General description of the disease
Ichthyosis is a hereditary skin disease that is manifested by disorders in the skin (various formations appear that resemble fish scales).
Read also our dedicated skin nutrition article.
There are such types of ichthyosis, which are manifested by different symptoms (depending on the form of the course):
1. Simple, vulgar, ordinary – is hereditary, begins to manifest itself in children at the age of two or three.
Symptoms: the skin is dry, flaky, sweat does not come out, often problems with hair and nails, scales appear. But as you get older, your skin gets better. Dryness and pain are worse in dry and cold weather.
2. Ichthyosis in infants.
There are 2 forms of flow:
- ichthyosis of the fetus (rare cases) – the disease begins its development from the third to the fifth month of pregnancy. A child is born with large scales on the body (they resemble the skin of a crocodile or a turtle’s shell), in addition to all this, the infant’s mouth is inactive and narrowed or, conversely, very wide. Often such babies are premature, sometimes they are born not adapted to life or dead;
- ichthyosiform erythroderma (the entire body of the baby is covered with a dry, yellowish film, after a while it goes away, and in its place redness remains, which does not disappear for a long time. Very often, small transparent plates peel off the child’s skin.
3. Bullous ichthyosis – with this variety, bubbles of different sizes form on the skin. The patient is accompanied by ectropion and blepharitis (eye damage), hair and nails are damaged (their dystrophy occurs), the nervous and endocrine system suffers, keratosis of the palms and soles is often present. The patient can suffer from this form of the disease throughout their life.
4. Sebaceous – the drying secret is excessively highlighted. In babies, after a few days of life, the skin is severely flaky. One gets the feeling that the whole body of the baby is covered with a crust (called a bristle). These symptoms can be treated with warm baths, after which the skin should be lubricated with baby cream. After a while, the crusts gradually flake off and the skin begins to function normally.
5. Acquired form of ichthyosis – is quite rare. The disease begins its development after reaching the age of 20, the causes of which, mainly, are a violation of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Also, it can occur if a person is sick with hypothyroidism, sarcoidosis, AIDS, pellagra, systemic lupus erythematosus, if hypovitaminosis is concerned.
6. Lamellar ichthyosis (lamellar) – a congenital disease. In a newborn, the body is covered with a film that sloughs off within 2 weeks after birth. After its convergence, rough plates remain on the child’s body. The patient’s skin remains like this for life. It should be noted that this disease does not affect life expectancy.
The causes of ichthyosis are divided depending on the form of ichthyosis:
- congenital ichthyosis – genetic predisposition;
- acquired ichthyosis can cause: endocrinopathy; incomplete functioning of the adrenal glands, gonads and thyroid glands; problems with the hematopoietic system; persistent hypovitaminosis; senile changes in human skin.
Useful foods for ichthyosis
General Tips
- 1 It is necessary to take 10 drops of vitamin A daily (twice a day) with food.
- 2 Eat 0,2 grams of ascorbic acid three times a day.
- 3 Follow a special diet, which is aimed at obtaining the required amount of vitamins and minerals, natural fats.
- 4 Don’t eat a lot of salt.
- 5 Wear clothes made from natural fabrics, loose fit.
- 6 Taking special baths (add soapy water, soda, starch to the water). After the bath, the body must be smeared with salicylic ointment (3-5%), while adding vitamin A there, you can also take oil (vegetable) and lard (pork) as a basis.
- 7 If necessary, change the place of residence (a patient with ichthyosis is favorably influenced by a mild, warm climate).
- 8 It is necessary to take sun, oxygen baths.
Useful foods for ichthyosis
To maintain the body and alleviate the symptom that manifests itself in ichthyosis, it is necessary to include foods enriched with vitamins A, B, E, C in your diet. It is these groups of vitamins that will help get rid of hypovitaminosis, which is one of the main causes of ichthyosis, increase immunity and improve skin condition. To do this, you need to eat the following foods:
- fermented milk products (especially fatty ones): sour cream, cream, cottage cheese, milk, butter;
- liver, pork and chicken meat;
- cheese (processed, feta cheese);
- fresh vegetables and fruits (preferably yellow and red): radishes, tomatoes, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, viburnum, rose hips, peppers, sea buckthorn, oranges, grapefruits, watermelon, currants, kiwi, mountain ash, lemon, any cabbage;
- seafood: cabbage, eel, oyster, seaweed, mackerel, tuna, sardine, squid, salmon;
- garlic, herbs, horseradish;
- nuts (hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts);
- buckwheat, oatmeal, pasta, millet, lentils, barley porridge;
- corn;
- mushrooms;
- dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, dates, prunes).
But do not oversaturate the body with a lot of fruits, berries and vegetables. This can lead to allergies, which will only exacerbate the situation.
Traditional medicine for the treatment of ichthyosis
There are 3 main approaches to treatment:
- 1 herbs;
- 2 ointments;
- 3 restorative procedures.
AND. For treatment, it is necessary to take infusions of mountain ash, motherwort, sea buckthorn, oats for sowing, peony, tansy, plantain, eleutherococcus, aralia, field horsetail. You can use each herb individually or combine them.
II. One of the most effective ointments is the following. To prepare it, you need:
- half a kilogram of St. John’s wort oil;
- half a glass of beeswax;
- ¼ glass of propolis;
- glasses of pine resin (resin);
- a tablespoon of crushed chalk.
All ingredients must be put in a saucepan, brought to a boil, and kept on low heat for 1,5-2 hours. Allow to cool, boil again after 12 hours. After that, it is necessary to filter through cheesecloth folded in 2 layers.
ІІІ General strengthening procedures include sunbathing (only in the morning – avoid overheating), swimming in sea water, taking baths with sea salt (there must be a course of at least 15 procedures). Starch, soda, mineral, pine baths are also good. After taking a bath, it is imperative to smear the body with cream, while adding olive oil, drops of vitamin A or glycerin to it.
Dangerous and harmful products for ichthyosis
To normalize the patient’s condition and maintain it, it is necessary to exclude food products that negatively affect the condition of the skin, gastrointestinal tract and can cause allergic reactions (especially rash). It:
- fast food products;
- semi-finished products;
- fast foods;
- alcohol;
- sweets;
- overly spicy, salty and fatty foods;
- sweet carbonated drinks.
Attention!
The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!