Periumbilical perforating pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Periumbilical pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) with transepidermal elimination of altered elastica presented a distinctive clinical pattern in six middle-aged, multiparous women. Other sites usually affected in PXE were spared. The possible genetic predisposition to PXE of these patients found its expression in the periumbilical skin, a site exposed to the trauma of multiple pregnancies. The extruded elastica had tinctorial properties that were characteristic of PXE. The clinical picture in our cases differs from clasic PXE. A peculiar acquired cutaneous PXE is not excluded.