Kidskin

Kidskin or kid leather is a type of soft, thin leather that is traditionally used for gloves (hence the phrase 'kid gloves,' used since at least 1888 as a metaphor for careful handling). It is widely used for other fashion purposes such as footwear and clothing. Kidskin is traditionally made from goatskin - more specifically, the skin of young goats (or 'kids'), although equivalent leathers such as lambskin and chickenskin (actually a form of calfskin) give the same effect.

Usage

Kid leather is, and has been used for a number of purposes other than gloves and footwear. Early flexible hair rollers were sometimes made from kidskin, giving a very tight curl.

Papermaking

While vellum is often made using calfskin, kidskin can also be used and in some cases, was preferred. David Laurent de Lara, describing himself as illuminating artist to Queen Victoria, favoured Italian kid vellum for his work.

A form of early medieval parchment, called carta lustra, acting as tracing paper was made using kidskin.

Harlequin-type ichthyosis

Harlequin-type ichthyosis (also known as harlequin baby,harlequin ichthyosis,hyosis fetalis, keratosis diffusa fetalis, harlequin fetus, and ichthyosis congenita gravior), is a severe genetic skin disease, which causes thickening of the stratum corneum of the epidermis. At birth, the child’s whole body is encased in an 'armour' of thick white plates of skin, separated with deep cracks. In addition, the eyes, ears, penis, and the appendages may be abnormally contracted. Because of resultant cracked skin in locations where normal skin would fold, it is easily pregnable by bacteria and other contaminants, which can result in serious risk of fatal infection. Constant care is required to moisturise and protect the skin.

The harlequin-type designation comes from the diamond shape of the scales at birth (resembling the costume of Arlecchino), caused by severe hyperkeratosis. The disease can be diagnosed in the uterus by way of fetal skin biopsy or by morphologic analysis of amniotic fluid cells obtained by amniocentesis. Doctors can now usually recognize common features of the disease through ultrasound, and follow up with 3D ultrasound to diagnose the condition.