What are the symptoms of cutaneous lupus?
The symptoms of cutaneous lupus may include a variety of different looking skin rashes, photosensitivity (where exposure to ultra-violet light triggers a rash), and sometimes ulcers on the inside of the nose or mouth. See: Skin Disease and Lupus What do the rashes look like? There are a variety of ways that cutaneous lupus rashes can appear. The distinctive rash is called the “butterfly rash,” which is a rash that extends across the cheeks of the face and the bridge of the nose. It can be flat or raised; it can be bright red or it can be just a mild blushing, light pink coloration to the skin. It appears on the face in a pattern that looks like a butterfly; the wings are beneath both eyes and the body of the butterfly covers the bridge of the nose. Here is one example of what a butterfly rash may look like. (Photo source: Dept. of Dermatology, University of Iowa) Another classic rash found in cutaneous lupus is the discoid rash. This rash is coin-shaped or oval in shape, like a disk an
