A very rare form of focal palmoplantar keratoderma with characteristics of painful circumscribed hyperkeratotic lesions on weight-bearing areas of soles, moderate focal hyperkeratosis of palmar pressure-related areas and an asymptomatic leukokeratosis confined to labial and lingual attached gingiva. Additional occasional features may include hyperhidrosis, follicular keratosis and extended oral mucosa involvement.

Dermatosparaxis (meaning 'tearing of skin') is an autosomal recessive disorder of connective tissue resulting from deficiency of procollagen peptidase, an enzyme that aids in the processing of type I procollagen. The disorder and the responsible biochemical defect was first observed in cattle (Lapiere et al., 1971). Lapiere and Nusgens (1993) reviewed the discovery of dermatosparaxis in cattle, the elucidation of the disorder, its occurrence in other animals, and the delayed recognition of the disorder in the human.