Abnormal fetal skin morphology Caseous vernix-like desquamation 2022-02-01T17:07:42Z Greasy, thick vernix caseosa-like scale Vernix caseosa is a physiological, viscous biofilm that is produced by desquamated fetal skin and sebaceous glands covering the fetus at the third trimester in-utero. The substance's gross morphology in post-partum is described by the etymology, as vernix means varnish, and caseosa means cheesy-like matter. This finding refers to an abnormally thick and greasy vernix caseosa-like scale present at birth.