Lupus disease is a terrible disease that attacks the body's own immune system and will show different symptoms characteristic the particular disease. Lupus rash is a symptom of systemic lupus as well as discoid lupus. The rash is typically the first of several symptoms to appear. Because lupus is a chronic disease, the lupus rash can show up at an time and on a regular basis. There will be other symptoms that will come and go, but the rash is very difficult be rid of.
The most common places you will find the lupus rash are on the areas that are exposed to the sun. These are the face, neck, scalp, and shoulders. The rash can also show up in different areas such as the back, the chest, palms and feet, and to make matters worse, lupus rash can be accompanied with skin lesions. When it is on the face, there is a reddish, burn-like look. It can spread to where it affects the mouth and nose and causing sores to occur. If the disease is the systemic form, it will typically not cause scarring and it can be improved with some medical treatment.
Lupus rash tends to aggravate if the affected skin is exposed to the sun for long periods of time. If it is discoid lupus rash, then it can affect larger patches and different areas of the body. This type of lupus rash causes some hyper-pigmentation to form in the skin, the the skin will become flaky and crusty. This will also cause deep skin lesions that will go deeper into the skin and will sadly cause scarring. When it happens on the scalp, it may cause hair loss either temporarily or permanently. If there is intense scaling, the skin may have some very pronounced scars remaining.
If the skin is exposed to the sun, this can cause a subacute cutaneous lupus rash to occur. The rash will grow in it's size, and form in a circular area with scaly patches. This won't result in scarring, but it usually will heal when guarded from the sun. this form of lupus rash can result in systemic and discoid lupus, and this will fade as it goes into remission. There is no cure, however, it can be controlled with medical treatment. If you have been diagnosed with lupus rash, it is very important that you protect your skin from the sun, also try to avoid harsh soaps or irritants that can aggravate the rash.
