Systemic therapy for ichthyosis, ichthyosis natural therapy

Condition analysis:
Hi, Thanks for writing to us.Ichthyosis as you rightly mentioned is a genetic condition leading to excessively dry and flaky skin. There is no cure for this condition, but it can be controlled by using right medications and thus bringing the normal texture back.

For the same, follow these suggestions:
-- Use a mild soap like cetaphil soap. Use lukewarm water to bathe and add liquid paraffin (2 caps full) in the water. After having the bath, use a cotton wash cloth to slightly rub off the scales. This will dislodge the scales. Always pat your skin to make it dry.

-- Use a thick emollient after bathing like cetaphil dam.

-- Mix Cetaphil dam cream and Cotaryl cream in equal amounts and apply all over the body.

-- Apply Cotaryl cream over the affected area at night.

-- And whenever you feel the need of moisturiser, just use plain cetaphil dam.

-- Take diet rich in omega fatty acids such as fish, nuts, flax seeds and etc.

-- Once in a week use an oat meal scrub. Mix powdered oats, cream and milk and apply it over body and scrub it off.

Follow all these above steps regularly and you will be sure notice a positive change.

Instructions:
Systemic therapy: Oral retinoids display an impressive antikeratinizing action in ichthyosiform dermatoses. Etretinate (1 mg/kg/d) and isotretinoin (2 mg/kg/d) have been shown to reduce scaling, discomfort, and disfigurement. However, when these drugs are discontinued, the ichthyotic skin recurs, thereby necessitating long-term use. Similarly, liarozole (150 mg bid), an imidazole derivative, inhibits the cytochrome P450-dependent 4-hydroxylation of retinoic acid, resulting in increased tissue levels of retinoic acid and a reduction in epidermal proliferation and scaling.

Patients with epidermolytic hyperkeratosis may develop chronic bacterial infections of the skin necessitating long-term antibiotic therapy.

Patients with Sj?gren-Larsson syndrome have a deficiency of fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH). Data suggest that bezafibrate, a hypolipidemic drug, induces the activity of FALDH in patients with some residual enzyme activity.