13th February 2025

A 24-year-old student presents with a painful rash on her face.

A 24-year-old student presents with a painful rash on her face. It appeared two hours ago and she thinks it is spreading. On direct questioning, she reports a headache and facial pain for the past couple of days, but until now, she had put this down to feeling more stressed than usual as her master’s dissertation deadline is looming. She is normally fit and well, takes no regular medications and has no drug allergies. She has recently started using a new moisturiser.

Observations are as follows: HR 82, BP 110/59, RR 12, temperature 36.2℃.

On examination, she has erythematous papules on the right side of her nose. She reports a deep, burning pain in this area. There are no lesions on the rest of the skin of her face. Examination of her eyes is normal.

What is the likely diagnosis?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.