Author’s Note

Skin disease is among the most common category of disease in children. Some skin conditions are very common. Atopic dermatitis can be seen in up to 15% of some populations. Other skin diseases are exceedingly rare, but bring significant morbidity to children affected. Pediatric dermatology is both a small and subspecialized field of medicine and at the same time covers one of the most common components of a primary care or pediatric practice.

There are many excellent and comprehensive textbooks on Pediatric Dermatology and these are listed in the References section. The goal of this manual is to provide an introduction to the field and review of some of the most frequently seen conditions in an accessible format while touching on a few of the more uncommon pediatric dermatology conditions. Each chapter is followed by a few multiple-choice questions to highlight key facts from the chapter. At the end is a section with some detail about skin care as well as review of several of the medications used frequently in dermatology as these might not be familiar to practitioners from other fields of medicine.

I am originally from the United States and in 2006, my husband and I moved with our three young children to the Republic of Palau, an island country with a population of about 20,000 in the Western Pacific, for 2 years. Many of the images in this manual come from my time in Palau. I am ever grateful to the people of Palau who welcomed us and shared their beautiful country with us. The first iteration of this book was not focused on pediatrics, but on island dermatology, with emphasis on including images of skin of colour and medications available in that setting.

After living in Palau, I moved to Vancouver and began work in pediatric dermatology. Working in peds derm has been one of the great joys of my life. My job is all about human connection. Without discussing the latest Disney and Pixar movie, sparkly shoes, or the most recent sporting news, I have no therapeutic alliance. What’s more, a key component of my job as a pediatric dermatologist is actually celebrating how beautiful each child is even as the world may tell them otherwise due to a visible skin condition.

I hope that this manual will serve as a small token of my thanks for the generosity that has been offered me by my patients and colleagues over the years. I also hope that it will spark a passion for pediatric dermatology in readers who can continue to provide care for kids with skin disease wherever they find themselves so that we can all work together to help kids feel more comfortable in their own skin.