Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Cutaneous photosensitivity
Photosensitive skin
HP:0000992
What it means
An increased sensitivity of the skin to light. Photosensitivity may result in a rash upon exposure to the sun (which is known as photodermatosis). Photosensitivity can be diagnosed by phototests in which light is shone on small areas of skin.
Rare diseases that can present with this54
Very common80–99%
17- Ataxia-photosensitivity-short stature syndrome
- Autosomal erythropoietic protoporphyria
- Chronic actinic dermatitis
- Chronic granulomatous disease
- Cockayne syndrome type 1
- Erythrokeratodermia variabilis
- Hartnup disease
- Kindler epidermolysis bullosa
- Lupus erythematosus tumidus
- Oculocutaneous albinism type 1
- PCNA-related progressive neurodegenerative photosensitivity syndrome
- Piebald trait-neurologic defects syndrome
- Porphyria cutanea tarda
- Prolidase deficiency
- Xeroderma pigmentosum
- Xeroderma pigmentosum-Cockayne syndrome complex
- Xeroderma pigmentosum variant
Common30–79%
22- Autosomal dominant epidermolytic ichthyosis
- Bloom syndrome
- Chédiak-Higashi syndrome
- Cockayne syndrome
- Cockayne syndrome type 3
- COFS syndrome
- Cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma
- Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis
- Dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria
- Focal dermal hypoplasia
- Hydrocephalus-costovertebral dysplasia-Sprengel anomaly syndrome
- Hyperkeratosis-hyperpigmentation syndrome
- Jessner lymphocytic infiltration of the skin
- Juvenile dermatomyositis
- Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease
- LIG4 syndrome
- Localized dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, acral form
- Pellagra
- Porokeratosis of Mibelli
- Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
- Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus
- Variegate porphyria
The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Photosensitive skin rashes · Photosensitivity · Sensitivity to sunlight · Skin photosensitivity · Sun sensitivity
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.