Sun exposure left a woman in “insufferable pain” — until a clinical trial changed everything

October 3, 2026 / 8:00 AM EDT / CBS News

Emily Pearson was 8 years old when the attacks started. Just minutes in the sun would leave her hands and feet hurting. Her extremities "felt like they were in a hot oven" while being poked "with pins and needles." A short while outdoors could leave her in pain for days. Worst of all, no one knew why.

Over the next decade, Pearson's parents tried to identify the cause of her reactions. Sunblock didn't help. She started wearing protective clothing and staying indoors as much as possible. Vacations at her family's Minnesota cabin became an endurance test. If she slipped up and found herself in the sun for too long, her hands, feet and face paid the price.

"It was just insufferable pain. I would never wish that pain upon anyone, because it's so horrible," said Pearson, who lives in Minneapolis.

When she was 17, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, made the diagnosis of erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare skin disorder that means a person is essentially allergic to the sun. Having an answer was a relief, Pearson said — but it also meant she had to grapple…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/