Mandy Moore has opened up about her two-year-old son Gus’s diagnosis with Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome, a rare skin condition that develops during childhood.
The 39-year-old actress detailed her son’s condition in a series of posts on her Instagram Story. She explained how Gus, who she shares with her husband Taylor Goldsmith, woke up with an unidentifiable rash on 29 July. According to Moore, Several doctors were unsure of what exactly the rash was but ultimately ended with a diagnosis of Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome.
“This sweet boy woke up with a crazy rash on Saturday am,” Moore wrote over a photo of Gus holding a lollipop inside what looked like a doctor’s office. “We thought maybe an eczema flare? Poison oak? Allergy. We tried to deduce what it could be and did anything to help him find relief from the itch.”
She continued: “Went to urgent care. Paediatrician. Dermatologist. Paediatric dermatologist. All the while, he smiles and carries on like the rockstar that he is.”
The following photo displayed a close-up of Gus’s legs and feet covered in raised red patches.
“Turns out it’s a viral childhood rash that just spontaneously appears called Gianotti-Crosti syndrome. It’s all over his legs and feet (ouch) and the backs of his arms but nowhere else,” the This Is Us star wrote. “There’s nothing to do but a steroid cream and Benadryl at night. And it could last six to eight weeks. Ooooof. Anyone ever experience this?”
Moore added a final slide of Gus from a different day and admitted to the struggle she’s endured as a parent.
“All of that to say, this parenting thing is weird and hard and sometimes you feel so helpless (and yes I’m ever so grateful it’s only an itchy skin condition). Kids are resilient and as long as he’s smiling through it, we are a-okay,” the creator noted.
According to WebMD, the rash can also be referred to as “papular acrodermatitis of childhood,” and affects the legs, arms, and face. Viral illnesses can bring about this rare condition and can appear while “your child is recovering from another illness”.
Children between the ages of nine months to nine years old are more likely to develop the rash. However, it’s not impossible for adults to get it.
“The rash often first appears on or near the buttocks, then spreads to the arms, legs, and face. The blisters vary in size and may be filled with fluid. They may be pink, red, or brown in color,” WebMD said.
Swollen lymph nodes and a mild fever are symptoms of the skin condition too. Although the rash may take anywhere between four to eight weeks to heal on its own, little to no scarring should be left on the skin.
In 2021, Moore gave birth to Gus, short for “August,” before having her second baby, Oscar ‘Ozzie’ Bennett. The Tangled Ever After voice spoke about the gratification she and Goldsmith felt at the end of each day in her 31 May post.
“These dudes rule my heart. Each night, Taylor and I fall into bed after we’ve put them down; after we’ve straightened up from the chaos of dinner/bath and set up for the next morning and we chat about the day,” the actor proclaimed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I mean, I do look forward to feeling moderately well rested sometime in the next decade? But [shrug emoji].”
The photo showed Gus and Ozzie staring at each other on a picnic blanket at the park.
