The boy had skin flakes like fish scales

Rarely, an 18-month-old boy's skin thickens and flakes every day and has to look for eye drops regularly to blink.

Daniel Maples was diagnosed with a rare disease of lamellar ichthyosis from birth. The disease causes the baby's skin to thicken and crack, flaking each piece as big as fish scales every day.

Rare disease causes the skin of an 18-month-old boy to thicken and flake every day.(Photo: Metro)

Father Steve Maples, 29, and his mother Emma Holby, 23, said he had to apply a moisturizer to Daniel every 4-6 hours during the day and every three hours throughout the night. The boy must bathe 2-3 times a day with special soap and receive eye drops regularly so he can blink.

"My child is still a happy child. We will teach him to be confident about himself and there is no reason not to live a normal life , " the father said.

The boy's parents shared that they will raise their children to be confident about themselves and there is no reason not to live a normal life.(Photo: Metro)

Ichthyosis lamellar is a rare skin disease, with a rate of 1 / 600,000 people affected. The disease occurs when children inherit an abnormal gene from both parents, increasing the amount of skin cells.

The disease prevents perspiration, which can cause blood circulation to the affected fingers and toes. It can also cause eye problems, hair loss and difficulty in moving the joints. Currently there is no definitive treatment other than to apply moisturizer regularly to the skin.