The term means dry skin. Normal skin may become dry when exposed to very low ambient humidity and is then vulnerable to irritation by soaps, detergents and other chemicals which cause ‘chapping’. Dryness of the skin may also be a feature of skin disease, especially atopic eczema (see ATOPY; DERMATITIS). Genetically determined xeroderma is called ICHTHYOSIS.
n. a mild form of the hereditary disorder *ichthyosis, in which the skin develops slight dryness and forms branlike scales. It is common in the elderly. Xeroderma pigmentosum is a rare genetically determined disorder (see genodermatosis) in which there is an inherited defect in the *DNA repair mechanism in the skin, which corrects ultraviolet radiation damage; this leads to multiple skin cancers. Affected individuals must avoid exposure to sunlight.
A rare disease in which DNA repair mechanisms fail, rendering the skin especially vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet light (see ULTRAVIOLET RAYS (UVR)). Extreme photosensitivity begins in infancy; later, marked freckling occurs and premature CARCINOGENESIS in the skin usually leads to early death. There may also be neurological complications.... xeroderma pigmentosum
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