An HIV rash may be defined as a change in the color or texture of the skin, redness or inflammation. An HIV rash occurs in people who are infected with the virus. Also an HIV skin rash develops as a result of the medications which are provided in order to keep a check on the HIV.

HIV rash-as a symptom of HIV infection inside the body:
The HIV rash usually affects the face and trunk and sometimes the affects are seen on the hands and feet. They also develop in the form of ulcers in the mouth or genitals. The rash is a clear indication of the fact that HIV is present inside the body and this can be made clear from the fact that this symptom occurs in our body at the time when seroconversion, i.e, changing from antibody negative to antibody positive occurs and it is confirmed that HIV is present and also the chances are that the tests conducted for HIV are positive and treatment can be started. But it may not be true that if there is no rash so HIV is absent. A rash is absent during the long asymptomatic period and is transient lasting from a period of about a few days to 2 weeks

Skin induced rash:
An HIV rash is also developed due to medications and is visible within a few weeks of the start of the medications. However, some rashes become severe leading to skin loss or in some cases even death. These rashes include features like peeling skin which leads to painful sores, blisters in the moist areas of the body like the genitals, mouth, eyes, etc., and red spots on the skin ,which are either flat or raised and form blisters in the center of the spot in a few weeks. The skin rash is a common side effect of the NNRTI (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor). Many patients tend to develop either a rash or a reddish inflammation of the skin post two to three days after the onset of fever (a result of HIV medication side effect). The skin induced rash usually affects the face, neck, and upper chest regions or in some cases it may be even more widespread, involving skin of the scalp, the arms and legs, and the palms and soles.

These rashes whether the symptoms or the ones caused due to medications can be taken care of by following the following steps:

• by not scrubbing off skin in a harsh manner
• Using a lesser amount of soaps and other substances like lotions etc.
• Never applying any cosmetic lotions or ointments etc. directly
• leaving the area with rash exposed to air as much as possible.
• By restricting the usage of any newly added cosmetics or lotions.
• Using mild warm water for cleaning
• By avoiding rubbing and using a calamine medicated lotion.

Thus, an HIV rash is also some times a clear indication of the infection and also in the case of medications the dosage should be kept in a check. If we see a rash all of a sudden and the chances are that it may have been caused by the HIV infection then we should immediately rush to the doctor and get all the necessary tests done.