I feel for you!!! mine is in my scalp in several areas and along my hairline!!! Itches the worst in these spots!!!

Hi,

I was a PR sufferer only a couple of weeks ago. When I first saw the lesions about 6 weeks ago I was really upset. They didn't itch particulary but they looked horrible and I stoppped going swimming (an activity I had just started to enjoy doing once a week). I started reading up about it and when I realised that there was no cure I was even more upset! I started reading forums like this and found out about various possible treatments. I tried using the cold-sore anti-virus cream, Zovirax, but that didn't work. Possibly because I only had 2g of cream for about 30 blisters rather than just one on the face! I also read about UV treatment and started to use sunbeds (something I would never usually do due to the dangers of getting skin cancer). I'm not sure if the UV treatment was the answer, but my PR started to rapidly disappear about a week after I started using the sunbeds. I am now completely clear of the virus after only 4 weeks of it and am now starting to go swimming again! I just wanted to let people know that I know exactly how it feels to have PR. It may not cause any permanent damage and it may not be painful, but it is still distressing.

Don't worry about it too much and if u do try using UV treatment, let me know if it worked for u. I look forward to hearing from other PR sufferers.

Sam x

I have had PR for about 2 months now. I was really hoping it would have gone away by now. I have to agree with many that have posted, they say it is unusual but I also have spots along my hairline and on the side of my face. I even have one right above my left eyebrow. I have had to buy a whole new wardrobe to hide my neck and arms and have started using foundation every day to disguise the spots on my face. The itching is one thing, but the lack of information is what is really distressing about this condition. I appreciate everyone's comments and I am definitely planning to pursue accupuncture and chinese herbs. I have already tried erythromycin (I couldn't tolerate it) and aciclovir (finished a two week course, didn't help at all). Good luck to all of you!!

I have had this disgustingly ugly skin disease since 12/5/07, it is now 1/08/2008 and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of going away. I am so discouraged by its appearance. I have never had any problems with my skin before in my life-no acne, no discolorations, normal-so imagine what this is doing to me!! I had a herald patch appear on my right boob. Of course i thought it was a ringworm like many of you, and started treating it with Lamisil. But it just kept growing bigger and bigger. Then about two weeks later, a smaller rash began to appear on my boobs, and I thought I was infested with ring worms. Needless to say, I left a smoke trail high tailing it to the doctor. She insisted that it was a ringworm, and the smaller rash was a reaction to the Lamisil---I knew that was wrong because i had used Lamisil before on a ring worm. She consulted with another doctor there, and she walked in with a book opened to pityriasis rosea, smiling from ear to ear that she found it! I was happy to know what it was...and was even happier that it seemed to only occur on the trunk and not the face, legs, arms, and butt..I could hide it in clothes. She told me that it would get worse...but no cure, no cause just wait. Two weeks later....They were coming and coming and coming. They have been coming for about three weeks now, and they are on my arms, my legs, my back (christmas tree formation) my thighs, one inside my left palm, my neck, my face, and my hair....AAAAARRGGGHH!!!! They are very ugly looking. There is no other word to describe them. I look like....I look like pure crap!! The lesions have a funny color. At first they were red and flaky. Then they changed to a purple bruise looking color, still scaly, with a wrinkled center.I am so frustrated! I tried erothromycin...didn't work..did make me sick though no matter if I took it with milk, food, bread..whatever. I have been skeptical about UV treatment because I am a black female and i was told that hyperpigmentation would occur. OH God, please help. I don't have enough clothes to disguise this. and I live in Florida, its pretty weird to sit with a jacket on, zipped up to the bottom of my lip in 78 degree weather. I would like to know what these things look like when they are disappearing. Its been five weeks for goodness sake. (Im winded from all of that whining).

Well, apparently I have PR too. Around Xmas this past year, a friend of mine who is an iridologiost told me there was something wrong with my lymphs. Not really knowing what to do with that information, I forgot about it. Then on new years day, I was really sick with diahrreah and at first I thought it was just me being hungover. Then it lasted for 4 days, along with being tired, achy, runny nose and sneezing. Then I found the first patch on the left side of my torso. By the 2nd day, I had 12 spots, then 25 then 30 spots all along both sides of my torso.

Its now about 3 weeks into it and the rash has spread all along my stomach, appearing worse on my inner thighs and even on my genitals. It hurts like hell, is flaking, red, inflammed and itchy. I try not to itch because then it hurts. I keep putting palmers cocoa butter on the worse areas (its the only thing that doesnt sting!) to help prevent scarring and stop the itch. I'm going to the tanning booth 2x a week and even taking Beta Glucan supplements because its suppose to help boost the immune system.

The doctor I saw was no help. Infact, he didnt even ask to look at the spots, he just saw the few that I showed him and said 'yup, thats pityriasis. Go get some cortisone cream and it will go away in about 3 months.'. That doesnt help me doc. When will I stop peeling? When will the pain go away? What are these Chinese Meds everyone is talking about?? It hurts to walk because the worse of the rash is right on my underwear line!

All my friends and family look at me and say 'go to the doctor!' and 'what do you mean theres NOTHING they can do for you!??!'. ITS SO FRUSTRATING!!!!!

Is anybody experiencing non itchy pityriasis? I have a rash that looks like pityriasis but it is not itchy. I have it for almost 2 months now but doesn't itch and it's only a few patches.

Thanks

Hi, mine did not itch at ALL the first 3 weeks, then it started to peel and now its itchy and sore. Apparently, it not being very itchy is common, and yet, so is being itchy.

Thanks. I'm afraid it could be something else, maybe worse.

I just diagnosed myself with pityriasis rosea by googling my symptoms. It appeared that I had ring worm or flea bites or hives or chicken pox, but I knew there was no way I had any of those. Just like everybody else, i got a ring-worm looking patch, then small pink dots all over my chest, back, and arms. Luckily there are none on my face or scalp and only about 8 on my legs and thank goodness they don't itch (at least not yet). I've been putting prescription cortisone on them.

I've had the herald patch for 9 days now, and it has faded considerably and it's not as flaky. The ones on my arms have faded too. Is that a sign that it's going away?? Does anyone know? Does the herald patch go away first?

has anyone here tried tanning beds? just wanted to know if it really works.

It's now day 22. Everyone is right about avoiding hot water. Hot showers make my spots considerably more red. Try lukewarm water. I've been taking benedryl every night which also helps with the redness.

I started at the tanning bed yesterday b/c everyone says sun helps (and since it's january, i have to use "fake"sun) and I can already see a big difference. After one session for 6 minutes, the spots are just about the same color of my skin with very little pinkness. I'm going to stick with the tanning and see if it can make this go away!!

Hi Guys, i really need some advices on PR.

Diagnosed with PR 2 weeks ago.. the patches are healing already but it seems like the patches are becoming some kinda skin which looks kinda wrinkled and its has a very rough surface.. wonder whether that will be permanent..?

And my doc says i can eat anything and it wont affect me. well, what are some the thoughts that you guys have regarding the choices of food while having PR. Avoid SEAFOOD? Will the choices of food affect the healing process?

Please advise me! thanks in advance.

Day 30. I've been fake tanning about 7 minutes every day. No more spots, no more redness!!! The only thing is that the skin where the spots were is peeling. I'll take peeling over bumps any day!!

Anyone have tips on how to avoid provoking the itchiness? I've been using Eucerin Calming Creme several times a day and am on an antihistamine. Should I avoid certaint types of clothing? Does wearing cotton all day really help?

I'm trying the tanning thing too...my first session was today but no changes yet!

anti histamines like benadryl help alot with the itching.

Has anybody had pityriasis rosea for more than 3 months? I got mine in Nov. and still getting red spots.

Thanks

I noticed the herald mark about five or six months ago but nothing else. Just a little ring on my back that slowly got bigger. In the last few weeks I noticed that the other spots are starting to appear but they're appearing very slowly - dry tough pinkish red patched everywhere, one itchy one on my leg that drove me nuts today and was the reason I finally looked this us. Has anyone else experienced a really slow onset?

hey. this virus is seriously freaking me out. i have no idea what to do. im like crying every night. my derma. gave me selenium but its not really working.
does the UV light really work?
my cousins wedding is in 18 days. what do i do?

oh and another thing, how do you know if its healing?
there all over my face. some are red and itchy, and some are starting to peel.

I had PR, though my doctor was completely clueless and only diagnosed it as a last-ditch resort. He gave me an anti-histamine and a steroid, neither of which helped in the least. Neither did lotions, oatmeal baths, anti-itch creams, Benadryl, etc. etc.

What DID help was sun tanning. My husband did some online research and found that PR tends to hate UV rays, so off to the salon I went. After TWO SESSIONS, the itching was dramatically reduced and the spots started disappearing.

GET TO THE TANNING SALON. I promise, it will help. I cried with joy when the itching stopped.

Looking for some ideas. I had some red spots, kinda look likey hicky's pop up onmy body, they are pretty small, smaller than a dime, some seem oval. They do not itch or hurt at all.

I have gone to three doctors. First drew blood and said came back normal. Than I went to a dermatologist. They didn't seem to know what it was. So I went to my doctor who did a Biopsy. The suggested results were that is was PR. However my Derma doesn't agree. Said they would itch and I would have them on my back, or arms. Right now they are on the hip area and down. More so on my backside and back of legs.

I had one larger area show up first I think. Didn't know it was that as well. Looked like a large bruise on my butt. Its still there , but lighter. Than all the smaller ones started popping up. I can see one has gone away, but 10 more replaced it.

I went back to the dermatologist again today, now a month later and they to did a biopsy. So now the waiting game again.

Of course when I looked up PR, even though the derm doesn't agree it said to tan to help. But of course my derm wont agree to that.

I am kinda just lost and wanting to know whats going on. Any thoughts.