Disease Overview
Ichthyosis is the primitive cause of dry, flaky, thick, scaly skin. There are several different kinds of Ichthyosis, the main one is Ichthyosis vulgaris as it accounts for over 90% of all Ichthyosis cases and then there is X-linked Ichthyosis, which is the least common type of Ichthyosis with there being only one in every 6,000 births in males (Panthagani). X-linked Ichthyosis was chosen as the area of interest, it is a recessive disease in which only males get the disease and females are carriers for the disease. The gene that causes Ichthyosis is X-linked, which means it is a disease passed down from a mother to her child. The gene we are concerned about with X-linked Ichthyosis is known as steroid sulfatase more commonly referred to as STS. Steroid sulfatase is an enzyme known for metabolizing cholesterol sulfate found in the skin of humans. When cholesterol sulfate is not broken down properly an accumulation occurs resulting in a build up of skin cells, resulting in tough, dry, scaly skin that can be embarrassing for the patient. X-linked ichthyosis is not fatal but there is also no form of treatment and diagnosis is difficult.
Gene …show more content…
The best thing you can do is apply lotions and exfoliate as often as possible. This is like putting a bandaid on a wound that will not heal. Some believe that exposure to sunlight may improve or worsen the condition. In some cases, excess dead skin sheds much better from wet tanned skin after bathing or a swim, although the dry skin might be preferable to the damaging effects of sun exposure (X-linked Ichthyosis). From this I assume that sense tanning damaged skin cells, it allows for peeling to take place after a sever sunburn, where dead skin peels off leaving behind softer smoother skin. Yet the effects from sunbathing are so damaging, resulting in possible skin cancer that it is not even worth taking the risk and exposing oneself to
Ichthyosis is the primitive cause of dry, flaky, thick, scaly skin. There are several different kinds of Ichthyosis, the main one is Ichthyosis vulgaris as it accounts for over 90% of all Ichthyosis cases and then there is X-linked Ichthyosis, which is the least common type of Ichthyosis with there being only one in every 6,000 births in males (Panthagani). X-linked Ichthyosis was chosen as the area of interest, it is a recessive disease in which only males get the disease and females are carriers for the disease. The gene that causes Ichthyosis is X-linked, which means it is a disease passed down from a mother to her child. The gene we are concerned about with X-linked Ichthyosis is known as steroid sulfatase more commonly referred to as STS. Steroid sulfatase is an enzyme known for metabolizing cholesterol sulfate found in the skin of humans. When cholesterol sulfate is not broken down properly an accumulation occurs resulting in a build up of skin cells, resulting in tough, dry, scaly skin that can be embarrassing for the patient. X-linked ichthyosis is not fatal but there is also no form of treatment and diagnosis is difficult.
Gene …show more content…
The best thing you can do is apply lotions and exfoliate as often as possible. This is like putting a bandaid on a wound that will not heal. Some believe that exposure to sunlight may improve or worsen the condition. In some cases, excess dead skin sheds much better from wet tanned skin after bathing or a swim, although the dry skin might be preferable to the damaging effects of sun exposure (X-linked Ichthyosis). From this I assume that sense tanning damaged skin cells, it allows for peeling to take place after a sever sunburn, where dead skin peels off leaving behind softer smoother skin. Yet the effects from sunbathing are so damaging, resulting in possible skin cancer that it is not even worth taking the risk and exposing oneself to