Hypersensitivity to sunlight causes eczema

With temperatures starting to climb and Mr Sunshine slowly rearing his head, many of you will soon be looking to don those vest tops and make a start on your summer tan.

However, an article in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International – the German Medical Association’s official science journal – reveals that rather than gaining a healthy glow, one in ten of us reacts to sunlight by developing eczema.

Part of a group of disorders known as photodermatitis, this unusual reaction is caused by hypersensitivity to UV-A rather than UV-B light (the kind that causes sunburn).

For more information on photodermatoses and ways to treat them, read Percy Lehmann and Thomas Schwarz’s full article.