butterfly rash

Also called a malar rash, from the Latin for cheek. It covers the cheeks and nose but usually spares the folds running from the nose to the corners of the mouth, and it often gets worse in sunlight. It is a classic sign of systemic lupuslupusLOO-pusSystemic lupus erythematosus: a long-term autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.Full entry Close, though other skin conditions can look like it.

Teach a client with lupus to protect the skin from the sun with sunscreen, hats and covering clothing, and to report a new or spreading rash.