Newborn jaundice, or the appearance of a yellow color on your baby’s skin early in life, is virtually universal. Yet for many parents it can be deeply upsetting, even scary. For the vast majority of babies, jaundice — caused by a pigment called bilirubin released with red blood cells break down naturally — is a…
Rashes often seem unfathomable to parents. They are amazingly common, unfortunately more so in some children than others, and only a very tiny few are really serious, demanding immediate medical attention. To guide you, I am going to suggest evaluating a relatively small number of characteristics: Does the rash blanch or not? When you press…
Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, refers to chronic, often life-long, sometimes severe, dry, cracked skin, which is typically very itchy. It is one of the four “Atopic Diseases”: asthma, allergy, food allergy, and eczema. Eczema is often inherited from an atopic parent, who in fact, might not have eczema, but severe asthma, or allergies. Let’s assume you’ve…
Nothing seems quite as mysterious to parents as those dreaded diaper rashes that seem to appear at times with alarming frequency. Though there certainly are diaper rashes that require an immediate doctor’s visit, including shiny, sometimes crusty spots with drainage, which are likely infected, the vast majority can very safely and appropriately treated by you…
Melanoma is one of the scariest, most aggressive cancers. Most of us are aware of its association with excessive sun exposure. Dermatologists use a mnemonic, “The ABCs of moles,” to help distinguish innocent moles from cancerous melanomas. It is my deepest desire to help your child avoid such cancer; to that end, I offer my…