Rapid improvement in digital ischemia and acral contracture in a collodion baby treated with topical tazarotene.

[lamellar ichthyosis]

Collodion baby is a rare congenital disorder whereby affected infants are born encased in a thick , taut , shiny , translucent membrane . The majority of babies with collodion membrane have associated disorders , most commonly nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma and lamellar ichthyosis . The authors report a case of collodion baby with rare complication of acral contracture , ischemia and nail dystrophy . Topical treatment with tazarotene 0 .1 % gel resulted in rapid improvement . The patient developed normal nail plates and full motor function in both hands and feet following treatment . To the authors ' knowledge , this is the first report demonstrating the benefit of topical tazarotene for management of this rare condition in a neonate .