Our patient, a Hispanic baby boy, was born at 37 weeks’ gestation after induction of labor. He was delivered vaginally without complication. The newborn’s Apgar scores were 8 and 9, and he weighed 2.24 kg.
The child was born with cracked and peeling skin on his face, chest, hands, and feet. The skin on his face and chest had a taut, cellophane-like appearance. He had fine stubble on his scalp and no eyebrows or eyelashes (FIGURE 1A AND 1B).
The mother’s medical history and serology were unremarkable. Her prior obstetric history included a female infant who had died at 3 months of age of pneumonia, a skin infection, and dehydration. The mother indicated that the deceased child had “fish scale disease.”
FIGURE 1 Cracked skin, absence of eyebrows and eyelashes
The newborn had a collodion membrane on his face, fine stubble on his scalp, and no eyebrows or eyelashes (A). He also had cracked and peeling skin (B).
What is your diagnosis? How would you manage this condition?
