Almost everyone who has lupus experiences skin involvement of some kind during their health condition. Skin conditions make up four of the eleven criteria which the American College of Rheumatology uses to classify systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For an uninitiated, systemic lupus erythematosus is nothing but the medical term of the disease generally known as lupus.
Three main skin disease forms affect only those people who have lupus. Besides these, there are also many general skin manifestations related to this disease including Hives. This post is about the main types of lupus specific skin disease, though, and you can find an overview of these hereunder.
Chronic Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus or Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
CCLE tends to be discovered when somebody shows lupus signs in their skin. Those who have systemic lupus erythematosus can have discoid lesions too, plus it will start to affect 5% of everyone with DLE in the future. A biopsy is performed to identify the nature of this condition, plus there is a typical pattern in discoid lesions that clinicians know. That pattern is that the lesions are scaly and thick, plug one’s follicles, tends to show on skin surfaces exposed to the sun, usually scar, and tend not to itch.
Those who have discoid lupus have to attempt to keep away from sun exposure whenever they can and use certain sunscreen products. Besides, medical professionals might just prescribe medicines to help curb and prevent swelling.
Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
Around 10% of systemic lupus erythematosus patients experience this skin condition. The lesions typical of SCLE tend not to scar, not to look scaly and thick and not to itch. Around half of every person who has this condition will meet the set of criterions for SLE. SCLE lesions tend to resist treatment procedures with antimalarial medications and steroid creams, so treating it can be difficult. Those who have it should not forget to use protective clothing and sunscreen products when they head out to keep away from sun exposure.
Acute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
Almost every person with this condition has active lupus with skin swelling, plus half of them have ACLE lesions at some stage in their disease. The lesions typical of this condition often appear in the exposed areas, and sun exposure can bring about these. So, using protective clothing and sunscreen when outdoors is a must for those who have ACLE.
