An ichthyosis is a group of about 20 dry skin conditions that leaves the skin scaly and flakey or dry and cracked. The condition gets its name from the Ancient Greek word ‘Ichthys’ which means fish. You might also hear it called thickened or flaky and resembling fish scale skin, or it can make the skin thin and fragile. People with this condition lose the protective barrier that keeps moisture in their skin and this can be enough to affect a person’s self-confidence. They also make new skin cells too quickly and shed old cells too slowly. This leads to a buildup of thick, and scaly skin. Most cases of ichthyosis are mild. Ichthyosis Vulgaris is commonly caused by a genetic mutation inherited from one or both parents. Children who inherit a defective gene from just one parent have a milder form of the disease. Those who inherit two bad genes have a more severe form of ichthyosis Vulgaris.
