Pityriasis Rosea week 2

Skin, nail and hair health
1

So I had a herald patch but since I've never heard of PR before I dismissed it as a scratch.

A week with a couple of headaches and tiredness happened but I ignored it as stress from work and a busy lifestyle despite I never really get headaches.

After a Saturday night drinks I decided to take a bath with Dead sea salts. I enjoyed my bath so much I stayed in longer than the 20 minutes recommended. The next morning I had a small rash so I thought I might had a reaction. Little did I know this was only the beginning... And the bath was apparently just a coincidence.

The rash on my chest started spreading around. Since I had herpes simplex virus a couple of years ago I knew this wasn't gonna give up so easily. Something inside me told me no no no... Get help now before it spreads. So I started researching online. I read everything... The herald patch, the headaches, the tiredness, my age and having had herpes previously too... I still was in denial. Not me, this isn't happening, why ? The PR pics online were all quite scarry and so I ran to the clinic. Tbh it was getting too much for me.

Unfortunately, the advise I got was it was probably contact dermatitis and that it would clear away by it own, might take up to 3 months though. The farmacist said the same thing and sold me an expensive little cream . Again and again I was dismissed without any answers. This was so frustrating and not what I want to hear!

I looked for some home remedies and bought fragrance-free creams, soap-free cleansers and you name it. PR is definitely not cheap since nobody seems to know what is the cause or what really helps. I just wanted to try everything... At this stage I was starting to get very anxious and down maybe even desperate. The rash started spreading to my arms legs and back. It doesn't itch particularly and I didn't get soar throat or fever or anything else like that...but still. After a week I went to see my GP and again I was dismissed without any treatment or answers but I was finally diagnosed with PR. Dr didn't really recommend any products just said you need to let it run its course...

I now have read somewhere that herpes antiviral Acyclovir can really help suppressing the virus so the rash doesn't spread as much and goes away sooner rather than later. But the trick is you must take the meds in week #1. I wish the clinic, the farmacist or my GP had told me so... Will it be too late for me at this stage? Probably but I decided to try it anyway. I have used Acyclovir yo suppress HSV before so it's fine with me. I also hear calamine lotion helps take redness away and it is helping, I'm eating lots of garlic, vit c and zinc ...

I hear someone say Oregano oil , coconut oil and UV b rays are great too. Has anyone tried it? If you are suffering with this s**t know you are not the only one.

Please comment your tips below , what's working for you? I'll do the same and promise to let you know how my journey with PR continues.

Hugs to you all !

2

Here is what worked for me...

I took 2 benadryl every morning and again about 7 at night. I washed with dove sensitive skin body wash using my hands and not abrasive rags or poofs, in luke warm water. I then mixed regular Aveeno lotion with pure organic tea tree oil and rubbed it over my entire body. I tried so many different things and this is the only combo that helped me at all.

3

The Calamine lotion is really helping drying the rash out. The rash looks less red and angry and started flaking here and there. I use it at night before going to bed all over my rash (torso, lower back, legs and arms). I then put on a t-shirt and pants. I was worried about ruining my bedding, but its Ok so far (in any case try using white bedding that is easy to wash).

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I used to have a shower everyday, I'm now showering with cool water for as quickly as possible every other night. No aftershave or deo but I'm lucky I'm not a sweaty kind of guy, and since is freezing here in UK anyway its all good.

​About the 400mg of Acyclovir is hard to say a definite answer, especially since I'm trying not looking at the rash in the mirror. I am not sure it has helped stopping the rash from further spreading but I am glad today is my last day of the 5 day course. I've also been drinking lots of water as this is recommended with Acyclovir and I guess is a good thing to do for your skin anyway... I hate taking pills, but I hope it helped cutting it out short. We'll see...

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Big thank you to all of you who are sending messages and following, kind of gives you strength knowing someone else has gone through this, so thanks a lot! 

​Also, since you guys recommended it: I've now decided to give Prreze a try and the Aveeno lotion + organic tea tree oil combo during the day starting tomorrow.

​As promised, I'll keep you posted! Feel free to comment below. Bye!  

4

After much consideration, I'm glad I didn't fall for the ongoing Prezze campaign on this site as it's extremely expensive especially if you need to pay for courrier and tax import to UK. I was looking at the prezze ingredients and research on it and to be honest with you there's nothing in it that that is medicinal and I cannot find in my cupboard.

Acyclovir tablets was my fix. I can now say my rash began about the last week of January and today is totally clear. That was less than a month! I say I noticed a big improvement after the 2nd or 3rd day (out of 5) on Acyclovir. The treatment was quite full on as I had to take it 3 times a day and lots of water to help my liver as it can put some stress into it. I wish I took this med sooner because what has taken longest is the fading of the existing rash, but it's now pretty much gone. Talk to your doctor and ask about Aciclovir or Valacyclovir if you haven't tried it before. It works and the sooner the better as it will stop it from spreading further. Also, drink lots of water, don't scratch, eat healthy, sleep early, look after yourself and love yourself. It will soon go away.

I used Eurecin oil body wash to shower which has urea and is recommended for eczema psoriasis and sensitive skin, followed by the cream of same range as it is soap and fragrance and parabens free. I topped up my moisturizer with a few drops of pure Tea treatment oil extract from Holland and Barrett. I think my daily routine helped get rid faster but I definitely think it was the tablets that made the bigger difference.

Everyone is different, but I hope my journey with PR helps others get through it.

Big hugg and thank you for your messages. Xx