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Editor’s Note: First published May 2022 | Fully refreshed July 2025 with updated insurer outlooks and internal links.
Most skin conditions won’t stop you getting mortgage protection or life insurance.
But some treatments, medications, or unusual cases can affect the price — and with income protection, insurers are even stricter.
This page runs through the most common skin disorders we’re asked about, and how insurers in Ireland tend to handle them.
If you have psoriasis (not to be confused with psoriatic arthritis), you shouldn’t have an issue getting mortgage protection or life insurance.
Psoriasis causes patchy skin plaques. Psoriatic arthritis affects the joints — a completely different condition with different underwriting.
Where things get tricky is treatment. Some medications, like Humira, can attract a loading (an increase in premium) with certain insurers. Others may be more lenient.
👉 Learn more about autoimmune conditions and life insurance
Benign moles (nevi) are harmless skin growths. You’d think they wouldn’t matter for life cover, but insurers don’t always see it that way.
Incredibly, some insurers will increase your premium depending on how many moles you have.
If you have more than 40, you may pay more with certain insurers.
Yep, we’re serious — so start counting!
Autoimmune diseases like lupus, vasculitis, sarcoidosis, and Raynaud’s can affect the skin. These are treated more seriously by insurers and usually need a detailed medical history.
👉 See our full guide to autoimmune diseases and life insurance
This is the one most people worry about. If you’ve had skin cancer, it depends on:
👉 Read our full guide: Can you get life insurance after cancer?
For income protection, insurers are often more cautious. Even if your skin condition doesn’t affect life cover, it might be excluded as a reason to claim.
That means if your condition flares up and stops you working, you wouldn’t be able to claim income protection on that basis. But you’d still be covered for unrelated illnesses and injuries.
Most skin conditions won’t cause major issues for life insurance or mortgage protection. But income protection is different, and some insurers are stricter than others.
Complete this short questionnaire and I’ll check with Aviva, Irish Life, New Ireland, Royal London, and Zurich on a no-name basis to find out which insurer will give you the best cover — at the lowest price — with the least hassle.
Thanks for reading.
Nick
As Ireland's leading life insurance broker, we specialise in comparing the rates and policies from the top five Irish life insurance providers and offering the very best value quotes to suit the individual needs of our clients. Our expertise lies in finding a suitable insurance plan for those with specific needs, be it a particular illness, occupation or claim history, we've got you covered in every sense!
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