Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 4, 2026

Skin fissure

A skin fissure is a cutaneous condition in which there is a linear cleavage of skin, sometimes defined as extending into the dermis. It is smaller than a skin laceration.

Last revised
Jun 4, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Eczematous fissures on skin of inner surface of finger source ↗
Schematic image comparing a skin fissure to an erosion and an ulcer. source ↗
The surface of the knuckles of a hand with xeroderma, showing skin cracking (generalized skin fissuring) source ↗

A skin fissure is a cutaneous condition in which there is a linear cleavage of skin, sometimes defined as extending into the dermis.1 It is smaller than a skin laceration.

Generalized

A skin area on which there are many skin fissures is called cracked skin, and is most commonly a result of skin dryness. Ichthyosis is a genetic disorder where there is often severe skin cracking.

References

References

  1. Gary Williams; Murray Katcher. "Primary Care Dermatology Module > Nomenclature of Skin Lesions > 18. FISSURE". Department of Pediatrics. The University of Wisconsin. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20.
Further reading

Further reading