Xeroderma Pigmentosum

A rare condition passed down through families in which the skin and the tissue covering the eye is extremely sensitive to the ultraviolet part of sunlight. The condition also causes spidery blood vessels in the skin and skin cancer. Symptoms include sunburn that does not heal and blistering after short exposure to the sun, spider-like blood vessels under the skin, patches of discolored skin, crusting and scaling of the skin, oozing raw skin surface, and discomfort when being in bright light (photophobia). Children with this condition require total protection from sunlight and other sources of UV light.