ABSTRACT
First impressions do count. The skin has a social function in addition to its importance as a vital organ of the body. Thus children present because of illness, an uncomfortable symptom such as itching, unhappiness at perceived disfigurement, or because of the reactions of others. Skin conditions are very common in primary care, and the skin may reflect systemic conditions specific to childhood. At one end of the spectrum this may be a non-specific viral rash, less commonly it may be a systemic illness such as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, or rarely, but devastatingly, it may be meningococcal septicaemia.
