Malar Rash?
This is my first time here. I’ve been struggling to find reasons for the way I have felt for a long time. I have family history of RA and have been screening for 15 years. I recently had a positive ANA and it kinda freaked me out. I’ve been getting low positive rheumatoid factor, high white blood cells, and high sed rate off and on for a quite a while. Here’s a photo, feedback is appreciated. (History of asthma, allergies, excema so I had brushed this rash off.)
Hey there, welcome to the community! I'm sorry to hear that you are in the midst of the diagnosis process right now. It can be especially unsettling and scary time when there are so many unknowns. While we are not medical professionals and cannot diagnose your rash from the picture alone, it certainly looks like it could be related to the malar rash: https://lupus.net/symptoms/rash. There are many rashes associated and experienced by people living with lupus (although not everyone experiences each rash type!): https://lupus.net/symptoms/rash This article has some tips from our community members on things they wish they knew when they were initially diagnosed: https://lupus.net/living/newly-diagnosed-tips I hope you are able to get some concrete answers soon so you can start a treatment plan to help ease your symptoms. Sending gentle hugs to you!
Gabby (team member)Hello CommunityMember5785d0,
A positive ANA can certainly be concerning.
I just thought I'd add that approximately 5-10 percent of healthy people test positive for ANA. In addition, approximately 20 percent of healthy women will have a weak positive ANA test.
This article may provide some helpful information when looking at blood tests for lupus: https://lupus.net/blood-tests
We wish you all the best as you search for much-needed answers and relief.
Please keep us updated. ~Doreen (Team Member)Thank you, Doreen 😊.
Honestly, it looks like it could be a butterfly rash, to me. The fact that ur eyelids are also affected, seems more like a butterfly rash.
Mine affects my cheeks, eyelids, lips, and sometimes ears and forearms, if it's a real bad one. Ive had one daily for the last 2 1/2 months. The butterfly rash I get is like a sunburn. It is not a raised rash, but it DOES burn and it always swells .
I use an ice pack on mine if it starts burning too much. I don't think everyone's malar rash burns, but mine does and can get quite uncomfortable. My dermatologist told me NOT to put steroid cream on it because it would thin the skin on my face.
One thing I've noticed since it's become more consistent, is that it also happens when my body temp increases, not just when I'm exposed to sun. It's harder to find info about the increase in body temp causing the malar rash, but I know mine does. Mine calms down when I get my body temp back to normal and/or get outta the sun.
I hope this helps. God bless you.
Stay hopeful and positive., thank you so much for the detailed response. I’ve been second guessing myself, intensely. When something has been around for so long it’s hard to remember what was normal before and to know if something’s wrong. My flushed cheeks have become normal to me. They do get very hot sometimes and, like yours, it happens randomly or when I’m warm. I haven’t scheduled an appointment yet as the rheumatologist office needed time to review recent labs.
