15/06/2025
I look up as the door opens, and my next patient walks in.
I am at my desk, trying to quickly finish my previous consultation's entry into the folder. I hurriedly scribble in doctor's handwriting.
In walks a hesitant child, her height below that of the door handle. I guessed her age to be 5-6 max.
She takes over the history, very comfortable with words. My body keeps on itching me, my skin looks bad, and I feel really frustrated.
Hold on, how old are you? I asked. She said I am 9 years old and my brother here is 7, but he is taller than me.
Stunted growth!!!
It turns out that she has developed complications of prolonged steroid use. Continously bought unprescribed by her parents to treat her skin.
This is a case where being undiagnosed and uninformed about treatment leads to complications of steroid use in a child
Nowadays.
Now a dayssss...
..parents are willingly procuring steroid, hydroquinone, and mercury containing products to bleach their babies and call it toning. The bleaching pandemic, the need to have a certain skin tone, is transferred to kids.
The other time, I stared at another complication. I was shocked myself, too.
It was an adult who landed on admission because she lost a large chunk of skin on her arm just because someone pulled her arm in a fight.
Just a pull.
As in, let us drag ourselves physically, a chuck of skin ripped off from elbow to wrist.
Reason?
Bleaching.
Her excuse, she didn't know bleaching was wrong and had done it most of her adult life.
Now, back to you. You that bought complexion care, not bleaching cream abi, for your child.
🎤 Take this microphone, explain to us as a "woke" parent that you are, why you shouldn't be accused of child abuse.
