All Types of Ichthyosis
Select your type to get your personalised management hub — daily routine, medications, 8-week protocol and more.
The most common form
Fine white or silvery scaling on limbs and trunk. Often associated with eczema and hay fever. Improves in summer, worsens in winter. Very manageable with consistent emollient routine.
Go to Vulgaris Hub →Affects males — darker scaling
Dark brown/black scaling on neck and trunk. Affects males; females are carriers. Corneal opacities (harmless). Associated with cryptorchidism in ~25% of cases.
Go to X-Linked Hub →Large plate-like scaling, all over
Born as collodion baby. Large dark plate-like scales over entire body. Ectropion (turned-out eyelids). Reduced sweating — heat intolerance. Requires specialist management and often acitretin.
Go to Lamellar Hub →Most severe — improving outcomes
Thick armour-like plating at birth. Diamond-shaped cracking. NICU care essential. Acitretin started immediately. Modern care has dramatically improved survival and quality of life.
Go to Harlequin Hub →Severe atopy + bamboo hair
Trichorrhexis invaginata (bamboo hair). Very high IgE. Severe atopy and anaphylaxis risk. Avoid topical steroids (dangerous absorption). Dupilumab showing good evidence.
Go to Netherton Hub →Keratitis · Ichthyosis · Deafness
Three defining features: vascularising keratitis (eye involvement, can affect vision), hyperkeratotic skin, sensorineural deafness. Increased squamous cell carcinoma risk — lifelong monitoring essential.
Go to KID Hub →Always affects one side only
Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosiform nevus and Limb Defects. Always unilateral. Metabolic disorder of cholesterol synthesis. Topical cholesterol + lovastatin cream shows dramatic improvement.
Go to CHILD Hub →Photosensitivity + multiple features
DNA repair defect. Photosensitivity, ichthyosis, brittle hair, intellectual disability (variable), decreased fertility, short stature. Extreme sun protection is life-essential.
Go to PIBIDS Hub →Phytanic acid storage disorder
Phytanic acid accumulates causing progressive nerve and organ damage. Ichthyosis is one symptom. Strict dietary restriction (no dairy, ruminant fat) is the primary treatment — not optional.
Go to Refsum Hub →Born collodion — skin clears
Born as collodion baby, skin normalises within weeks to months revealing near-normal skin. Excellent prognosis. May have mild residual dryness. Most go on to live with essentially normal skin.
Go to Self-Healing Hub →Trunk only — limbs clear
Temperature-sensitive TGM1 mutation — enzyme works at lower temperatures, so limbs and face are clear while warmer trunk areas are affected. Management same as Lamellar for affected areas.
Go to Bathing Suit Hub →Not sure which type you have?
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