Introduction: 

Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma is a rare acquired condition involving young females, characterized by painful symmetric swelling and hypopigmentation of the palms and lateral fingers, which develops after brief exposure to water.

Clinical case: 

Female patient aged 28 presented with edema on both hands after immersion in water, associated with apperance of white papules and burning sensation.

The lesions resolved spontaneously approximately 30-60 minutes after removal of her hands from water. A biopsy specimen performed after exposure to water revealed hyperplasia of the eccrine sweat glands with focal stratification. Treatment with hexahydrated aluminium chloride led to an improvement in her condition.

Discussion: 

Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma must be differentiated from hereditary papulotranslucent acrokeratoderma that exhibits an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and manifests as asymptomatic yellowish-white papules and plaques that appear on the palms and soles and, once they appear, are persistent without any exposure to water.

Conclusion: 

Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma differs from hereditary papulotranslucent acrokeratoderma by transmission mode, clinical, histological and evolutive characteristics.