Butterfly Rash

Symptoms of butterfly rashes can be mild in some people while severe in others. The butterfly rash can either be scaly in severe cases or just a patch of light red or pink colored skin in mild cases. Butterfly rashes can be located in several parts of the body, but the most common ones are the face, neck, scalp and legs. This is because they are the body parts that are mostly exposed to the sunlight. For severe cases, butterfly rashes may spread over to the other parts of the body. One factor that may worsen the symptoms of butterfly rash is stress. Normally, a person suffering from these rashes is under tremendous stress, thus worsening his or her condition.

Butterfly rashes occurring due Lupus disease have no permanent cure. Medically, the only applicable thing is to reduce the flare-ups. Normally, doctors recommend the usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in addition to antimalarial drugs to reduce the symptoms of such immune disorders as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. If the symptoms get worse, immune-suppressive drugs are generally prescribed. Applications of such ointments as cortisone cream generally assist to minimize the butterfly rash flare-ups. Rashes caused by Rosacea are reduced by the usage of oral antibiotics.

An efficient home remedy used to get rid of butterfly rashes is applying vitamin E oil or olive oil on the affected skin. How? Apply any of the aforementioned remedies on the affected area and leave it there for some twenty minutes, then wash it off with cold water. If the rashes have spread to the other parts of the body, taking an oatmeal bath helps in a quicker healing effect on the affected area.

Along with treatment, taking such precautions as avoiding direct sunlight when at its peak or applying appropriate sunscreen lotions when going out in the sun and the usage of a vegetarian diet that is low in fats actually prevent the butterfly rash symptoms from getting worse.

Butterfly rash normally occurs on the chest, legs, neck and face of people suffering from such skin conditions as Rosacea, Erysipelas and lupus. Apart from these diseases, there are several other conditions that can cause butterfly rashes. These are such as:

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, an autoimmune disease, produces a butterfly rash as one of its primary symptoms. The immune system of people suffering from systemic Lupus Erythematosus starts attacking the victim’s body cells and organs rendering them dysfunctional. Butterfly rashes occurring due to this disease can be seen on such body parts as the arms, legs, chest and face.

Erysipelas
This is a skin infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria. A person suffering from this condition develops rashes on the face, legs as well as other parts of the body. Its first symptoms include inflammation of the skin, fever, blisters, sores on the cheeks as well as the nose and skin legions.

Rosacea
If a butterfly rash develops on the face of a person, it could be due to a skin condition referred to as Rosacea. This skin condition can be caused by bacterial growth in the intestines. Additionally, it can also occur due to the skin being exposed to extreme cold or hot temperature conditions, sunlight, or stress. In this condition, a reddish rash appears on the forehead, the nose or the cheeks. Furthermore, the affected skin may develop bumps on it or get inflamed too.

Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
This is an immunology disease under which the victim’s immune system starts to attack the skin. It symptoms are such as butterfly rashes on the scalp, face, itching and redness on the affected skin area. Rashes formed in the skin have raised red scaling patterns. Generally, these rashes have a cone-like appearance. Additionally, they occur on those body parts that are generally exposed to sunlight. These parts are such as neck, scalp, face and arms.

The butterfly rash is a skin rash that mostly affects African and American people. It is mainly associated with the autoimmune disorder, Lupus. An autoimmune disease is condition where the body’s own defense system starts attacking body tissues that are healthy. In simple terms, “the body mistakes the healthy body tissues as invaders and starts attacking; causing several problems like pain and inflammation”. Lupus is an autoimmune disease stretched too long and was named after Lupus constellation (Lupus means wolf in Latin) as it damages the body brutally and fast. The parts that are affected include several internal organs, brain, skin, joints and kidneys. Anyone between the ages 10 and 50 can be affected by the disease.

Wonder why this rash is called as butterfly rash? Named after its appearance, this rash is thin at the nose and spreads, like the wings of a butterfly, on the cheeks. If not treated early, this can spread to the chest and hands.

The rash is very hard to touch and is red in color. It can also pulsate and bleed on face. Shoulder butterfly rashes also have the same problems like the face rash and can scab too. They do not cause pain and itchiness, but cause inflammation in several organs. People affected by the butterfly rash of lupus become sensitive to sunlight. Sun exposure can worsen the rash and make it spread like wildfire throughout the body, infecting the kidneys and the urinary system.

By looking at the extent of rashes on the cheeks, the mild or severe nature of the symptoms can be determined. Why the lupus butterfly rash causes fatigue in a person is still an unknown reason. The affected person experiences pain and inflammation in the joints. Since there is no cure for this, you can only control the disease by dealing with the symptoms.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, generally known as lupus, is an autoimmune connective tissue disease. They may affect any part of the body. Autoimmune means the immune system of the body attacks the healthy body cells and tissues causing inflammation and tissue damage.

Lupus is also known as “the great imitator” because it is often mistaken for other illness. The symptoms vary widely and are unpredictable and may vary from mild to severe. Fatigue, pain and swelling of joins, unexplainable fever and skin rashes are the most common symptoms. A characteristic skin rash known as Butterfly Rash may occur across the nose and cheeks. These rashes may extend to other parts of the body which may include ears, shoulders, chest and hands. Many people with this disease are sensitive to light hence rashes may appear in those regions where there skin is exposed to the sun. The one affected with this may also have lots of hair fall and they may observe swelling in their legs or around their eyes.

In most of the cases, lupus affects the lymphatic system, musculoskeletal system or the skin. If the lymphatic system is affected with lupus, then it causes severe pain and swelling of the lymph nodes throughout the body and if the musculoskeletal system is affected then it causes fatigue, swelling and stiffness of the joints.

Lupus often affects the functionality of the kidneys, thereby interfering in the process of excretion causing accumulation of toxics in the body. When lupus affects the central nervous system, the consequences caused are even worse. This may cause temporary memory loss, decreased vision, depression and unpredictable behavior. It greatly decreases the count of blood platelets thereby increasing the risk of bleeding.

This clearly shows how widely the symptoms vary, hence a constant diagnosis is required in order to reduce the effect of the disease.

There is a widespread notion that people in the 20th century are very advanced in all walks of life. After achieving lots of progress in all fields such as medicine, science, technology and astrology, human beings are still posed by lots of problems which they have to face and answer. In the area of medicine, there are lots of new challenges sprouting. Among those, the field of dermatology is challenged by new skin diseases that are on a rise because of the warming of global climate.
Lupus rash is a collection of skin related diseases which are auto immune diseases. These different rashes are similar with underlying problems. There are definite symptoms where we can identify on the onset of this disease. A skin rash that is usually pink or red in color is a symptom. It won’t result in scarring. It is a flat form of a rash, except sometimes it is in raised form. So people can be relieved as it is not physically visible in a pronounced manner.

This rash can become even more prominent if you sun bathe and use tanning salons. This rash is important to treat as it can lead to permanent hair loss and skin discoloration. Infants and kids also get affected by neonatal lupus which affects their skin and scaling occurs on their skin. Itching is a common complaint especially around the ear.

This type of rash can be treated with skin moisturizers and creams. Later, they take steroid injections to cure the disease. As lupus is an auto immune disease, the mental status of the person is also important as he must not take much stress. These may lead to additional complications such as mild fever, joint pains and muscle ache. For this type of rash, visiting a specialist and undergoing treatment is very much necessary to maintain a proper healthy disease free life.

Homeopathy is another field of medical sciences that treats patients by giving them medicines in small quantity, yet curing the disease effectively. Homeopathy has solved several complicated cases that could not be cured using latest technology. Generally, immune system prevents the entrance of foreign bodies into our body. But poor functioning of immune system will cause great damage to the body of that person. Lupus is a form of heath disorder that arises when the body organs are attacked by the immune system, which is indicated by a butterfly rash. The diagnosis for any disease would rely on the symptoms that the patient is facing.

The treatment for the sufferer is decided by noting the entire medical history of the person. The information includes his/her daily routine, their working style, changes in body that they are experiencing due to their varying health conditions, its time duration and all other necessary data needed for the treatment. The psychological levels of the person are also tested by the doctor to know what medicine would suit their body. Once the indications narrated by the person match with those of lupus, homeopathic medication will be given so that the individual gets satisfactory results. Few symptoms of lupus can be mismatched with other diseases.

Some of the general indications of lupus are low blood count, soreness in mouth, swollen glands, hair loss, fatigue, depression, sensitivity to sun and fever. However, one symptom that exclusively signifies lupus is the butterfly rash. This butterfly rash can be witnessed on cheeks and the region surrounding nose. The basic homeopathic remedies given for lupus patients are sulfur, arsenicum, calcium carbonate, jequirity, belladonna and kali mur. Several other combination medicines can be used depending on the severity of the disease. For the other symptoms such as joint pains, muscle contractions one can be suggested ledum pal. For fever accompanied by thirst, bryonia can be used.

Destruction in the immune system leads to lupus disease which in turn causes rashes on skin. This rash on skin, known as butterfly rash, is formed on cheeks and above nose extending up to scalp. Butterfly rash is a staple symptom of lupus disease. Butterfly rash may emerge on any part of the body starting from neck, face, ears, back, arms or any part of the body. Due to rash, a sense of irritation prevails all over that area. Thus whenever sunlight falls on those regions, body feels irritated and symptoms are worsened. However, until tests are conducted and biopsy of the rash is done, one cannot declare that the rash cause is due to lupus.

Several other skin problems can also arise due to lupus which might include calcinosis; this is caused by the deposition of calcium under skin. Lupus also affects other internal organs such as liver, heart, brain and kidney. Inflammation in blood vessels, scientifically termed as Cutaneous Vasculities, damages the skin cells. Due to severe damage, skin dies out, which further manifests into black spots on the affected area. Tiny purplish red bumps will be seen all over the body extending even the area on lower legs. The other form of butterfly rash is Vasculitis Lesion, which appears in the form of lines in the folds of fingernails or even on tips of finger.

Another problem of butterfly rash on skin and scalp is scarring and permanent hair loss. To get rid of the damage done to skin, steroid creams or gels are used in the affected area for rejuvenation of the skin. Treatments are also done to rebound a strong immune system in the body so that virus doesn’t enter the body. Vitamin A based capsules would give potential to the body that will give the individual stamina and energy.

It is a myth that sores and rashes that are present on the skin of a lupus patient are acne. Nonetheless, like acne, they can cause scarring and make the skin look severely damaged. One common type of lesion occurring in people suffering with lupus is butterfly rash. This rash appears on the nose and moves out onto the cheeks, creating a butterfly like shape, as its name suggests.

Butterfly rash results due to the antibodies produced by the immune system of the body. These antibodies mix up with the blood and attack the skin tissues, thereby causing red or pink rashes. This bad behavior of immune system to attack its own body is generally carried from one generation of the family to the next.
Few drugs are also known to stimulate immune system such that it carries out the mechanism of destroying one’s self tissues. In the case of drug induced butterfly rash, as the reason behind the disease is known, further damage can be prevented by simply discontinuing the medication or drug which is responsible for the cause.

Outbreaks of butterfly rashes should be prevented in order to reduce scarring. This can be done by consuming anti-malarial drugs prescribed for the purpose. Oral corticosteroid can also help in this regard. However, if outbreaks occur, applying corticosteroid creams on the place affected by rashes can make the problem look simpler by reducing the severity. In some cases where ointments and medicines do not work out as solution, doctors advise to take injections directly upon the damaged skin.

Moreover, if scars spread onto the scalp, it may lead to hair loss and the possibility of regrowth of hair is reduced. However, if the scarring is not to large extent, the rashes should be cured immediately so as to prevent the problem of permanent hair loss.

Hectic work timings and unhealthy food habits are few essential reasons for people of this era to have fall prey to numerous new health issues. Crowd is intensely involved in their day-to-day living that they don’t bother to notice the symptoms of bad health that might turn into life threatening diseases. Few health disorders have basic symptoms such as butterfly rashes, dryness and fatigue. All these above stated signs could also be due to the stress that person is going through as well as exposure to sun or pollution. However, one needs to make a note of how often these symptoms reoccur. If the conditions persist for more than a week, it would be appropriate to consult a doctor and take the necessary actions.

Lupus is one such disease whose symptoms are basic and don’t seem dangerous, but if neglected will harm various internal organs present in the body. Prior to your notice, the disease would have started affecting the body. So, in regards to lupus, it is important to see a doctor as soon as butterfly rash is visible on the skin. The butterfly rashes are found in two different colors, either red or purple. Red spots on limbs and sore lips also add to the symptoms of lupus.
The other symptoms of lupus are feeling tired though the person is not doing any work, continued by swelling in joints such as knees, wrist and ankle region. Which are later followed by muscular discomfort surrounding that region. Kidney problem is another serious issue related to this lupus. Of the three initial and most significant sign of lupus is the butterfly rash that is seen around the nose and cheek areas. Nonetheless, if these indications are over looked the worst suffer would be kidney. Once the kidney stops functioning the only solution left for that individual would be to undergo a surgery.

A lupus face rash, which is also called as a butterfly face rash is a very awkward medical condition, whose cause is yet not properly known. Although, there are a number of factors which might lead to a butterfly rash on your face, physicians are still not sure about what actually causes it. The condition of the person suffering from lupus might be very mild to very fatal. Most of the times, it appears as a rash between the patient’s nose, cheeks and neck.

It is necessary not to ignore a butterfly rash, as it could be very dangerous, especially if your work involves lots of travelling from one place to another, since the rash spreads and causes infection due to sunlight. You should diagnose these rashes, with the help of a professional, as they are very difficult to diagnose. Generally, physicians and dermatologists perform a series of tests including blood tests and physical examination to confirm if it is lupus.
Usually, steroidal creams are prescribed if the patient’s lupus face rash is starting to spread across the body. These creams, not intended for long term usage, help with itching. There are a few precautions that you can take yourself in order to minimize the spreading of the lupus face rash.

Try to avoid the sun as much as possible. Make sure you wear a hat whenever you go out in the sun. It is advisable to use a lip balm with SPF. Protect your skin by generously applying sunscreen lotion that has at least SPF 30. Include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet. Say no to processed foods, smoking, alcohol and salty foods. Some green veggies detoxify your body naturally and boost your immune system. As the rash is aggravated by stress, try to get at least 8 hours sleep every night. And don’t forget to take any vitamin and mineral supplements that your doctor suggests. Lastly, drink plenty of water to flush out toxins out of your body and keep your body cool.