Cutaneous Lupus Quiz
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There is a lump
My skin is dry
Indentations on the skin
Redness of the skin
Lumps under skin
Red spots on skin
Holes on my skin
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Cutaneous Lupus?
Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune condition where your body's immune system mistakenly attack its own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and damage in affected organs. It can affect the skin, joints, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels. The exact cause is unknown but may involve environmental, genetic, and hormonal factors.
Typical Symptoms of Cutaneous Lupus
- Skin lumps
- Skin depressions, holes or pockmarks
- Dry and flaky skin
- Red or yellow skin lumps
- Scalp rash
- Dark spots on skin
- Hard or stiff skin
- Swelling in the affected area
Diagnostic Questions for Cutaneous Lupus
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Have you noticed any lumps on your skin?
- Do you have sunken or depressed skin areas?
- Do you have dry and flaky skin?
- Do you have yellow or red lumps/bumps on your skin?
- Do you have a rash on your scalp?
Treatment of Cutaneous Lupus
Treatment is not curative but geared toward both symptom relief and slowing disease progression. Medication to suppress immune cells is the main treatment for lupus erythematosus. Although not a definitive treatment, these medications reduce symptoms and slow disease progression.
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Kaito Nakamura, MD (Rheumatology)
Dr. Nakamura is a rheumatologist who has practiced in the Ota Nishinouchi Hospital attached to Ota General Hospital, National Health Insurance Matsudo City Hospital, Chiba University Hospital, and the National Health Insurance Asahi Central Hospital.
Content updated on Feb 19, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Cutaneous Lupus?
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With a free 3-min Cutaneous Lupus quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
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- Lump on the back
- Many skin nodules
- Yellowish skin lumps
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- Skin lumps with black dots in the center
See full list
User Testimonials for Cutaneous Lupus
Female, 30s
I have already seen a rheumatologist within the past year because of a positive ANA result. Not my favorite doctor, to put it politely. My PCP wants to refer me for a second opinion to another rheumatologist because she believes I might have lupus. I was surprised to see that the first result Ubie gave based on my symptoms was SLE (lupus). I downloaded the report to show her because it might be helpful in the future.
(Jul 30, 2025)
Symptoms Related to Cutaneous Lupus
Diseases Related to Cutaneous Lupus
FAQs
Q.
Lupus Rash? Why Your Skin is Flaring & Medically Approved Next Steps
A.
A lupus rash is an autoimmune skin flare that often worsens with sun and can show up as a butterfly pattern on the cheeks and nose, thick discoid scaly patches, or ring-shaped lesions; it is not usually dangerous by itself but can scar and may signal systemic lupus when paired with symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, chest pain, or kidney changes. Medically approved next steps include strict sun protection, prompt evaluation by a primary care clinician, dermatologist, or rheumatologist, and treatments such as topical steroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and hydroxychloroquine, with urgent care for red flags like chest pain or foamy urine. There are several factors to consider; see the complete guidance below for triggers, testing, lifestyle measures like smoking cessation and stress management, and when to seek immediate care.
References:
* Werth VP. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: an update on diagnosis and treatment. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2023 Dec;37(4):101890. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2023.101890. Epub 2023 Oct 2. PMID: 37777717.
* Chang Y, Chu J, Lin Z, Zhang J, Zhang X. Update on the pathogenesis and management of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2023 Mar;19(3):289-301. doi: 10.1080/1744666X.2023.2177348. Epub 2023 Feb 11. PMID: 36772718.
* Tselos C, Kyriacou A, Gourgari E, Lallas A, Sakkas LI, Giatrakou S. Management of Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Review. J Clin Med. 2023 Sep 11;12(18):5853. doi: 10.3390/jcm12185853. PMID: 37704257; PMCID: PMC10532297.
* Singh M, Kaur S, Weng QY, Marwaha P, Dodiuk-Gad RP, Saracino M, Werth VP, Vadasz E. Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Review of Pathogenesis and Management. Biomedicines. 2022 Dec 19;10(12):3327. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10123327. PMID: 36555198; PMCID: PMC9775249.
* Ponnuthurai FA, Sebaratnam DF, Fernandez-Peñas P, Lim AC. Treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a systematic review. Int J Dermatol. 2021 Aug;60(8):931-944. doi: 10.1111/ijd.15424. Epub 2021 Mar 12. PMID: 33714249.
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Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Maz MP, Martens JWS, Hannoudi A, Reddy AL, Hile GA, Kahlenberg JM (Year). Recent advances in cutaneous lupus. Journal of autoimmunity.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35858957/Little AJ, Vesely MD (Year). Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: Current and Future Pathogenesis-Directed Therapies. The Yale journal of biology and medicine.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32226339/Lu Q, Long H, Chow S, Hidayat S, Danarti R, Listiawan Y, Deng D, Guo Q, Fang H, Tao J, Zhao M, Xiang L, Che N, Li F, Zhao H, Lau CS, Ip FC, Ho KM, Paliza AC, Vicheth C, Godse K, Cho S, Seow CS, Miyachi Y, Khang TH, Ungpakorn R, Galadari H, Shah R, Yang K, Zhou Y, Selmi C, Sawalha AH, Zhang X, Chen Y, Lin CS (Year). Guideline for the diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Journal of autoimmunity.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34364171/