Treatments for ichthyosis often take the form of topical application of creams and emollient oils, in an attempt to hydrate the skin. Creams containing lactic acid have been shown to work exceptionally well in some cases. Application of propylene glycol is another treatment method. Retinoids are used for some conditions.

Exposure to sunlight may improve or worsen the condition. In some cases, excess dead skin sloughs off much better from wet tanned skin after bathing or a swim, although the dry skin might be preferable to the damaging effects of sun exposure.

There can be ocular manifestations of ichthyosis, such as corneal and ocular surface diseases. Vascularizing keratitis, which is more commonly found in congenital keratitis-ichythosis-deafness (KID), may worsen with isotretinoin therapy.

As with all types of ichthyosis, there is no cure but the symptoms can be relieved.

- Moisturizers

- Prevention of overheating

- Eye drops (to prevent the eyes from becoming dried out)

- Systemic Retinoids (isotretinoin and acitretin are very effective, but careful monitoring for toxicity is required. Only severe cases may require intermittent therapy.)

Psychological therapy or support may be required as well.

Oral retinoids have proven effective in treating this disorder. Depending on the side effects they may improve the quality of life. Examples are etretinate, acitretin, isotretinoin

There is no cure for IBS but in the future gene therapy may offer a cure.

Treatments for IBS generally attempt to improve the appearance of the skin and the comfort of the sufferer. This is done by exfoliating and increasing the moisture of the skin. Common treatments include:

- Emollients: moisturisers, petroleum jelly or other emolients are used, often several times a day, to increase the moisture of the skin.

- Baths: long baths (possibly including salt) several times a week are used to soften the skin and allow exfoliation.

- Exfoliating creams: creams containing keratolytics such as urea, salicylic acid and lactic acid may be useful.

- Antiseptic washes: antiseptics may be used to kill bacteria in the skin and prevent odour.

- Retenoids: very severe cases may use oral retinoids to control symptoms but these have many serious side effects including, in the case of IBS, increased blistering.

Because XLI is caused by a gene mutation or deletion, there is no "cure." One of the aims of treatment is to reduce scaling by removing the excess, flaky scales, and keep the skin hydrated. This can be achieved using a variety of topical creams.

- Keratolytic agents such as Ammonium lactate (Lac-Hydrin) are used to facilitate the release of retained corneocytes.

- Topical isotretinoin

- The topical receptor-selective retinoid tazarotene

Research is ongoing with regard to the use of gene therapy to treat XLI.

Commonly used dietary supplements include:

- Omega-6 fatty acids (e.g., safflower or sunflower oil)

- Omega-3 fatty acids (e.g., fish oils)

- Vitamin A.

Immunosuppressant and anti-inflammatory therapy serves to stop on-going destruction of the sebaceous glands. Like other inflammatory diseases, most animals receive an initial course to stop the inflammation and treatment is tapered off to the lowest dose that keeps the disease in remission. Oral cyclosporine may be used. Corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone) are used only if pruritus is a major clinical feature.

Until gene therapy solutions finally become reality, EHK sufferers must treat their fragile skin carefully. Most have learned that taking regular extended baths allows patients to care for their fragile skin and keep it manageable. Baths that include sea salt seem to improve the process of softening and removing the thickened skin.

Ointments like Petroleum Jelly, Aveeno, and other barrier type ointment help hold the moisture in the skin after a bath.

Even though there is no way to cure the disease itself, there are ways to dampen the symptoms. These include medical help in form of pills, and using heavy lotions and oils.

To maintain the good health of the skin after the symptoms have dampened the person with the disease are advised to go on normally with their lives but to take precautions while showering. This is to take shorter, colder baths than usual to not stress the skin. It is also known to help to use bar-soap, instead of a liquid body wash.

The infant is intubated post delivery to stabilize the respiratory problems experienced. Often the skin condition becomes less severe resolving itself to flaky dry skin as the individual grows. No intervention is usually required and the condition becomes less severe as the patient grows. The dry skin symptoms can be managed with topical ointments or creams and the individual remains otherwise healthy.

Constant care is required to moisturise and protect the skin. The hard outer layer eventually peels off, leaving the vulnerable inner layers of the dermis exposed. Early complications result from infection due to fissuring of the hyperkeratotic plates and respiratory distress due to physical restriction of chest wall expansion.

Management includes supportive care and treatment of hyperkeratosis and skin barrier dysfunction. A humidified incubator is generally used. Intubation is often required until nares are patent. Nutritional support with tube feeds is essential until eclabium resolves and infants can begin nursing. Ophthalmology consultation is useful for the early management of ectropion, which is initially pronounced and resolves as scale is shed. Liberal application of petrolatum is needed multiple times a day. In addition, careful debridement of constrictive bands of hyperkeratosis should be performed to avoid digital ischemia. Cases of digital autoamputation or necrosis have been reported due to cutaneous constriction bands. Relaxation incisions have been used to prevent this morbid complication.

In the past, the disorder was nearly always fatal, whether due to dehydration, infection (sepsis), restricted breathing due to the plating, or other related causes. The most common cause of death was systemic infection and sufferers rarely survived for more than a few days. However, improved neonatal intensive care and early treatment with oral retinoids, such as the drug Isotretinoin (Isotrex), may improve survival. Early oral retinoid therapy has been shown to soften scales and encourage desquamation. After as little as two weeks of daily oral isotretinoin, fissures in the skin can heal, and plate-like scales can nearly resolve. Improvement in the eclabium and ectropion can also be seen in a matter of weeks. Children who survive the neonatal period usually evolve to a less severe phenotype, resembling a severe congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma. Patients continue to suffer from temperature dysregulation and may have heat and cold intolerance. Patients can also have generalized poor hair growth, scarring alopecia, contractures of digits, arthralgias, failure to thrive, hypothyroidism, and short stature. Some patients develop a rheumatoid factor-positive polyarthritis. Survivors can also develop fish-like scales and retention of a waxy, yellowish material in seborrheic areas, with ear adhered to the scalp.

The oldest known survivor is Nusrit "Nelly" Shaheen, who was born in 1984 and is in relatively good health as of April 2016. Lifespan limitations have not yet been determined with the new treatments.

A study published in 2011 in the Archives of Dermatology concluded, "Harlequin ichthyosis should be regarded as a severe chronic disease that is not invariably fatal. With improved neonatal care and probably the early introduction of oral retinoids, the number of survivors is increasing."

There is no known cure at the moment but there are several things that can be done to relieve the symptoms. Moisturising products are very helpful to minimize the scaling/cracking, and anti-infective treatments are useful when appropriate because the skin is very susceptible to infection. Extra protein in the diet during childhood is also beneficial, to replace that which is lost through the previously mentioned "leaky" skin.

Steroid and retinoid products have been proven ineffective against Netherton syndrome, and may in fact make things worse for the affected individual.

Intravenous immunoglobulin has become established as the treatment of choice in Netherton's syndrome. This therapy reduces infection; enables improvement and even resolution of the skin and hair abnormalities, and dramatically improves quality of life of the patients; although exactly how it achieves this is not known. Given this; it is possible that the reason Netherton's usually is not very severe at or shortly after birth is due to a protective effect of maternal antibodies; which cross the placenta but wane by four to six months.

There are no life-threatening complications after the perinatal period (around the time of birth) and the skin conditions persist but to a lesser degree of severity. Individuals have a favourable prognosis as symptoms can be managed and past the infancy stage are not life-threatening. The red skin edema improves after a three-week period but the ichthyosis scaling persists. Asthma has been recorded in some cases later on in the individual's life and sign of atopic dermatitis persist, follicular hyperkeratosis and small amounts of scaling at the scalp that goes on into adulthood but otherwise the individual continues a healthy life.

There is currently no treatment for CHILD syndrome so any treatment would target the symptoms currently present. Emoillents like Lac-Hydran (ammonium lactate) and Ureaphil (urea) are used to treat scaly patches on the skin. A pediatric orthopedic surgeon can evaluate any underdevelopment in the bones and treat them if necessary.

There is a compound that is a topical liquid that can calm lesions down on older adults and make them go away on younger children. The mixture was made by Dr. Amy Paller at Children's Hospital. It is mixed as follows: to make 250 ml: Grind up lovastatin tablets 5g (10-20-40-80 mg); mix with cholesterol NF powder (NDC# 51927-1203-00, PCCA) 5g; mix with preserved water while mixing (eventually mixing for 1/2 hour with electronic mortar and pestle) to bring to full volume with preserved water. 8 oz

Overheating: The scaling of the skin prevents normal sweating so hot weather and/or vigorous exercise can cause problems.

Eye problems: The eyelids can be pulled down by the tightness of the skin and this can make eyelids (but usually just the lower one) very red and they are prone to drying and irritation.

Constriction bands: Very rarely children with this condition can have tight bands of skin around their fingers or toes (usually at the tips) that can prevent proper blood circulation to the area.

Hair loss: Severe scaling of the skin on the scalp can lead to patchy loss of hair, but this is rarely permanent.

Keratosis pilaris is medically harmless, but many individuals may seek treatment as the condition can cause emotional distress. Topical creams and lotions are currently the most commonly used treatment for keratosis pilaris, specifically those consisting of moisturizing or keratolytic treatments, including urea, lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, vitamin D, or topical retinoids such as tretinoin. Corticosteroid creams can also be used as a treatment for KP. Improvement of the skin often takes months and the bumps are likely to return. Limiting time in the shower and using gentle exfoliation to unplug pores can help. Many products are available that apply exfoliation and alpha or beta hydroxy acids.

Some cases of keratosis pilaris have been successfully treated with laser therapy, which involves passing intense bursts of light into targeted areas of the skin. Depending on the body's response to the treatment, multiple sessions over the course of a few months may be necessary.

There is no definitive cure for LS. Behavior change is part of treatment. The patient should minimize or preferably stop scratching LS-affected skin. Any scratching, stress or damage to the skin can worsen the disease. Scratching has been theorized to increase cancer risks. Furthermore the patient should wear comfortable clothes and avoid tight clothing, as it is a major factor in the severity of symptoms in some cases.

Topically applied corticosteroids to the LS-affected skin are the first-line treatment for lichen sclerosus in women and men, with strong evidence showing that they are "safe and effective" when appropriately applied, even over long courses of treatment, rarely causing serious adverse effects. They improve or suppress all symptoms for some time, which highly varies across patients, until it is required to use them again. Methylprednisolone aceponate has been used as a safe and effective corticosteroid for mild and moderate cases. For severe cases, it has been theorized that mometasone furoate might be safer and more effective than clobetasol.

Continuous usage of appropriate doses of topical corticosteroids is required to ensure symptoms stay relieved over the patient's life time. If continuously used, corticosteroids have been suggested to minimize the risk of cancer in various studies. In a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 507 women throughout 6 years, cancer occurred for 4.7% of patients who were only "partially compliant" with corticosteroid treatment, while it occurred in 0% of cases where they were "fully compliant". In a second study, of 129 patients, cancer occurred in 11% of patients, none of which were fully compliant with corticosteroid treatment. Both these studies however also said that a corticosteroid as powerful as clobetasol isn't necessary in most cases. In a prospective study of 83 patients, throughout 20 years, 8 patients developed cancer. 6 already had cancer at presentation and had not had treatment, while the other 2 weren't taking corticosteroids often enough. In all three studies, every single cancer case observed occurred in patients who weren't taking corticosteroids as often as the study recommended.

Continuous, abundant usage of emollients topically applied to the LS-affected skin is recommended to improve symptoms. They can supplement but not replace corticosteroid therapy. They can be used much more frequently than corticosteroids due to the extreme rarity of serious adverse effects. Appropriate lubrication should be used every time before and during sex in genital LS in order to avoid pain and worsening the disease. Some oils such as olive oil and coconut oil can be used to accomplish both the emollient and sexual lubrication function.

Recent studies have shown that topical calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus can have an effect similar to corticosteroids, but its effects on cancer risks in LS are not conclusively known.

In males, it has been reported that circumcision can have positive effects, but does not necessarily prevent against further flares of the disease and does not protect against the possibility of cancer. Circumcision does not prevent or cure LS; in fact, "balanitis xerotica obliterans" in men was first reported as a condition affecting a set of circumcised men, by Stühmer in 1928.

Carbon dioxide laser treatment is safe, effective and improves symptoms over a long time, but does not lower cancer risks.

Platelet rich plasma was reported to be effective in one study, producing large improvements in the patients' quality of life, with an average IGA improvement of 2.04 and DLQI improvement of 7.73.

Ichthyosis hystrix is a group of rare skin disorders in the ichthyosis family of skin disorders characterized by massive hyperkeratosis with an appearance like spiny scales. This term is also used to refer to a type of epidermal nevi with extensive bilateral distribution.

The symptoms of ichthyosis hystrix Curth-Macklin are similar to epidermolytic hyperkeratosis (NPS-2 type) but there is no blistering and the hyperkeratosis is verrucous or spine-like. The hyperkeratosis is brown-grey in colour and is most obvious on the arms and legs. It is an autosomal dominant condition and can be caused by errors to the KRT1 gene. It is named after Helen Ollendorff Curth (1899-1982), a German-Jewish dermatologist, and Madge Thurlow Macklin (1893–1962), an American medical geneticist, and is one of the first syndromes named after two women.

Ichthyosis is a family of rare genetic skin disorders characterized by dry, thickened, scaly skin.

There are more than 20 types of ichthyosis which range in severity of symptoms, outward appearance, underlying genetic cause, and mode of inheritance (e.g., whether the abnormal gene inherited is dominant, recessive, autosomal, or X-linked). Ichthyosis comes from the , since dry, scaly skin is the defining feature of all forms of ichthyosis.

The severity of symptoms can vary enormously, from the mildest, most common, type such as ichthyosis vulgaris which may be mistaken for normal dry skin up to life-threatening conditions such as harlequin type ichthyosis. Ichthyosis vulgaris accounts for more than 95% of cases.

Ichthyosis en confetti, also known as ichthyosis with confetti, congenital reticular ichthyosiform erythroderma (CRIE) and ichthyosis variegata, is a very rare form of congenital ichthyosis in which healthy patches of normal skin co-exist within the abnormal skin areas. The condition is caused by a frameshift mutation in the keratin 10 gene (KRT10); mutant keratin 10 accumulates in the nucleolus, a sub-nuclear structure, rather than within cellular intermedite filaments like the wild-type protein. Children with the condition exhibit red, flaky skin; however, for reasons not yet totally clear, wild type clonal patches of skin start to appear, in place of the red, flaky skin. Due to the clonal nature of the growth of the normal skin cells, it appears the patient is covered with confetti, hence the name of the condition. It has been hypothesized that this is the result of a combination of mitotic recombination and natural selection within the skin.

Early stages may be asymptomatic and may not require any intervention. Initial treatment may include hypertonic eyedrops and ointment to reduce the corneal edema and may offer symptomatic improvement prior to surgical intervention.

Suboptimal vision caused by corneal dystrophy usually requires surgical intervention in the form of corneal transplantation. Penetrating keratoplasty, a common type of corneal transplantation, is commonly performed for extensive corneal dystrophy.

With penetrating keratoplasty (corneal transplant), the long-term results are good to excellent. Recent surgical improvements have been made which have increased the success rate for this procedure. However, recurrence of the disease in the donor graft may happen. Superficial corneal dystrophies do not need a penetrating keratoplasty as the deeper corneal tissue is unaffected, therefore a lamellar keratoplasty may be used instead.

Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) can be used to excise or ablate the abnormal corneal tissue. Patients with superficial corneal opacities are suitable candidates for a this procedure.

Congenital Ichthyosiform Erythroderma (CIE), also known as Nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma is a rare type the ichthyosis family of skin diseases which occurs in 1 in 200,000 to 300,000 births.

Keratitis–ichthyosis–deafness syndrome (also known as "Erythrokeratodermia progressiva Burns," "Ichthyosiform erythroderma, corneal involvement, and deafness," and "KID syndrome,") presents at birth/infancy and is characterized by pregressive corneal opacification, either mild generalized hyperkeratosis or discrete erythematous plaques, and neurosensory deafness.

It is caused by a mutation in connexin 26.