Ten-Year-Old Boy With Rare Condition Sheds His Skin Every Month

The condition has varying degrees of severity, but Jagannath's is so severe he sheds his skin every four to six weeks.

His skin can become so tight that he isn't able to walk properly, and he uses a stick to help stretch out his limbs to make moving about a little easier.

An unnamed dermatologist who works in the same district as Jagannath and his family, said: "This disease is not treatable, although some doctors say there is a cure."

However, treatment, including creams and medications, is available to help tackle some of the more painful symptoms but, sadly, Jagannath's family can't afford it.

Dad Prabhakar Pradhan, who works as a labourer in a paddy field, said: "My son has suffered this disease since childhood, and there is no cure for it.

"I do not have enough money to take him for a treatment and my heart breaks seeing him suffer with this cursed disease every day."

Dr Rakhesh, senior consultant dermatologist at Aster MIMS hospital in Kerala, India, said lamellar ichthyosis is one of the rarest congenital skin conditions.

The condition affects around one out of every 600,000 people, but not everyone will have symptoms as bad as little Jagannath.

As well as dry skin and shedding, the condition can also cause numerous other problems, including drying of the eyes as the eyelids become so tight it's difficult to blink; overheating as the scaling on the skin prevents normal sweating; and hair loss.

In some cases, children who have the condition can end up with tight bands of skin around their fingers and toes that can stop the blood circulation to the area.