pityriasis rosea, what should I do?
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I'm a 17 year old girl with pityriasis rosea. I have not had it diagnoses but i had it when I was 13 and it is the exact same thing. It took 8 weeks to cure it when I was 13 and i only cured it when I when on holiday and was in the sun with it exposed all day. It started clearing in a day thankfully. However I am scared to tell my mum so have tried to secretly tan outside but it's hard as I can not hide from anyone with all the patches showing. Also it is early April so the UV rays aren't exactly high right now. I can't use a sunbed either as I'm underage and they are closed due to lockdown. Has anyone had any experience getting rid of it quickly with easy to access creams, lotions, oils or whatever, anything that is relatively cheap and does not require sun? Thank you so much
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Sc702 Kat1999
Edited
why is that a secret? you should tell your mother
its not your fault. PR hurts you mentally too. you need family members support .
Counselorkate Kat1999
Posted
I posted this to reddit so I just copied it for you:
Sorry this is lengthy, I wanted to be detailed!
I am a female, 23 and I was diagnosed with pityriasis rosea (PR) about a month ago after suffering with it for about a year. The herald patch started on my upper back last summer, then by the end of the summer it had spread all the way down my back. Eventually, it started to show on my chest, neck, and face so I had to go into the doctor and figure out exactly what was happening. This is something that can really destroy your confidence so I had to take to forums to, hopefully, help someone else who's in my situation. I am not a medical professional and am simply offering advice from my experience.
My first tip is to get the diagnosis if you are able. There's a few rashes that look similar to this and it would be useless to treat the rash as pityriasis rosea when it's a fungal issue, hives, etc.
The next thing is to accept there's really no known cause or medical treatment and that doctors won't offer much help unless you're itching like crazy. It's frustrating and can make you feel hopeless. Make peace with this and you'll feel better.
Everyone's case is so different. Some people are covered in it. Some people have a tiny case. Some people get it on their face. Some people only get it on their trunk. Some people have it for years without addressing it. Some people have it for 3 weeks and are devastated by it. It simply depends on you and that's all you can focus on.
Next, find a support network. Reddit is great for commiserating about PR with other people who are dealing with it. This is nice because it can feel like you're alone, but I promise you aren't and it's very common. I should note I am still following this care routine so if anything changes or the rash erupts worse I'll update.
Things I've found that have helped fade the rash:
-I washed my body twice daily with head and shoulders clinical strength. This dries out the patches and can cause itching. I just ignored it and moved on with my day. The first day I did this it made it much worse, but I continued anyways because it gets worse before it gets better.
-Don't give it any moisture. Take a shower and dry off immediately. Don't apply lotions or oils unless you've opted for the vitamin E/tea tree treatment. You'll have to do your own research for those methods.
-After drying, I applied apple cider vinegar to the spots with a cotton ball. Again, this caused some MILD burning (like a dull sunburn), but it felt nice knowing something was causing a reaction.
-I took a non-drowsy antihistamine just in case it was an allergic reaction to something. It wasn't, but whatever.
-I upped my vitamin C intake. A few glasses of orange juice, a supplement- whatever is available to you.
-I ate super healthy. I don't know if this helped, but I wanted to give myself all the fighting chance I had.
-A gallon of water a day. This is a good habit anyways so I kept it.
-Avoided strenuous exercise that causes sweating and a spike in body temp while treating the outbreak.
-Let my skin get sun when I could. I treated my rash during the Covid quarantine so it was hard to get outside. I would lay next to an open window and nap, sunbath on the balcony, etc. Don't cover it up. I know it's embarrassing, but UV light helps. Make sure not to expose your skin for too long unprotected. Skin cancer is still worse than PR.
-Reduce stress. I noticed it welled up most when I was anxious about something.
Each day the spots gradually faded. I can still see the hyperpigmentation as we speak and I'm going to go do my treatment routine after this. I'll probably treat the pigmentation with a banana/vitamin C lotion and exfoliate. I hope this gave someone some hope. Try anything someone else has tried. It can't hurt besides irritating the rash. There is an end in sight and your skin will be back to normal soon. Also, I'm pretty sure this issue can pop up again. I don't believe the studies that say a new rash is rare. I'm just assuming this is something I'll be dealing with for my whole life, but now I have the tools to fight it (besides "wait it out" like my doctor says.) Be vigilant and give it at least a week to see if it works for you. Skin can be goofy and react poorly to new treatments and then, suddenly, it starts working.
Good luck!