216 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
ECZEMA (RED PATCHES WITH LITTLE BLISTERS)
Signs:
• In small children: a red patch or rash forms
on the cheeks or sometimes on the arms and
hands. The rash consists of small sores or
blisters that ooze or weep (burst and leak fluid).
• In older children and grown ups: eczema is
usually drier and is most common behind the
knees and on the inside of the elbows.
• It does not start as an infection but is more like
an allergic reaction.
Treatment:
♦ Put cold compresses on the rash.
♦ If signs of infection develop (p. 88), treat as for
impetigo (p. 202).
♦ Let the sunlight fall on the patches.
♦ In difficult cases, use a cortisone or
cortico-steroid cream (see p. 370). Or coal tar
may help. Seek medical advice.
PSORIASIS
Signs:
• Thick, rough patches
of reddish or blue‑gray
skin covered with whitish
or silver‑colored scales.
The patches appear most
commonly in the parts shown
in the drawings.
• The condition usually lasts a
long time or keeps coming
back. It is not an infection and
is not dangerous.
Treatment:
♦ Leaving the affected skin open
to the sunlight often helps.
♦ Bathing in the ocean
sometimes helps.
♦ Seek medical advice. Treatment
must be continued for a long time.