Juvenile Plantar Dermatosis - Sweat Sock Syndrome - HealthSurgeon - Healthy Living and Fitness

There are lots of things that can cause your child’s feet to be red and itchy. It can be hard to distinguish what is causing the discomfort. Especially if it just occurs what seems like overnight. Juvenile plantar dermatosis, also known as sweat sock syndrome is a condition that can happen overnight. It occurs in children between the ages of three and fourteen. It is most common in children around the age of eight. Boys are more affected by it than girls. This condition causes the skin to become scaly, itch, and crack on the bottoms of the feet. Juvenile plantar dermatosis usually goes away during puberty in most children. It can last until adulthood on rare occasions.

Causes

The exact cause of juvenile plantar dermatosis is unknown. There are some factors that can lead to developing. Repetitive frictional movement, like a foot moving back and forth in a shoe. Shoes that are made of synthetic materials like nylon or vinyl. Excessive sweating. If your child has a genetic sensitivity of the skin.

Symptoms

Juvenile plantar dermatosis affects both feet usually equally and at the same time. The most common locations for the scaly, itchy skin is on the big toes, ball of the foot, or heel of the foot. Between the toes is usually not affected, which is one way this can be differentiated from other food conditions. Juvenile plantar dermatosis can lead to painful cracks or fissures on the bottom of the foot. These can take a long time to heal, sometimes weeks or even months. This is because they are easily aggravated and hard to keep shut or stop putting friction on the areas that are cracked.

Diagnosis & Treatment

When going to the doctor, your child’s doctor will examine the bottom of your child’s foot. They may want to take a skin sample, by scraping a small amount of skin cells to exclude fungal infections that may present similar symptoms. Your doctor may also want to do a patch test to exclude a contact allergy. It can be hard to distinguish juvenile plantar dermatosis from other skin conditions. Other skin conditions that present similarly as juvenile plantar dermatosis are atopic eczema, Keratolysis exfoliativa, plantar psoriasis, tinea pedis, and allergic contact dermatitis.

There is no treatment that works every time for everyone that has juvenile plantar dermatosis. Your doctor will recommend self-care suggestions to try. If those don’t work they may be able to give you some more options of treatment to do along with the self-care options. To start with you will want to make sure your child is wearing shoes that fit well. When possible, have them wear sandals or shoes that are breathable. Avoid shoes that are made with a rubber or plastic sole. Wear cotton socks, and have your child change their socks when they are sweaty or wet. Wash feet daily with a gentle cleanser and warm water. Apply petroleum jelly to feet at night or a thick foot cream to help contain moisture. During the day, have your child wear a barrier cream, this will help protect their skin from sweat.

If your child develops cracked skin on the bottom of their feet you will want to make sure they are getting some low walking days so that the bottoms of their feet have time to heal. It is hard to seal up cracks or fissures on the bottom of the feet. The best option to help seal up cracks is to use liquid bandages.

If your child is still having discomfort after trying these self-care options you can reach out to your doctor. They may be able to give you a prescription strength corticosteroid cream. Topical preparations may also be suggested and given to you to help remove the scales from your child’s foot. If the itching is severe and unbearable your doctor may suggest an oral antihistamine to help lessen itching.

Juvenile plantar dermatosis usually clears up on its own. Your child should grow out of it before puberty. In some cases it can last into adulthood, but this is not the norm.

Takeaway

Juvenile plantar dermatosis is an itchy, red, scaly rash that appears on the bottom of your child’s foot from repetitive frictional movements. It is also known as sweaty sock syndrome. Making sure your child changes their socks when they are sweaty and wet can help alleviate symptoms. Your child may feel pain, discomfort, and itchiness from the rash. The most common areas affected by this condition are the big toes, ball of the foot, and the heel. Between the toes is rarely affected which helps your doctor be able to diagnose this condition from other foot ailments. Lots of foot conditions can present the same way as Juvenile plantar dermatosis. Getting help and changing some self-care things can help your child’s symptoms lessen.