Introduction
Collodion phenotype is a common clinical presentation of a heterogeneous
group of skin disorders of cornification. The term collodion baby (CB)
was firstly introduced by Hallopeau and Watelet describing a
parchment-like membrane that covers the whole body.1Is a rare clinical entitywith an estimated incidence of 1 in 50.000 to
100.000 live births. Collodion phenotype is common to several different
forms of autosomal recessive congenital ichthyoses including lamellar
ichthyosis, nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma, and
harlequin ichthyosis. 2,3 The diagnosis of CB is
clinical as the skin biopsy and histopathology in the first few weeks of
life will not be useful in differentiating different types of
ichthyosis. In recent years considerable advances in the understanding
of the molecular basis of congenital ichthyosis were made identifying
several genes implication in the pathogenesis. Management of CB remains
a challenge in the neonatal period as the complications occur in almost
half of the patients with a mortality rate of approximately 11% in the
first weeks of life. 4We report a unique case of
self-healing CB that was managed successfully despite the risk of
potentially serious complications. Self-healing CB is a rare and
distinct outcome of collodion phenotype occurring in approximately 10%
of all collodion babies.