Harlequin-type ichthyosis

[deathwood]

http://www.scalyskin.org/content.cfm?ContentID=99&ColumnID=14

Comments

[evilstorm]

Ahhhh, harley babies. Haven't seen one in a while. The baby can actually survive it, surprisingly enough.

[synnoveaevael]

i know nothing about this, i'm about to google the hell out of it, but how?? this looks so painful. i had bad skin on my face where it would crack and bleed, but over my WHOLE body?? the poor baby!! :( i can't even imagine.

[evilstorm]

With....a lot of very tedious care, and some damn good luck. IIRC the current oldest survivor is on treatment to reduce the rate of skin growth, and has to take two-hour long baths to soften the skin, and applies the helluva lot of moisturizer. Yeah. Oh, and he's on a special diet to replace all the protein he loses. Not fun.

[insaint]

How old is the current oldest survivor?

[shirikdraguinea]

Poor baby :(

[shrubrub]

Please please please put this behind a cut. I can't stress it enough.

[xellinamazoku]

second

[squid_ink]

agreed.

this is a really tough photo.

isn't this hereditary? if you KNOW you have this in your family, why would you bear a child?

i don't understand people.

[buymeaclue]

Looks like it's recessive and rare, so chances are you wouldn't know until the poor kiddo turned up.

[beerdiablo]

It's not a disease, this is Marilyn Manson's baby picture.

[aineotter]

It happens in calves, but it's called icthyosis fetalis. I was taught that it is 'incomaptable with life', but then I imagine that there are medical interventions available for human babies that the calves don't get. At least in the Norwegan red polled cattle, it is an autosomal recessive trait.