Callosity of ankles among people with the habit of sitting with crossed legs: a cosmetic problem

Abstract

Many people living in developing countries still prefer to sit on the carpet or uncarpeted floor, and many times they sit in a cross legged position. Continuous rubbing and friction of the ankles over the carpet or the plain hard surface may cause callosity of the ankles. This can cause a cosmetic problem. We describe a case series of ankle hyperkeratosis referred to our outpatient clinic in Ahwaz in the south west of Iran from 2005-2010. These patients had localized hyperkeratosis on two ankles or the front of ankles. This article aims to help the clinician become more familiar with the morphological characteristic of this problem which may occur in people of Eastern origin.

Keywords

• ankles, hyperkeratosis, callosity, crossed legs, habit.