Can children with ichthyosis be cured?

If a child has ichthyosis, parents should pay attention to it, because ichthyosis is actually a hereditary skin disease. Especially during adolescence, the symptoms will be very obvious. In fact, this disease cannot be cured, and attention should be paid to skin care to improve symptoms.

1. Ichthyosis is a group of common hereditary keratosis disorders, clinically characterized by the appearance of flaky, fish-scale-like, sticky scales on the skin. Most cases develop in childhood, and symptoms worsen with age, becoming most severe during adolescence. The skin lesions worsen in the cold and dry winter season and alleviate in the humid and warm summer season. Patients often have a family history of this disease, which is a hereditary disease and cannot be cured at present.

2. In daily life, patients with ichthyosis will have their original condition aggravated due to abnormal keratinization, especially when the climate is dry and the temperature drops, and will show itching and desquamation. This is because under normal circumstances, free amino acids and silk protein play a key role in maintaining the moisture of the stratum corneum. Due to genetic factors that lead to abnormalities of certain factors, the silk protein in the epidermis is lacking or reduced, resulting in reduced hydration of the epidermis, and a significant decrease in the skin's defense and moisturizing abilities, leading to dry skin and prone to skin itching. In addition, the itching symptoms are more obvious due to frequent bathing and frequent use of shower gel.

3. Generally speaking, the treatment of ichthyosis mainly focuses on moisturizing and preventing skin dryness. For more severe or serious symptoms, vitamin A or retinoic acid drugs can be taken orally. For local treatment, you can use lubricants such as oily creams, urea ointments, 30% cod liver oil ointments, etc. to prevent the evaporation of skin moisture and increase the moisture content of the stratum corneum. You can also use salt water baths to allow the salt water to react with the stratum corneum to relieve the disease.

4. It is recommended that you do not take a bath too often in dry weather and the water temperature should not be too high; use less or no alkaline soaps, shower gels, etc. After bathing, apply moisturizer before the skin is completely dry. In addition, you should pay attention to keeping warm and avoid cold wind irritating your skin; eat more vegetables, fruits and foods rich in vitamin A, such as bananas, spinach, carrots, animal liver, egg yolks, beans, etc., and avoid seafood and spicy foods.