Collodion baby case series: the success of oral retinoic acid

Ichthyosis is a clinical skin cornification disorder characterized by hyperkeratosis. Lamellar ichthyosis is a rare form of ichthyosis (collodion baby), which is autosomal recessive. Diagnostic clinical findings can be confirmed with skin biopsy and genetic analysis. The principles of treatment are moistening the skin, prevention of dehydration, and use of keratolytic agents. Systemic retinoic acid (0.5–1 mg/kg/day) is reported to provide dramatic benefits in the treatment of lamellar ichthyosis and congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma. In this study, the efficiency of oral retinoic acid treatment is presented to show a dramatic improvement in five patients who were diagnosed as collodion babies and admitted to The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after birth. None had other congenital problems. Only two patients were diagnosed as having sepsis. Hair loss was the only adverse effect of treatment in all five patients. With this series of collodion baby, we wanted to the draw the attention of physicians to the promising efficacy of retinoic acid.