I had Pityriasis Rosea on and off, more on, for almost TWELVE years!! I tried absolutely everything and absolutely nothing worked. Summers were the worst, as I seemed to always have noticeable flair ups on my back, chest and bikini area, so needless to say, going out in a bikini was mortifying. A few months ago, I was googling natural solutions for blackheads and oily skin and after extensive reading, I came across Sulfur soap as a suggestion. I decided to use it all over my body...not only did it make my skin so incredibly soft and crystal clear, it was rapidly clearing up and keep away PR!!! I am elated, so much so, that I purchased Sulfur ointment too. Within a week, all my PR was gone! I having being using them since around February '12 and have not had another PR breakout. I promised myself if I ever found something that worked, I would get back on the blogs where I searched for many years, endlessly, reading about others who were suffering with PR, and share what I had found, so here it is, SULFUR! Good luck and please pass this along!
I am 20 years old going on to 21 one, I was also diagnosed with Pitriasis Rosea, exactly around Jan 11, it is now Feb 1. MInes started out slowley that rapidly spread all over my skin from chest area, abdomen, trunk and even slightly around the pelivic area. It was pretty devastating as far as self-esteem and skin appearance. two weeks after it went from red spots to dark spots and go got pretty invasive to the point where I was on a mini-depression phase. I searched online and tried to find positive words. However, I am happy to say that now it is Feb first and my scars are clearing! i never thought it would especially after some of the comments. But for those of you who need to hear some positives this is it. and what Really helped is the Coconut Cream Butter surprisingly cheap and every where at pharmacies! I pretty much rub it in 3 times a day and it surprisingly worked.
-Good Luck!
I am a 55 year old female, self-diagnosed with PR after GP and dermatologist both were stumped. Derm finally agreed it is PR and offered nothing but steroidal creams for the incredibly intense itching and antibiotics to ward off infection. I woke up with the first bumps 18 days ago, and they quickly progressed to covering 70% of my body - virtually everywhere but from my shoulders up. After reading forums and doing other research, I chose not to use the steroid cream or antibiotics and instead to use a holistic approach - do an herbal liver cleanse, use essential oils (lavender, peppermint, tea tree) mixed into vitamin E oil on the spots, take Chinese herbs (as prescribed by my acupuncturist), and go to a high UV-B tanning bed 3 times a week. I also upped my consumption of raw fruits and veggies, ate no junk food, and prioritized getting more sleep and de-stressing. I have been happily amazed at the results, especially since people my age who get PR tend to keep it longer (like 6 or more months). I went from feeling like I was going to absolutely lose my mind with this thing to beginning to feel normal again. Will continue with my regimen until the spots and itching are all gone, but I expect that to be within the week. I had thought I would never go to a tanning bed, but after coming across a clinical study showing 50% of PR patients respond favorably to UV-B ray treatment, I went straight to the local tanning salon (cheaper for the uninsured than a derm's office). I want to give hope to all others out there who are suffering with PR - consider going at it from a holistic perspective.
Im 24 female, and just discovered that i had pityriasis rosea about 2 weeks ago. I noticed the herald patch first and thought it was just a big bite.. Following by 1 week after that sseeing the rash spread to my chest, torso then my back. I do not have insurance and looked online for advice. My rash became so bad i was embarrassed to even go to work, it soon spread to my neck. I did what I didnt want to do and decided to buy a tanning package. Went tanning for 4 days (15 mins) each session, took a oatmeal bath after every session, followed by a shower using selsun blue as a body wash, covering my body in hydrocortizone cream after and taking benadryl to go to sleep... 1 week after doing so and the rash is basically gone!!!!! a little bit of the patches are fading, a HUGE DIFFERENCE
hope this helps!
‘Twas the week before Thanksgiving, and all throughout the torso of my body, as well as my groin, there were strange red spots that scared me and made my self-esteem plummet into the depths of a pint of ice cream.
But, I’m happy to say that after a really, really long time, I am now PR free!
I’m going to share my story with you all in the hopes that someone out there finds it useful in any way. This skin condition is awful, and I want you to know that if you have PR, it DOES get better! I promise!
So, around Thanksgiving 2017, I noticed a small red spot on my lower abdomen, but I didn’t think too much about it. I thought that maybe it was just irritation from my tight work pants lol. Then, a couple days later, I noticed more red spots on my stomach and chest. That’s when I knew something was wrong.
When I saw the multiple red spots on my stomach and chest in the mirror, I turned around to look at my back. That’s when I saw the “mother patch.” It was on my back, so who knows how long it had been there before I started breaking out everywhere else.
I started breaking out in red spots all over my stomach, back, sides, groin area, and extreme upper legs and arms. I was so scared! I had no idea why this was happening to me. I had never had sensitive skin before.
The red spots didn’t itch. I’d say only very mild itching every once in a while. I never had to use hydrocortisone cream for the itching. I was also scared of using any kind of different products on my skin in the fear that it would make things worse.
The worst of the red spots were on my extreme upper inner thighs. I had a lot of them there, and they were more like bumps than spots. What made them worse than the others is that my thighs kind of rub together when I walk, and so the bumps became VERY aggravated and chafed. It was horrendous. My whole upper inner thighs were red, like a big plaque of red skin. After it got really bad is when I started putting CeraVe ointment on them, which really helped with the dryness and chafing. The skin was still a dull red, but it didn’t hurt as much when I walked.
At week 2, when it was really bad, I decided to take control. Besides the CeraVe, I went to Wal-Mart and bought the following items:
A gentle loofa instead of my usual exfoliating loofa
Aveeno Active Naturals skin relief body wash instead of my usual Ivory body wash
An Aveeno Active Naturals Colloidal Oatmeal bath kit
I continued to use the same shampoo and conditioner that I always use: the OGX Argon Oil of Morocco (blue bottle).
Armed with my new products, I saw results immediately. After my first oatmeal bath, the spots on my stomach started to peel which I took as a good sign. I read somewhere on here that the goal is to dry out your skin, not moisturize it, and I think that’s true. I never put any kind of lotion or moisturizer on my PR, and the most severe parts of it only lasted about 2-3 weeks.
I stopped using lotion on my arms and legs after showering and bathing. I honestly think this prevented the PR from spreading to my lower arms and legs. I also stopped taking hot showers and started taking cool ones. This helped reduce the inflammation and redness of my PR following my showers.
Dressing for work became a small challenge. I had to find blouses that covered my entire upper chest, all the way up to my neck. The good thing is I have my own office and I'm alone for the whole day. At home, I didn't have to worry because my family is non-judgmental...I think.
Anyway, I felt so sad and distressed during the worst days of my PR. To add to it, this was all happening during the holidays when everyone is supposed to be cheerful! I even had really strong fatigue one day, to the point where I felt like I was running a temperature. I had a bad headache too. I went to bed at 7pm that night. The next day I felt completely better (I guess thanks to my 11 hours of sleep)! I also had, let’s just say, “unpleasant toilet experiences” during the first week or so of my PR. But let’s not get into that, shall we!
I felt too embarrassed to go to the dermatologist, so I didn’t. I did go to the dermatologist’s office one day, though, to see if I could be seen without an appointment since it was kind of an emergency to me since by week 2 it had gotten really bad. The unsympathetic receptionist said they “were all booked for the day and that walk-ins are looked down upon.” I made an appointment for a few days later only to not show up because by that time I was looking a lot better.
After about 3.5 weeks into it, I looked A LOT better. Almost all of the spots on my stomach, sides, back, and upper arms were done peeling. You could barely see them anymore. The ones on my upper legs and groin area took longer to go away, but they did. I have slightly tanner skin than most people, but I’m still kind of fair skinned. I couldn’t see any white spots left behind after the PR was gone.
I’d say about 5 weeks after I broke out, all the spots on my torso were completely gone. Gone without a trace! Oh, my skin had never looked so beautiful once the spots were peeled and gone. The spots on my upper inner thighs took way longer to go away. It was around 2 months after I initially broke out, and I could still see traces of the spots. They weren’t red necessarily, they kind of just looked like acne scars. Who knows, maybe I’ll be scarred there forever. I don’t really care though.
I also read somewhere online that PR mainly affects the areas of your skin that rarely see direct sunlight, which I also believe to be true. That’s why it affects mostly the trunk of the body, the groin, and in some cases the legs. Darn me for not parading around in booty shorts and a bralette!
But anyways…I am so thankful that my PR is now over. I have so much respect for people with permanent skin conditions! Imagine having something like PR on your face, or having it permanently, like psoriasis!
If you are suffering with PR, let me tell you that you are not alone. I know exactly how you feel. Don’t stress about your PR, it’ll go away. Be positive, don’t let it take over your life and your happiness. Don’t miss out on things because you’re too worried about your skin. Just know that it WILL go away!
My experience with PR may not be the same for everyone. I encourage you to take care of yourself in the way that is best for you. I simply wanted to share my words with you so that you hopefully find comfort and reassurance.
Also, just for your reference in case you haven't guessed, I am a female. I was 22/23 when this happened.
Take care everyone, keep your eyes on the prize!