Saxon faces challenge of skin like fish scales

SAXON Myers' skin may resemble fish scales, but if his name is anything to go by it will not hold him back.


Saxon means "swordsman", after the Saxons, a German tribe which centuries ago conquered southern England
The 11-month-old Gippsland boy was born in a shiny membrane, similar to plastic wrap, which he shed bit by bit over his first few weeks of life.
Monash Children's Hospital dermatologist Dr Paul Curnow said the skin disorder, collodion baby syndrome, was so rare it affected just one in 300,000 births, or one Victorian baby every three years.
His mother Gab Coles, of Glen Alvie, said Saxon was also born with a severely narrowed heart valve, which he had surgically repaired at the Royal Children's Hospital at just six weeks old.

After losing the extra membrane, Saxon began producing too much skin, and not shedding his skin cells as quickly as normal, Dr Curnow said.
Doctors now say Saxon has ichthyosis, which makes his skin look like "thick fish scales", Dr Curnow said.
It also affects his eyes, which tend to dry out, and his skin is prone to painful cracking and infection due to tightness.
"As his skin is thicker it doesn't sweat so well, so he could have issues with overheating, particularly if he plays sport," Dr Curnow said.
The condition is expected to be for life, but for now his parents treat his skin with a specially formulated moisturiser four times a day.
Doctors believed Saxon's condition was caused by a genetic mutation during pregnancy, Ms Coles said.
"He's really happy, he's cheeky, he's a little devil and he loves to play, just like any other kid his age," Ms Coles said.
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