Living with HIV: How To Treat HIV Rashes

The HIV virus affects millions of people around the world. Though, no one is more at risk for the disease than the Black community. There’s a list of reasons why Black Americans living with HIV remain at a disadvantage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that “Black people account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses compared to other ethnicities.” Though, that doesn’t mean the disease has to take over our everyday lives and become a “death sentence.”

For far too long, stigmas surrounding HIV have resulted in a lack of preventative care and treatments for Black patients. In fact, with the right medication, the virus can be properly managed. Treatments can even control and inhibit symptoms like HIV rashes.

Furthermore, rashes have been known to be a common sign of the HIV virus. Understanding the signs of HIV, especially how the rash appears on darker skin can create more awareness around the virus. More importantly, it can lead to more effective treatment options for patients.

Physical Signs Of HIV Rash

One of the first signs of HIV infection is the rash. It usually appears in the first few days after contracting the disease. The HIV rash can even show up after a person takes medication to treat the disease.

Furthermore, the rash will usually last two weeks to nearly a month. Making matters worse, the HIV rash can usually appear on our face. It’s one thing to have a face full of pimples but entirely another to deal with a skin rash.

Having an HIV rash on our face or any kind of skin condition can make anyone feel extremely insecure. Unfortunately, the HIV rash acts very much like eczema, taking up residence on any part of our body, including our most vulnerable body parts like our hands and feet.

The skin condition can range from any color, depending on the color of a person’s skin. On darker skin, the infected area may appear purple.

Moreover, people living with HIV also have a weakened immune system that makes them susceptible to various kinds of infections like herpes and shingles. These diseases alone can then lead sufferers to develop HIV rashes as well.