A paediatric dermatology clinic will open for its first patients today at Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Sonia Kapoor, who will be running the clinic, feels strongly about the need for this specialized care for children in Cayman.

After getting lots of referrals from other doctors to treat children suffering from various skin disorders, she decided it was time to devote a clinic solely for younger patients.

The most common skin ailments she sees are impetigo contagiosum (a bacterial infection), ringworm (a fungal infection) and molluscum contagiosum (a viral infection).

The most susceptible ages for these diseases are 3 to 10 years old. This vulnerability is related to the youngsters’ immune systems and the close contact to other children in school because these diseases are so contagious, she explained.

This susceptibility is demonstrated by the frequency of colds, sore throats and ear infections in this age group, according to the doctor. ‘Skin infections are equally common,’ she said.

A more serious problem arises when the condition isn’t treated right away.

‘I was seeing children suffering from the later stages of these diseases. It was heartbreaking. As a dermatologist, there are two things that really stress me out: a sick child or a sick pregnant woman,’ she said.

Dr. Kapoor completed her residency in dermatology at the University of Miami, where she worked with Dr. Lawrence Schnachner, one of the world’s leading paediatric dermatologists.

She had a clinic for children in Miami and she decided to start one here. The doctor explained that children need to be treated differently than adults for these conditions.

The doctor added that the head of the PTA of one of the schools in Grand Cayman asked her to come once a month to see the students.

‘To be fair, I decided to make it convenient for everyone and offer a clinic for school children,’ she said.

When treating children, Dr. Kapoor wants to make them as comfortable as possible. ‘They are with other children. I don’t wear a white coat. I try to be as minimally invasive as possible,’ she said.

The doctor wants people to understand that skin conditions should be considered serious.

‘People are under the misconception that skin diseases are not life threatening,’ she said.

Dr. Kapoor gave an example of one child whose condition had gotten so bad that his life was in danger.

‘I had dealt with cases like that when I worked in Miami, so I was able to help,’ she said.

Often when she gets referrals from other doctors, the disease has reached an advanced stage.

‘Perhaps the primary care giver is unaware that such a service as mine exists and that the child’s condition cam be treated by a specialist early on,’ she said.

Dr. Kapoor is determined to arm parents with knowledge to avoid having to see children suffer through an advanced stage of any skin disease.

‘Awareness is important to prevent the disease getting worse. We need to increase parents’ awareness so they have an idea what they can do to help their child,’ she said.

If you go

The paediatric dermatology clinic will be held every Monday, from 3pm to 6pm, at Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital.