Ichthyosis vulgaris and aging

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purringfamiliar
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Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:47 pm
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by purringfamiliar on Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:00 pm

Ichthyosis vulgaris and aging

Hi,

I live in Australia and there is not a lot of information of any form of Ichthyosis. I am in my 60's and have Ichthyosis all my life, I find it incredibly hard to find creams that work on my skin. As I have aged I find all sorts of problems popping up, not just scaly skin but allergies, arthritis etc as well. I was wondering what exactly you would tell me if I actually had an appointment with you, how would you explain issues that are cropping up now and what I should expect in the future. It is just about impossible to find a Doctor who deals with Ichthyosis so most of my information comes from ISG so please HELP

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Wendy Green
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by Wendy Green on Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:29 pm

Re: Ichthyosis vulgaris and aging

Hi,

I'm afraid that as we age our bodies DO change - I've noticed this myself lately and can empathise with you; and of course as we get older our skin tends to get drier - particularly in women - probably due to hormonal changes.

The best advice I can give you is to make sure you're eating a healthy diet of lean proteins, oily fish, unrefined carbs, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables - these will nourish your skin from the inside , helping to improve it's condition; such a diet will also help to keep you feeling younger and possibly help with your arthritis too.

You could also try supplementing your diet with Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids to provide extra skin lubrication from the inside and to damp down inflammation in your body - this could also help to ease your arthritis.

If your skin has allergic reactions to creams perhaps you could try natural oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil etc?

I hope you find these tips helpful. Good luck :)

Wendy
Wendy Green
Health Expert and Author

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Dr Mary Judge
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by Dr Mary Judge on Fri Sep 20, 2013 5:49 pm

Re: Ichthyosis vulgaris and aging

It would be unusual for Ichthyosis Vulgaris to be so troublesome. It's usually mild, improves with sunshine and age but is associated with Eczema in many affected people. So you need a definite diagnosis.Were you a Collodion Baby; anyone in the family affected? Can you send photos to ISG? IV is due to Filaggrin gene mutations but you may not be able to get that test done locally. There is no link between IV and arthritis.

You can become contact allergic to ingredients of moisturizing creams and this is investigated by Patch Testing, available in any good Derm Dept. They will be able to advise on the range of emollients you could try.
Dr Mary Judge
Consultant Paediatric Dermatologist & Consultant Adult Dermatologist

purringfamiliar
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Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:47 pm
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by purringfamiliar on Sun Sep 22, 2013 7:52 pm

Re: Ichthyosis vulgaris and aging

Hi and thanks for answering

Would genetic testing be of any value to me in working out what is going on?

I do know that Ichthyosis runs through my family on my father's side. He had a female cousin with it.
My father, later in life, was diagnosed with both Pemphigus and Lupus. No testing was done for the Pemphigus, just a specialist looking at his skin. Lupus was diagnosed through a test. He had a leg ulcer which would not heal and had been like that for more than 40 years. Originally it healed for a short time and broke out again then it just did not heal at all and he was regularly treated to stop it from getting to large. The nurses were regularly taking off large scaly skin from around the ulcer and trying to keep the sore dry.

My granddaughter has "scales" on her legs already and she is only 3. More to the point you can see the outline of scales when she does not have creams put on her every day.

For myself, if you were to look at my hands, they look like an overcrowded road map, my arms, and legs scale (even using the creams I can get) and me feet scale, crack and bleed unless I wrap them in plastic, this does not happen all the time but it does consistently, even in summer.

My allergies are not just skin allergies, I am going through an elimination diet at the moment to work out just what I cannot eat and what I can. The big thing with doing this was the change in my skin.. (am still working on this aspect).

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