The skin on the bottom of the feet is hard and dead-like, a condition that has several clinical possibilities. The most common is the presence of localized abnormal keratinization or, abnormal hyperplasia, such as keratotic eczema which can cause localized hyperplasia of the keratin layer along with itching symptoms. Similar symptoms can occur with keratotic tinea pedis, when aggressive antifungal treatment is required. It is also possible that mechanical friction in the area, especially in manual laborers, repeated squeezing, excessive friction, or stress can also cause abnormal hyperplasia of the local keratin layer, resulting in a very hard and dead skin-like layer. It can also be seen clinically in hereditary symmetrical erythema keratosis, which usually persists for life.