This article discusses the assessment of red rashes on the face in an adult patient.

A male mechanic, aged 67 years, presents with a new-onset facial rash of six months’ duration.

Diabetic dermopathy is a benign, asymptomatic and likely underdiagnosed skin condition seen in up to 40% of individuals with diabetes.

A man, aged 31 years, presented with a five-day history of worsening sore throat and a mixed macular–vesicular rash on his hands.

Most viral exanthems can be distinguished initially on the basis of age, distribution and morphology of the rash without requiring investigations.

A woman presented to the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting a slightly pruritic rash that had developed five days after the onset of fever, cough and malaise.