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10-second summary: Most skin conditions won’t affect your ability to get life insurance in Ireland. The exceptions depend on treatment, severity, and timing. The key is applying to the right insurer first.
Editor’s Note: First published May 2022 | Fully refreshed April 2026 with updated insurer outlooks and internal links.
Most skin conditions won’t stop you getting mortgage protection or life insurance.
That said, treatment, medication, and how recent things are can affect the outcome, and with income protection, insurers are usually stricter.
Where people get caught out is assuming all insurers treat skin conditions the same way.
In reality, they don’t.
One insurer might ignore something completely. Another might apply a loading. Another might delay the application.
If you apply to the wrong insurer first and get postponed or declined, that decision can follow you and narrow your options.
That’s why the order you apply in matters.
This page runs through the most common skin conditions we see and how insurers tend to approach them.
If you have psoriasis (not to be confused with psoriatic arthritis), getting life insurance or mortgage protection is usually straightforward.
Where things can change is treatment.
Medications like biologics can trigger a loading with some insurers, while others are more relaxed.
If your condition is mild and stable, most insurers won’t have an issue.
Benign moles are harmless, but insurers don’t always treat them that way.
Some will increase your premium depending on how many you have.
If you have more than 40, certain insurers may apply a loading.
It sounds odd, but it’s a good example of how differently insurers assess risk.
Conditions like acne, eczema, rosacea and dermatitis are usually straightforward for life insurance and mortgage protection.
For income protection, insurers may exclude them depending on severity.
Skin tags are fine once removed, and anal fissures are usually fine once resolved.
For conditions like urticaria or angioedema, a once-off episode isn’t an issue, but ongoing symptoms will need more detail.
Conditions like lupus, vasculitis, sarcoidosis and Raynaud’s are treated more seriously because they can affect multiple systems.
Insurers will look closely at stability and outcomes, and results can vary significantly between providers.
This is the area most people worry about.
Whether you can get cover depends on the type of melanoma, how long ago it was treated, and whether everything is fully resolved.
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Income protection is where insurers tend to be more cautious.
Even if a condition doesn’t affect life cover, it may 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 for that issue, but you’d still be covered for unrelated illnesses and injuries.
Most skin conditions won’t cause major issues, but the detail matters, and insurer choice matters even more.
Getting accepted isn’t the same as getting the best terms, and applying blindly can limit your options.
Complete the questionnaire and I’ll check all insurers on a no-name basis and guide you to the best outcome.
Or email me at [email protected].
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, a multi-agency Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people secure fair, transparent cover for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you’d like straight answers without the sales pitch, learn more about Nick here.
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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