Unusual Leather Damage, Thoughts?

[rick3000]

Hi Everyone,

I have some unusual leather damage that has materialized on my driver's door panel. I got into the car, and noticed it had appeared in the few days since I last drove it. The section is right at the top of the door panel, and is sunken compared to the rest of the leather.

Has anyone ever seen damage like this? Any idea what could cause it? I was thinking it could possible be water related, or a leather defect that took 17 years to appear? Any thoughts on a repair? Is this something an upholstery shop could fix?

I have never had water issues, my 986 is garaged, and I use leather conditioner every 2-3 months. The leather is super-glossy in the photos because I have been putting a ton of leather conditioner on it, which helped a bit.

Thanks,
-Rick