Hello,
I found the testimonials on this site to be super helpful when I was first given my diagnosis of pityriasis rosea. I felt that I wanted to share my successes and let downs as well with the hopes that someone else may benefit.
I am 28 years old. My rash began as a few of the scaly herald spots. I originally did not really think much of them as I am prone to dry skin, and i assumed them to be such. Next a few itchy hives popped up. Again I did not think much of it. My mom has chronic hives (uticaria) so I just assumed I did as well, and started using her remedies. As I grew itchier, and started to read up on that condition, the more I realized that my bumps did not match. Chronic hives come and go and move around the body. My itchy bumps had not moved for weeks, and had that weird scaly dry circle in the middle. So at that point I went to my Dr. He diagnosed Pityriasis rosea right away, and told me I just had to wait it out, and antihistamines would help with the itch. As I read up on the condition, i became aware that I had had a sore throat for the preceding weeks that did not really ever materialize into a cold.
I quickly discovered that antihistamines did NOT help. My itches were so powerful that they often felt like they were burning or throbbing. 3 benadryl could not even knock me out and put me to sleep. At its worst point, Ice was the only thing that gave me relief. I read up on some of these discussions, and here are the things that I tried and found to be helpful.
Helpful:
Ice - putting an ice pack or a frozen washcloth on my itchy sites calmed them down when they were burning or throbbing. It helped take away the compulsive desire to scratch.
Aveeno oatmeal baths - at first i was afraid that the heat would make the spots worse. It did not. The oatmeal bath was glorious. I would put half the pack in the tub, and then spend the next half hour making the rest of the pack into a paste and massaging it into my worst spots.
Oil of Oregano - i learned of this a bit later in the game. Oil of oregano is supposed to be a natural antiviral, anti fungal and antihistamine. It smells super potent - I tried it on half my body first - one arm and half my chest, waited an hour and compared. the results were UNBELIEVABLE. my oregano half was remarkably less itchy and less inflamed. I have been putting it on the spots and taking it orally for the past three days. I am still itchy, but the oregano TOOK AWAY THE BURNING AND THROBBING ITCH. It seems to me that while everything else on my list treats the symptoms, I truly believe that this improves the condition and fights the virus. This was recommended to me by a naturopathic doctor. I read up on it, and I am going to continue seeing what it can do for my seasonal allergies and asthma.
Aveeno and Avene products - while the names are similar, these products are in no way affiliated. Aveeno products all use oatmeal and are marketed as anti itch, sensitive skin products. The body lotion is good, and the more clinical strength anti itch cream works wonders. Avene is a somewhat more upscale skincare product. I think that they advertise their products to be made with some magical french spring water... who knows. The bottom line is that they are unbelievable. They make a body water mist, and i would spritz it on my burning itchy skin in the middle of the day at work in order to get instant relief to make it through my appointments. They also have a product called cicalfate that essentially clears up most skin concerns - zits, burns, dry skin, infection irritation... you name it, it fixes it. I put it on my more scaly bumps to encourage healing.
Tanning beds - I am unsure if this is helping or not. I think that it is, because while i sit on the bed i am not itchy... however I think that the beds may be burning me slightly, which is bad, and i have not been using any tanning creams as I am afraid of it irritating my skin.
Music - A weird one to have on here, but nonetheless, it made a huge difference. When the itching was so strong, I would put my headphones on to sleep. It gave me something to focus on that was not the itch
Fleece blankets - My bedsheets were to rough for my sensitive skin! I feel like the princess and the pea. but wrapping up in the soft fleece blankets is such a relief to my skin after wearing rough clothing.
Loose clothing - I have been bra-less for 7 days. my itch gets irritated anywhere that clothing rubs against, so i'm doing my best to balance wearing loose clothing, and exposing my skin. this is hard to do considering I also want to wear scarves and sleeves so people do not notice the sores.
Things that have NOT been helpful
1. benadryl and other antihistamines, and allergy medications or sleeping medications - I did not find these helpful at reducing the itch, or in helping me sleep. I wish you good luck with them, but they did not help me.
2. Calamine lotion - on its own, it is very drying. I found this made my skin more irritated and itchy. The aveeno cream mentioned above combines calamine lotion with oatmeal so it is hydrating at the same time.
I think (hope!) that I am now on the upswing. Up to the point I am at now, every day was worse than the last. The past two days have each shown improvements. My large herald spots, and bigger scaly spots are no longer itchy and are starting to fade. I now have collections of small red bumps that seem to cluster. They are itchy, but not debilitating like the other ones were.
I wish everybody with this good luck.
I was wondering whether anyone else had this and does the skin go back to normal?