The author lists skin symptoms of systemic scleroderma, an overview of the classification criteria for systemic scleroderma and for very early stage systemic scleroderma and the recommended procedure for cases of suspected presence of this disease. At the same time, clinical symptomatology of generalised morphea, eosinophilic fasciitis, scleroderma, scleromyxedema and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, all of which are characterised by development of large areas of hardened skin and thus they are the main examples of the diseases which are the possible alternatives in differential diagnostics of systemic scleroderma.