What is ichthyosis and do you have these symptoms?

Although ichthyosis does not cause much harm to our health, it can make patients feel inferior, especially in the summer when they dare not expose their skin. Ichthyosis is mostly caused by genetics, and in winter the skin becomes rough, cracked, and scaly more serious.

1. The main symptoms are dry and rough skin on the extensor side of the limbs or trunk, accompanied by diamond-shaped or polygonal scales, which look like fish scales or snake skin.

2. Due to different inheritance patterns, it can be divided into autosomal dominant ichthyosis vulgaris, sex-linked ichthyosis vulgaris, congenital ichthyosis-like erythroderma and lamellar ichthyosis, which are the early symptoms of ichthyosis.

3. Patients with ichthyosis generally have no subjective symptoms. They are often accompanied by itching in winter. A few may feel general discomfort in summer due to difficulty sweating. In mild cases, the skin is dry, rough, and has a small amount of scales. These are the early symptoms of ichthyosis.

4. In severe cases, patients with ichthyosis have bran-like scales on their skin, which are 3-8 mm thick. The severity of the disease varies, and they are diamond-shaped or polygonal, light brown or dark brown, and shaped like fish scales. They may also occur on the supine side of the limbs and trunk and the extended side of the waist, and may cover most or all of the body.

5. Diagnostic basis of ichthyosis

1. Congenital ichthyosis-like erythroderma has periodic peeling, which usually happens once a week or so. After peeling, better skin is often exposed, and then the skin starts to dry and flaky again, and the cycle repeats itself.

2. Congenital ichthyosis-like erythroderma usually occurs at birth. Among them, colloid babies are born with a thin film wrapped around their bodies; bullous congenital ichthyosis-like erythroderma usually begins to cause dry and peeling skin shortly after birth, accompanied by recurrent blisters of varying sizes.

3. The skin on the back of the hands in ichthyosis often appears dry and wrinkled. In autosomal dominant ichthyosis vulgaris, patients with severe symptoms often have hard and thick skin on the palms and soles, with many and disordered palm lines; the skin on the palms and soles of patients with x-linked ichthyosis vulgaris often appears normal. The skin on the backs and palms of the hands in patients with congenital ichthyosis erythroderma appears abnormally thick and leathery.