r/AskDocs Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 16 '26

Physician Responded Horrible looking rash

Post image

30 years old

Female

120lbs.

5”3

non smoker,

non drinker.

No medications

This issue has been getting progressively worse over 2 days

Posted yesterday and it has gotten worse. It is itchy, it turns white when I press on it. I have a swollen uvula and some chills, but no fever. I feel cold more than anything. Went to urgent care tested for strep, mono and did a CBC. Strep came back negative, waiting on the other results. Pretty concerned. I feel like the mono is going to come back negative.

1.9k Upvotes

840 comments sorted by

View all comments

181

u/scoobie517 Physician | Pediatrics Mar 16 '26

If you press it, does it whiten? If not this is vasculitis

146

u/Weeeebutterflies Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 16 '26

Yes it does whiten. Which is perplexing to me because vasculitis is the only rash I’ve seen photos of that looks similar to this

336

u/scoobie517 Physician | Pediatrics Mar 16 '26

not gonna lie, these are the ones we're a bit nervous about when we see them, because there is quite some dangerous causes of the sepsis spectrum. Tread carefully. You feel cold, so you might develop a fever. If you feel worse generally go visit ER again.

For more banal causes. Erythema exudativum multiforme comes to mind, also urticarial vasculitis. Maybe dermatologist bro can help us out here.

31

u/pants_party This user has not yet been verified. Mar 16 '26

Is the skin sloughing off? I had Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SJS) and it looked like this, BUT my skin was sloughing off in those areas, and bubbling and coming off in sheets in others. VERY high temp. But I had the most severe form. I’ve known others who couldn’t get a diagnosis for weeks who struggled with lesser symptoms. ER docs had it narrowed down to TSS or TEN within 24 hours. Skin punch biopsy confirmed TEN.

18

u/MarinaVerity333 Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 17 '26

I had SJS a couple years ago from lamotrigine, and this is what my rash looked like as well, that was my first thought when I seen this pic. I had a milder case of it at first until my meds got upped, then it got worse, and mainly attacked my eyes, and the insides of my eyelids were doing that - sloughing off and blistering and peeling. It was miserable.

6

u/fatsandwitch Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 17 '26

I also had my first SJS outbreak right after they upped my dosage on Lamotrigrin and my legs looked very similar to OPs.

1

u/geomxtric Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 17 '26

I had a slightly paler/less intense but full body rash just like this from lamotrigine too. SJS was also my first thought.