How I Beat Pityriasis Rosea in 2 Weeks- Tips!
Posted , 43 users are following.
Hi Guys!
If you're reading this, you must have been diagnosed with pityriasis rosea. If you're anything like me, you've probably spent the last few days obsessively reading about it on the web. If you're disappointed by what you've seen (the rash lasting for years, being super painful, etc) then keep on reading! I managed to clear mine up by 90% within the first two weeks of having it.
The day before I noticed the rash, I thought I had a stomach flu. I had just come off a month-long cold and was feeling so nauseous I threw up multiple times. This is part of the virus- it's normal to feel sick in some way before its appearance. My manifestation was like the flu- aches, vomiting, etc. The next morning, I woke up and found myself covered in little spots. I had noticed a few on my back the night before, but I figured they were just bites of some sort. When I looked in the mirror the next morning, however, I was horrified- they were all around my stomach and my back and they were super itchy. I immediately went to the clinic, where I spent the next few hours basically watching the rash spread down my arms. When I finally saw a doctor, they had no clue what it was- they told me it was either Hand, Foot and Mouth disease or chicken pox. They sent me to a dermatologist to be sure so off I went.
Within 10 seconds she diagnosed me with pityriasis rosea. DISCLAIMER: she said I had an atypical case. I had no herald patch (although in the next few days I would develop 4-5 hearld patch looking spots) and the rash had come on super quickly. Relieved it wasn't chicken pox, I asked her how long it would last- and she told me MONTHS. At this point I basically wanted to die and I left her office holding back tears. When I got home, I literally spent the next 48 hours alternating between crying and looking up this awful rash. What I saw stressed me out even more- people saying their rash had lasted years, spread to their faces, was ruining their lives, etc. What I noticed, however, was that many of these people had put off seeing a doctor or had gotten misdiagnosed. I figured that my best chance of beating this thing was treating it as quickly and aggressively as possible.
Let me just say- I had one of the worst cases I've read about. By the fourth day I was literally covered from the top of my neck down to my toes. Nothing was spared- not my feet, not my hands, not my scalp, not my 'lady parts' and i even had some on the inside of my mouth. I was literally polka-dotted with these big, blotchy red things. It was also EXTREMELY itchy, I wanted to crawl out of my skin and I could barely sleep. It was so depressing that I couldn't even look in the mirror. Honestly, I don't think you can understand how bad this makes you feel until you have it yourself. I could hardly look at myself without crying.
That first night, however, I had to do something (I couldn't just sit around and watch it get worse!) so I went out and bought my first weapon: Head and Shoulders Clinical Strength shampoo (blue bottle, orange liquid). I applied it dry on my body 1-2 times a day and rinsed it off in the shower about 10 minutes after. After a few days of this I just used it as a body wash, although I would let it sit for about 5 minutes before washing it off. This would temporarily make the rash bright red which was kind of depressing, but it would also stop the itching for a while and by the next day the rash was already starting to look better.
Then it was on to the second step. I had read so much about tanning being a miracle cure that I decided, against my anti-tanning bed morals, to give it a shot. Of course my dermatologist advised me not to (which doctor would??) but I refused to live with this rash for the next several months. Over the next week and a half I went every second day- starting at first with 5 minutes in the lowest UV ray bed and gradually going up to 6 minutes on a medium bed. The rash would be extra itchy and red immediately after tanning, but by the second visit I noticed an improvement. I honestly think that this is what helped me the most.
Third attack- I applied Zinc Oxide 40% to my body every night. It can be found as a diaper rash cream. I honestly don't know if this worked, but it helped with the itching and also made my skin look paler, which in turn made the rash look better which helped my stress levels.
NOTE: I also used aveeno intensive moisturizer, with oatmeal. This really helped with the itching- I get that it's a bit counter-intuitive as we want to dry out the rash, but don't worry, that's not what it's moisturizing. It was honestly hard for me to even touch my body when it was looking so disgusting, but it was worth it in the end.
I also took vitamin C and rubbed the soles of my feet with tea tree oil, along with drinking loads of water, fruit/veggies and green tea. Help your body out!
By the end of the first week, the rash was already starting to fade. I had a few setbacks- on day 9, I randomly got a crop of patches all over my neck and even on my face. As bad as that was, they all disapeared within 2-3 days. Even now I find a new one once in a while but it's usually gone by the end of the day.
I'm now exactly 16 days from when I was diagnosed. My rash has cleared up by 90%- all that is left is a few brown spots that just look like bruises. I feel so relieved I can't even tell you! Don't give up hope. There's no reason anyone should be suffering from this when there ARE cures out there. Follow the steps above and I'm hopeful you can clear yourself up just as fast!
And just remember not to let this get you down too much. I know that even just 2 weeks can seem too long for something like this, but just stay positive and keep your smile. No one goes through life without getting something like this. As much as all these steps above helped me, what helped the most was going out with my friends and talking and laughing. Showing them the rash relieved me so much- people are kinder than you think and you don't need to go through this alone. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
*as a sidenote - my doctor perscribed me a cortisone cream. I suggest not using it. After doing some research, I found that this can actually make the rash last longer. Use Zinc Oxide for the itching!
6 likes, 84 replies
jana99042 clarke836
Posted
My one question is, does it need to be a sunbed at a tanning salon or would sitting outside with natural sun rays do just as well. I live in Arizona where is it sunny all day long
Thanks!
claire84040 clarke836
Posted
Thank you so much for this! I started using the head and shoulders and it works!! I got diagnosed 3 weeks before my trip to mexico, and was so stressed because i didn't want to wear a bathing suit, because i look so gross!! I now leave in 5 days and i hope the majority of it is gone!!
coral_54857 clarke836
Posted
Which head and shoulders should I get? They no longer do the clinical strength but do a clinical solutions and ingredients are more or less the same?
Any other help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
anna4311 coral_54857
Posted
Interesting that your episode is early July. Mine was late June: right in time for swimsuit season. It was awful but I have not had a reoccurrence. So, as hard as it is, try to stay focused on the fact that this is temporary!!
anna4311
Posted
jenna83787 clarke836
Posted
hey guys i know this is an old thread but im totally despaired! i noticed a small herald patch and then the next day had two marks which i thought were bites concerned anyway i went to doctors and initially they thought chicken pox but 2 hours and 4 doctors later i was diagnosed with pr told to moisturise and sent on my way . immediatly ive taken to the internet and found all the home remedies so for the last week ive been washing in head and shoulders twice a day , having an oatmeal bath , taking antihistemines and vit c tabs along with sunbed use and aveeno cream. however im not entirely sure wether its helping or not , im not certain of how it should look and if its actually healing , there doesnt seem to be any further spreading as such just pimples and the origina marks seem to be larger with white dots in moddle and look as though they are peeling , is this a sign of healing or cpuld it just be progressing im really unsure ? also had no itching at all from start up until now but have felt quite lethargic and almost flu like .
anna4311 jenna83787
Posted
Jenna: sounds like the areas are healing! I recommended an antiviral be started as soon as possible. It doesn’t sound like that’s the standard of care by the doctors; so, who knows if they really helped me.
And, although it’s a terrible condition, remember that we are lucky that it is just temporary. It will be gone soon.
ALL THE BEST!
jenna83787 anna4311
Posted
thanks for your response ! since posting the rash has spread and looks hurrendous i have been to doctors and begged for antivirals they eventually relented and prescribed them as i think even they were shocked at how quickly it had progressed , im almost 4 weeks in now and really cant see any improvement there isnt a patch on my torso and back that isnt covered in the rash and it seems to hbe all joined together into one big lesion im totally despaired tje patches that were white in middle and konda flaking seem to have grown !
jenna83787 clarke836
Posted
hey guys i know this is an old thread but im totally despaired! i noticed a small herald patch and then the next day had two marks which i thought were bites concerned anyway i went to doctors and initially they thought chicken pox but 2 hours and 4 doctors later i was diagnosed with pr told to moisturise and sent on my way . immediatly ive taken to the internet and found all the home remedies so for the last week ive been washing in head and shoulders twice a day , having an oatmeal bath , taking antihistemines and vit c tabs along with sunbed use and aveeno cream. however im not entirely sure wether its helping or not , im not certain of how it should look and if its actually healing , there doesnt seem to be any further spreading as such just pimples and the origina marks seem to be larger with white dots in moddle and look as though they are peeling , is this a sign of healing or cpuld it just be progressing im really unsure ? also had no itching at all from start up until now but have felt quite lethargic and almost flu like .
maria51967 clarke836
Posted
have you been using anything for your marks? My rash left me with marks that like yours look like bruises. I feel like they are never going to fade 😦
philip40289 clarke836
Posted
I find your article very interesting. It is nearly opposite from what I have experienced. I never knew what this rash was. I only knew that it appeared every year starting in my mid teens. I have never been properly diagnosed until my kidney transplant doctor pegged it. She is very up to date on a whole lot of stuff.
I have tried everything you did except the tea oil. No tanning beds back in the day so I just used sunlight. It seemed to work at the time but the stuff kept coming back anyway. My rash did/does not itch enough to be a bother but the fact that it never completely goes away and reappears every year is bothersome. Since I am nearly 68 I have been dealing with this thing for over 50 years.
Modern medicine indicates the possible causes as a viral infection (probably what triggered it in your case) or drugs to lower blood pressure and many other drugs. They are all suspects, however, and no clinical proof has shown up. I would love to see a study or even take part in one that attempts to prove causality and cure. That would be marvelous. As for now, medical science says that there is no cure but if it never comes back, I would say that you are cured! And if it does, you at least have some weapons to use again.
Keep up the good work - there are a lot of us out here who need the info!
paula45430 clarke836
Posted
Thank yo for your help.. I took your advice and added a few extra tips on a post just now. The diaper ointment was the saviour as I was losing the will to live at that point, even with booze and sleeping pills!! Take care, Paula
star2020 clarke836
Edited
Hi. I got diagnosed 2 weeks ago after suffering 3 weeks prior. I noticed a dry spot on the palm of my hand (thought it was callus and then dermatitis back in Dec. I didn't see a doctor until 2nd week of Jan as I noticed 3 little spots on my arm, 2 big spots on my legs, 4 spots in my underarms.
The first doctor said it was bed bugs so that freaked me out. Then I noticed within 3 days it spread to my stomach, arms, legs, butt. I freaked out again and went to the hospital. I thought I had an allergic reaction to something. The second doctor gave me an antihistamine and double check for bed bugs in case. That only calmed the itching. Within a week, I was back at the hospital as it kept spreading and no one knew what it was. The third doctor had to get a second opinion from another doctor. They both referred me to a dermatologist. I became very anxious and depressed over this. It was hard working and feeling itchy all the time. I cried for days. I've also been extremely stressed out over this and haven't been able to find away to cope.
The dermatologist diagnosed me with PR after 30 secs of seeing my rashes. He told me I would have to wait it out and prescribed me hydrocortisone cream. I was horrified by what I saw online. Last week it cleared from my stomach, chest, and underarms but spread to my forearms, hands, feet, ankles, and down the back of my legs. It's unbearably itchy, especially my hands.
For treatment, I stopped using the hydrocortisone as it thins out your skin. I bathe in aveeno oatmeal body wash, moisturise with vaseline advanced repair lotion for dry skin. Today I saw the rashes on my wrist and hands improving. They are drying up but my hands feel very rough and look scaly. I used anti dandruff shampoo once last week but that made me itch more and rashes became really red.
Ever since I got PR, my scalp has been really flaky even 3 days after washing my hair. I haven't changed my shampoo but I used apple cider vinegar on my scalp. Not sure if this is related to PR.
Any suggestions on what I can do to speed up the healing process?
stazstaz clarke836
Edited
You may have PR.... However, PR does not do hands, face or feet, so a breakout that starts on the palms is extremely unusual. You saw t doctors, but I heard nothing about 1 biopsy. This is my pet peeve. I do not think we (patients) should have to pay a doctor for a guess, when a biopsy will let us know definitively what we have.
Some people do have PR on their scalp, it should go away just like the rest of your rash.
If you notice any new rash or spreading, go get a biopsy. Do not allow a doctor to tell you what he thinks you have, tell him you are paying, and you want a biopsy.
ValG3 clarke836
Posted
Thank you so much for sharing your story and going into so much detail! I've been doing research for a long time and could never get any answers or remedies. I have been dealing with this rash for 2 months and I'm going to do everything you did!!! thank you again for taking the time to write everything out!!