Hyperelastic skin

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Ehlers-Danlos, hyperelasticity of the skin

Overview

Treatment

Hyperelastic skin

Definition:

Hyperelastic skin can be readily stretched beyond the limits of normal skin and will return to its normal state.

Alternative Names:

India rubber skin

Considerations:

Hyperelastic skin is most often seen in the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. People with this disorder are sometimes referred to as rubber men (or women) because of the increased elasticity of their skin and hyperextensible joints (the joints can be bent more than is normally possible).

Hyperelasticity occurs as a result of the production of abnormal collagen fibers. Collagen is a fibrous, insoluble protein that makes up much of the body's connective tissue.

Common Causes:

A common cause of hyperelastic skin is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Other diseases that may cause easily stretchable skin include Marfan syndrome, pseudoxanthoma elasticum, osteogenesis imperfecta, cutis laxa, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and sun-related changes of older skin.

Review Date: 10/29/2004
Reviewed By: Jonathan Kantor, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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