Hi, I'm new here. I have been living with two autoimmune disorders for many years (RA and AS) and in the past year I have noticed a Bozo the Clown look to my face, it's not a raised rash, it's painless, but it's worrisome, I would rather not deal with another strange illness. It is on both cheeks and between my eyebrows, it is made worse by the sun, which is unfortunate since I live in the Florida Keys. Another weird thing happened when we went on vacation to Costa Rica (very hot sun!), I broke out in hives and turned red from my neck to my knees, even skin that hadn't been exposed to the sun. Ii took 5 days and 2 doctor visits to stop the itching and pain, and obviously it wasn't much fun. I go to a general practitioner down here since the nearest rheumy is 50 miles away, and she has suggested ruling out lupus. My feeling is that I've been coping with the other two conditions a long time, the treatments for lupus are somewhat similar (the dread pred), and I'm not sure I want to know there's yet another thing wrong with me. But some meds are not compatible with Lupus so there is that to consider. Anyway, is this the type of butterfly rash I've always associated with Lupus? It is not exactly on the bridge of my nose, a bit higher, but definitely bright red cheeks. Any suggestions/advice will be appreciated