Child's body covered with scales due to rare condition

New Delhi: Skin defects at birth can make life a constant struggle for children as well as families but the lack of awareness and stigma society associates with lesser known conditions makes things much more devastating. It hasn't been long since a child was labelled an alien for a rare physical condition.

Such is the case of Shama in New Delhi who suffers from a skin condition called lamellar ichthyosis that affects one in six lakh people. The condition has caused hardening of her skin and given her lizard like scale. Her skin also peels off from time to time and leaver her in pain.

The symptoms include plate like scales that are brownish in colour and are caused by genetic issues that affect shedding of skin. It can also lead to over heating and skin tightening as it restricts blood flow.

It also leads to difficulty in moving hand joints, hair loss and issues with eyes. Skin cells are produced at normal rates but not shedding normally results in this condition.

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