Lupus is a condition that involves your immune system attacking different organs in the body including the skin. When this condition affects your skin, it is termed cutaneous lupus. About 10% of people with people have cutaneous lupus, and this condition is more likely to develop in people with systemic lupus.
Lupus can create major impacts on your skin including skin sensitivity. Apart from common lupus symptoms like fatigue, pain and stiffness in the joints, fever, etc., people with cutaneous lupus are found to develop a wide range of symptoms on their skin including the formation of rashes, lesions, etc. The symptoms of this condition can get worse when exposed to sunlight. Therefore, people with cutaneous lupus can have extreme sun sensitivity.
Below, we list some of the important things you want to know about different forms of cutaneous lupus and their impacts on your body.
Cutaneous Lupus
Cutaneous lupus is a form of lupus that affects the skin. It develops when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells. There are different types of cutaneous lupus and their symptoms are almost similar. However, there are slight differences between the signs associated with this condition. The following are different types of cutaneous lupus you have to know:
Discoid Cutaneous Lupus
This type of lupus causes round or disk-shaped skin lesions that are thick, scaly, and red. Additionally, you can also experience problems like pain, burning, and itching. The symptoms of this condition are usually found to develop on the scalp, ears, and face, but other body parts can be affected too. It can also cause discoloration of the skin and scarring. If it develops on the scalp, this can lead to discoloration of the skin.
Subacute Cutaneous Lupus
You can find red borders around the skin lesions if you have this kind of lupus. These skin lesions can be scaly and red. They can result from adverse reactions to some medications. This condition is usually found to affect body parts like the chest, neck, arms, shoulders, and upper back.
Acute Cutaneous Lupus
This condition can often cause a red rash that spreads across your cheeks and the bridge of the nose. This condition might affect other body parts too.
If you are suffering from cutaneous lupus, your doctor can prescribe different medications and lifestyle changes to control its symptoms.
