangerous or contagious
A very positive thing is that pink lichen is not dangerous to others and cannot be infected from animals. Lichen patches usually go away on their own after a few weeks without any marks on the skin.
In addition, pitiriasis is not a relapsing condition, and this fact suggests that immunity to such a skin disease is formed in the human body. Therefore, it is scientifically proven that Gibert's pink lichen never becomes chronic and does not last for a long period of time.
Clinical picture
Before the onset of pitiriasis, a person may feel unwell, he may experience pain in the joints, cephalgia, inflammatory reactions in the lymph nodes, after which maternal plaque appears - one large bright spot on the skin.
After this, the next stage begins - the spread of bright pink or yellowish spots throughout the body, slightly rising above the surface of the epithelium. This rash does not appear all at once. Spots gradually spread throughout the body, sometimes it occurs in flashes or extinction of the pathological process. These formations are symmetrical, have clear boundaries, and their shape is elongated or rounded. Symptoms of pink lichen Zhibera (photo available in the article) is important to recognizetimely.
Rash representing rosacea spreads all over the body. The initial elements are located on the chest, after which they move to the back, inguinal folds, neck, hips, shoulders. A little less often, lichen affects the limbs, genitals. Plaques located on the scalp and face are extremely rare.
Pitiriasis never spreads to mucous membranes. Painful sensations of a person, as a rule, do not bother, only occasionally in the initial phase of the disease, patients notice a slight itch.
Approximately during the first seven days of the pathological process in the middle of each of the spots, the epithelium begins to dry out and exfoliate into many tiny scales. During this period, tight clothing made of synthetic fabrics should not be worn and excessive sweating should be avoided. Do not lubricate the rash with alcohol solutions and ointments containing zinc or sulfur in order to avoid skin irritation.
After such scales come off, a pink rim remains in place of the plaques, which rises around the spot, and after its complete disappearance, age spots may appear, which also disappear with time.
Duration
The duration of this disease is approximately two months, after which there is a complete recovery.
In people suffering from the immunodeficiency virus, pink lichen is often associated with a similar disease. If a person falls ill with pitiriasis at a latestages of HIV, when an irreversible decrease in immunity occurs, then such a skin lesion can take an atypical course.
The occurrence of rosacea of Gibert is most common in people under 30 years of age, with the same frequency among the female and male populations. Children are much less likely to suffer from this disease.
How does Gibera pink lichen manifest in children?
Manifestation of disease in children
The skin of children is very delicate, therefore, with Gibert's disease, they are often worried about itching in the affected area, and the weakening of the immune system or preventive vaccination can be the cause. It should be noted that vaccinations during the height of this pathology are not recommended, since immunity in children is reduced at this time.
The photo of Zhiber's pink lichen can be carefully considered in the article.
Differential and Laboratory Diagnosis
Giber's disease has specific signs on visual examination, however, there are some diseases that look very similar to it. Therefore, it is extremely important to distinguish them from each other, for which the differential diagnosis of the patient is carried out. The list of pathologies similar to Gibert's disease includes:
- Lichen planus, in which rashes are characterized by the absence of skin exfoliation.
- Pityriasis versicolor, which is caused by a fungal infection. Spots with this pathology do not have clear outlines and often merge with each other, forming one large spot.
- Psoriasis outwardly almost does not differ from pink lichen, but is characterized by chronicover.
- Ringworm or microsporia is characterized by the fact that it affects mainly the scalp.
- Shingles is triggered by the herpes virus and is painful and blister-like.
- Syphilitic roseola, which is a symptom of secondary syphilis. The rash in this disease is localized throughout the body, including the mucous membranes.
- Allergic dermatitis, which manifests itself at the site of direct contact of the skin with the allergen. At the same time, rashes, unlike Zhiber's disease, do not spread throughout the body and disappear after a few hours.
- Eczema, which is a disease that causes a rash in the form of blisters (vesicles), and a constant symptom of this pathology is severe itching and a chronic form.
To exclude fungal, bacterial and viral diseases similar to pitiriasis, some laboratory tests will also help. At the same time, specialists prescribe special studies of epithelial fragments at the site of stain formation to exclude such infections. Blood tests also help determine the presence or absence of a syphilitic infection, determine the overall inflammatory response in the body, and help assess levels of immunodeficiency.
The symptoms and treatment of Gibert's rosacea are interrelated.
Cure disease
Patients who suffer from uncomplicated pitiriasis, according to medical experts, do not need therapy for this disease, becausewithin two months from the onset of the pathological condition, the cure occurs spontaneously.
When rosacea goes away, there is usually no trace left on the skin, and the person never has the same problem again. Gibert's lichen is not contagious, and if the patient feels well and does not show symptoms of the malaise characteristic of the onset of the disease, he is allowed to visit public places and perform professional duties.
What is the treatment of pink lichen Gibert (the photo shows his appearance)?
When lichen is accompanied by severe itching, pain or other pathological phenomena, certain therapeutic procedures are necessary. For such purposes, some antihistamines are used in the form of tablets, solutions for oral use, as well as immunomodulators to eliminate the inflammatory process and itching.
It should also be noted that bathing in water, rubbing the skin and pressure on it, as well as ultraviolet radiation and some medications that contain tar and sulfur in their composition, lead to the fact that Gibert's lichen begins to spread throughout body even more, resulting in recovery much later than expected. Therefore, patients with this pathology are not recommended to visit the bath, sauna or pool. You can wash under the shower, warm water and in no case use a washcloth.
Furthermore, activities that can lead to excessive sweating should be avoided, as this also leads to the progression of this skin disease. During the course of the pathology, doctors also strongly recommend avoiding sunbathing and sunbathing.
In addition to the above, the list of recommendations includes normalizing the patient's diet, eliminating fatty foods, coffee, alcohol, and moderating the amount of sugar and s alt consumed.
Medication and prevention
In the treatment of pink lichen Zhibera, as a rule, symptomatic therapy is used. These include:
- Antihistamines: Erius, Suprastin, Cetrin, Tavegil, etc.
- Medications that reduce inflammatory reactions in the body: calcium chloride, Pantothenate.
- Local medicines in the form of ointments containing hormonal substances: Elokom, Advantan, Momat, Lokoid, etc.
- Solutions and pastes containing zinc, naphthenic hydrocarbons 2%, borate 2%, For example, Tsindol, zinc ointment, etc.
In the treatment of pink lichen of Zhiber, solutions such as iodine, Fukortsin, Tsindol, brilliant green, boric acid, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, apple cider vinegar, sea buckthorn oil and other irritants should not be used.
The use of physiotherapy treatments such as medium wave UV irradiation is also recommended.
Treatment of pityriasis versicolor in children
Most often no therapy is required. Mostthe main thing is to follow a low-allergenic diet and prevent the spread of spots on the skin, you need to make sure that the baby does not comb and injure the affected areas. In case of severe itching, "Tsindol" and antihistamines ("Claritin") are prescribed. With eczematous phenomena, in rare cases, corticosteroid ointments and creams (Beloderm) are prescribed.
A photo of Zhibera pink lichen in children is presented below.
Recovery from this pathology can be observed in the form of a change in the shade of characteristic rashes. The spots lose their inflammatory corollas, turn pale, and then disappear.
Prevention
Prevention of such a pathology must necessarily include measures to maintain the proper functioning of the immune system. It is also necessary to observe the regime of exercise and rest, include in the diet a sufficient amount of vitamins that prevail in fresh vegetables and fruits, and also ensure proper sleep.
An important point in the prevention of Zhiber's disease is the stability of the nervous system. At the same time, stressful situations should be avoided, which most often become a trigger for the development of pink lichen.
We reviewed Gibera pink lichen, photos, symptoms and treatment.
