Dawaa Reference

chronic

Ichthyosis Vulgaris

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources2 sources

Jaffar H, Shakir Z, Kumar G, Ali IF. Ichthyosis Vulgaris: An Updated Review. Skin Health and Disease 2022 · No labelled dose - emollient applied liberally and as often as needed, to effect

Verified against3 documents
  • No labelled dose - emollient applied liberally and as often as needed, to effect
  • Jaffar H, Shakir Z, Kumar G, Ali IF. Ichthyosis Vulgaris: An Updated Review. Skin Health and Disease 2022
  • Hereditary and Acquired Ichthyosis Vulgaris - disease-level clinical article (ichthyosis-vulgaris-clinical.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (3)

  • Scaling characteristically worsens in winter and eases in summer or humid weather [scaling]
  • The condition lasts a lifetime but tends to become milder with age
  • Roughly a quarter to half of affected people also have atopic dermatitis, asthma, or hay fever [allergic rhinitis]

Signs — what you find (5)

  • Fine whitish scale concentrated on the extensor surfaces is the hallmark finding, with the flexures spared
  • Homozygous disease produces large, centrally adherent scale on the lower limbs and trunk with cracking and thickening of the palms and soles
  • Severe disease can add mild eyelid turning-out and cracks around the mouth, plus widespread scalp scaling [scaling]
  • Nails and the mucosal surfaces are typically spared
  • Keratosis pilaris and exaggerated skin lines on the palms and soles commonly accompany it

Tests (2)

  • Diagnosis rests on the timing of onset, scale pattern, family history and skin phenotype rather than routine labs
  • Genetic testing can confirm the diagnosis and support family counselling

If not this — what else fits (2)

  • Allergic and irritant contact dermatitis, eczema and drug eruptions are also on the differential list
  • Harlequin, lamellar and X-linked ichthyosis are the other inherited scaling disorders considered, alongside irritant contact dermatitis

SourceStatPearls "Hereditary and Acquired Ichthyosis Vulgaris" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

LIQUID PARAFFIN

1st line

Formtopical

Adult dose and duration

Apply a bland emollient (liquid paraffin-based cream or ointment) liberally and frequently, at least 2-3 times daily, to all skin - not only the visibly scaly areas - Long-term continuous maintenance - this is a lifelong condition, not a flare that resolves

Paediatric dose

Safe and appropriate from infancy; use a fragrance-free emollient and apply after bathing while the skin is still slightly damp to lock in moisture

Dose source

No labelled dose - emollient applied liberally and as often as needed, to effect

Why

Ichthyosis vulgaris is a lifelong inherited defect of skin desquamation, routinely dismissed and under-treated as ordinary dry skin. Regular, generous emollient is the foundation of care and needs to be more frequent and more sustained than for simple xerosis. This is the same emollient base used in the atopic-eczema-adult and infantile-seborrhoeic-dermatitis entries; it does not replace either - a patient can have ichthyosis vulgaris alongside eczema or cradle cap and needs both addressed.

Cautions
  • Continue emollient use even when the skin looks clear - this is a lifelong barrier defect, not a flare that resolves and stays resolved.
  • Apply emollient 15-30 minutes before or after the urea keratolytic below, not at the same time as it.
  • Warn about fire hazard when fabric contacts paraffin-based products.
  • Worsens in low humidity and cold, dry weather - increase application frequency in winter.
Egyptian brands
Egyptian brandManufacturerIndicative price
ADCOCARE CREAM 20 GM! also contains glyceryl monostearate, propylene glycol, ureaARAB DRUG COMPANY (ADCO)12.00 EGP
DERMOLAN CREAM 50 GM! also contains allantoin, glycerol, glycolic acid, panthenol, salicylic acid, urea, vitamin c, zinc oxideHI-CARE > EMICO PHARMA19.00 EGP
ADCOCARE CREAM 40 GM! also contains glyceryl monostearate, propylene glycol, ureaARAB DRUG COMPANY (ADCO)21.75 EGP
CARE MIX PLUS HAIR CREAM 50 GM! also contains cetostearyl alcohol, lanolin, panthenol, wheat protein, white soft paraffinVITA PHARM > CARE MIX29.50 EGP
PROPOLIS CREAM 15 ML! also contains cera alba, glycerin, propolisLUNA FOR PERFUMES AND COSMETICS > TECHNOMED GROUP30.00 EGP
PROPOLIS CREAM 30 ML! also contains cera alba, glycerin, propolisLUNA FOR PERFUMES AND COSMETICS > TECHNOMED GROUP55.00 EGP
HEALTHPOINT NAPPY CREAM 100 GM! also contains benzyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, lanolin, peg-100 s, water, zinc oxideHEALTHPOINT LTD. > PAXTON70.00 EGP
HERCUL WHITENING CREAM 60 GM! also contains alpha arbutin, diemthicone, glycerin, licorice ext, octyl methoxy, titanium dioxide, vit.cLEADER FOR COSMETICS > JUNIER PHARMA74.75 EGP
2

REFERRAL & SAFETY-NETTING (NO DRUG THERAPY)

1st line
Dose source

Hereditary and Acquired Ichthyosis Vulgaris - disease-level clinical article (ichthyosis-vulgaris-clinical.txt)

Why

Carries the referral criteria and warning signs for this condition, which apply whichever treatment is chosen.

Cautions
  • RED FLAG - Acquired ichthyosis (new onset, not lifelong since childhood) can be a paraneoplastic or systemic-disease marker - Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, SLE, HIV, or malabsorptive conditions (celiac/Crohn's) - and needs investigation of the underlying cause rather than emollient therapy alone.
3

UREA

add-on - not a substitute

Formtopical

Adult dose and duration

Apply a 10% urea-based cream once or twice daily to scaly areas, in addition to the plain emollient above - Long-term, adjusted to scaling severity; reassess after 4-6 weeks

Paediatric dose

Can sting on broken or fissured skin; introduce cautiously in young children and avoid on eczematous or excoriated areas. Not established in infants under 1 year - use plain emollient alone at that age

Dose source

Jaffar H, Shakir Z, Kumar G, Ali IF. Ichthyosis Vulgaris: An Updated Review. Skin Health and Disease 2022

Why

This review reports that a urea-based emulsion containing 10% urea reduced dryness, roughness, and pruritus more than a plain glycerol-based emollient in ichthyosis vulgaris, applied twice daily, and was cosmetically acceptable. This is a distinct mechanism from the seborrhoeic-dermatitis entry, which treats a yeast-driven, non-scaling condition with antifungal and steroid rather than a keratolytic - the two entries are not interchangeable and a patient can need either or, less commonly, both.

Cautions
  • Can cause transient stinging, particularly on cracked or fissured skin - start at lower frequency and build up as tolerated.
  • Avoid on broken, weeping, or actively inflamed skin.
  • This is not the same treatment as the seborrhoeic-dermatitis or atopic-eczema-adult entries - do not substitute one for the other; check those entries separately if scale, redness, or itch looks different from plain ichthyotic scaling.
  • Reassess if there is no improvement in scaling after 4-6 weeks of regular use.
Egyptian brands
Egyptian brandManufacturerIndicative price
URECARE 10% CREAM 30 GMEGPI23.00 EGP
UREPAR 10% FOOT CREAM 200 MLEGYPTIAN CO. FOR COSMETICS (E.C.C.) > HAYAH LAB.264.00 EGP
UREPAR 10% BODY CREAM 200 MLEGYPTIAN CO. FOR COSMETICS (E.C.C.) > HAYAH LAB.357.00 EGP
UREMEL 100ML CREAMMELANO PHARMA FOR COSMETICS > MELANO PHARMA240.00 EGP

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.