THE USE OF RETINOIDS IN THE PEDIATRIC PATIENT

Oral retinoids represent one of the main steps forward in dermatologic therapeutics in the present century. Retinoids have become indispensable tools for the treatment of disorders of keratinization particularly psoriasis, ichthyosis, and acne. Ichthyosis and acne are diseases predominant in children and adolescents; therefore, they pertain mainly to pediatric dermatology. Owing to their many pharmacologic effects retinoids are also among the most actively researched drugs, in order to find more effective and less toxic compounds. Retinoids, as most new "marvelous drugs", have important untoward effects besides their therapeutic properties that may be deleterious during the growth and development of the human being from gestation to adolescence. It is therefore surprising to find so few publications on the guidelines for the use of retinoids in children. In a recent 118 page book on retinoids, only 14 lines are dedicated to the use of retinoids in pediatrics. 23