Scleroderma, a Greek word meaning hard skin, is a disease in which affected tissue hardens or thickens in response to the overproduction and accumulation of collagen, connective tissue that supports the skin and internal organs. Systemic scleroderma: With this type of scleroderma, blood vessels and internal organs in addition to the skin are affected. 2  Subcategories are defined by the specific body parts affected. 3  With systemic scleroderma, skin changes may develop suddenly and worsen progressively over a year or two.