Response to “The Concept of Fragile Skin: a Case of Disease Mongering in Dermatology?”

Abstract

We thank Dr Elsner for his interest in our supplement "Fragility of epidermis in newborns, children and adolescents" recently published in this journal, but note his concern about the value of the term "fragile skin" as a scientifically useful disease definition, given the wide spectrum of conditions covered by the term [1]. Contrary to what is suggested in the letter by Dr Elsner, fragile skin is not a "disease" and should not be confounded with skin fragility existing in the repertoire of dermatological diseases requiring medical treatment using pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. disorder "skin fragility", leading to mechanical skin tears [2]), but is a perceived skin condition which can be managed by dermo-cosmetic treatments [3]. The skin as our outer defence wall protects the body against a range of microbial, chemical and physical insults and grants a homeostatic balance for the internal environment, including the protection against excessive water loss [2].

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