Is It Ecdysis In Human Beings?
Peeling Skin Syndrome (PSS) is a very rare Autosomal Recessive genodermatosis, characterized by widespread painless peeling of large sheets of superficial skin. The separation between the skin layers is usually seen at the level of stratum corneum, located above the stratum granulosum. It is generally divided into two types: • Acral Peeling skin syndrome • Generalized Peeling skin syndrome Below is a case of 13 years old girl, who presented in OPD with painless peeling of skin since birth. The peeling of skin was asymptomatic without any bleeding, erythema or inflammation. The process was aggravated by exposure to water followed by friction or rubbing. Neck, trunk and proximal extremities were mostly involved with sparing of palms and soles. On examination gentle rubbing of normal looking skin lead to peeling without pain or bleeding and underlying skin was not inflamed. On histology, hyperkeratosis with some degree of acanthosis was seen. Her parents were second degree relatives and were themselves unaffected. However, her one and only younger boy had the same skin condition. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment available for PSS currently but little improvement has been seen with the use of keratolytic agents along with urea. Reference: El Hanbuli HM, Elmahdi MH, Kamal N. Peeling skin syndrome: A pathologically invisible dermatosis. J Microsc Ultrastruct [serial online] 2019 [cited 2020 Nov 9];7:141-2. Available from: https://www.jmau.org/text.asp?2019/7/3/141/257878
