Keratolytic winter erythema or 'Oudtshoorn skin'. A newly recognized inherited dermatosis prevalent in South Africa

A hitherto undescribed inherited dermatosis, traceable to certain 19th-century inhabitants of Oudtshoorn, CP, has been transmitted as an autosomal dominant to a large number of their present-day descendants. The disease consists of intermittent and recurrent centrifugal peeling, with redness, of the palms and soles in particular. In more severe cases similar patches are found extending up the limbs to the buttocks and the trunk generally. The inconvenience is usually moderate, but it may be incapacitating. Some temporary relief, but so far nothing permanent, can be offered through treatment.