Facial pain with a rash or blisters

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Facial pain with a rash or blisters

Many medical conditions can cause facial pain with a rash.

• Facial pain with a rash or blisters may be a symptom of an allergic reaction. If you think that you are having an allergic reaction, call your health professional to discuss your symptoms.
• Shingles causes moderate to severe pain on one side of the face followed by a rash or blisters. The rash or blisters form on the facial area that is supplied by the affected nerve. Inflammation, pain, and loss of feeling in the eye may occur if the nerve that supplies the eyelid and surface of the eye is affected. Immediate evaluation is needed to prevent complications, such as vision loss.
• Lupus causes inflammation, fatigue, and a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks.
• A skin infection (cellulitis).
• Lyme disease is an infection that is spread by the bite of ticks infected with a bacteria. It may cause facial pain, headache, stiff neck, or paralysis of the nerves in the face.

Treatment of facial pain with a rash or blisters depends on the cause. Call your health professional for an evaluation if you have facial pain with a rash or blisters.

Credits

Last updated:	May 15, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer