National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Punctate porokeratosis


Other Names:
PPPP; Porokeratosis punctata palmaris et plantaris
Punctate porokeratosis is a skin condition that appears in adulthood as many, tiny, ridgelike bumps on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.  These bumps may slowly spread over the skin and usually do not cause symptoms, though they sometimes cause itching or discomfort while walking.  Individuals with this condition often develop other types of porokeratosis as well.  The cause of punctate porokeratosis is unknown, though genetic factors, a weakened immune system (immunodeficiency), or previous injury to the skin (for example, a burn) have been suggested as possible risk factors.   Treatment depends on the size, location, and aggressiveness of porokeratosis in each affected individual; it may include observation only, medication, or surgery.[1]
Last updated: 8/24/2012

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Porokeratosis 0200044
Spinous keratoses of palms and soles 0007613
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Last updated: 7/1/2020
Treatment depends on the size, location, and aggressiveness of punctate porokeratosis.  Affected individuals are recommended to visit their personal physician regularly to watch for signs of skin cancer, limit sun exposure to the affected area, and use moisturizers as needed.[2]  5-fluorouracil cream has been found to be an effective treatment.  A group of medications called retinoids (including acitretin and isotretinoin), as a pill or cream, may be another treatment option.[2]  If a skin cancer develops from porokeratosis, surgery is recommended.[1]
Last updated: 8/24/2012

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Punctate porokeratosis. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

  • My biopsy report showed that I have porokeratosis punctata on my foot.  I have been unable to find much information on this diagnosis.  Can this lead to a pre-cancerous condition? See answer


  1. Spencer LV . Porokeratosis. Medscape Reference. May 30, 2012; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1059123-overview#a0101. Accessed 8/21/2012.
  2. Sertznig P, von Felbert V, Megahed M. Porokeratosis: present concepts. Journal of the Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2012; 26:404-412. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21929548. Accessed 8/16/2012.