Dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria is a rare autosomal dominant cutaneous disorder characterized by a mixture of hyperpigmented and hypopigmented macules of various sizes on the face and the dorsal aspects of the extremities. The genetic basis for this disease is unknown. We performed a genome-wide search in two large Chinese families to map the chromosome location of the responsible gene. We identified a locus at chromosome 1q11-1q21 with a cumulative maximum two-point LOD score of 8.85 at marker D1S2343 (at recombination fraction=0.00). Haplotype analyses indicated that the disease gene is located within the 11.6 cM region between markers D1S2696 and D1S2635. This is the first locus identified for dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria. This study provides a map location for isolation of a disease gene causing dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria.