Lyme Disease Rashes and Look-alikes

“Classic” Lyme disease rash

Description:
Circular red rash with central clearing that slowly expands.

Expanding rash with central crust

Photo Credit: Bernard Cohen

Description:
Red, expanding lesion with central crust.

Multiple rashes, disseminated infection

Photo Credit: Bernard Cohen

Description:
Early disseminated Lyme disease; multiple red lesions with dusky centers.

Red, oval plaque on trunk

Photo Credit: Alison Young

Description:
Red, oval-shaped plaque on trunk.

Expanding rash with central clearing

Photo Credit: Taryn Holman

Description:
Circular red rash with central clearing that slowly expands.

Bluish rash, no central clearing

Photo Credit: Yevgeniy Balagula

Description:
Bluish hue without central clearing.

Insect bite hyper-sensitivity

Photo Credit: Chris Ha

Description:
Large itchy rash caused by an allergic reaction to an insect bite.

Fixed drug reaction

Photo Credit: Shahbaz A. Janjua

Description:
A skin condition that occurs up to two weeks after taking a medication. The skin condition reappears at the same location every time a particular medication is taken.

Ringworm (Tinea corporis)

Photo Credit: Bernard Cohen

Description:
Ringworm is a common skin infection that is caused by a fungus. It’s called “ringworm” because it can cause a circular rash (shaped like a ring) that is usually red and itchy with raised edges.

Pityriasis rosea rash

Photo Credit: Bernard Cohen

Description:
A rash without a known cause that can be a round or oval, pink, and scaly with a raised border. It can sometimes itch. Larger patches than the one shown here are also common.

Granuloma annulare rash

Photo Credit: Bernard Cohen

Description:
Reddish bumps on the skin arranged in a circle or ring.