r/PityriasisRosea

Are you putting dressings over your cream after applying? using a base layer that doesn’t let the cream through?

I was just diagnosed and the rash is still spreading - it itches so badly and I’m using Eurax cream and emollient constantly but I can’t understand how to dress the rash afterwards.

my rash is on the top of my left thigh/groin spreading round my hip and a little on my stomach. I’ve tried using cotton & elastane bike shorts but the cream residue still comes through. I’ve ordered [these](https://eczemaclothing.com/products/square-cut-pants?variant=34005730099259) from eczemaclothing.com but I worry the cream will soak through them as well and get on dresses.

briefly considered putting dressings under those net pants they use for incontinence? and read some people stick sanitary pads inside their clothes?

I know people with eczema sometimes put non adhesive dressings over the top of their creams but the area my rash is in takes so much movement. I would still definitely use them though if i got good advice on how.

just really need advice from someone who’s been through it x

I am 26 weeks pregnant and started noticing something on my stomach about a month ago. It started as a smaller cluster of what looked like irritated skin and over 4 weeks developed into this ring like patch shown in the picture. I have been to urgent care, OBGYN, and dermatologist. The dermatologist suspected pityriasis rosea and gave me triamcinolone cream and told me to come back in 2 weeks if it’s not better. It doesn’t itch or feel painful but is not getting any better. Recently I have noticed some smaller dots around my chest/torso area mostly but not so many like what I see in other peoples pictures. I’m wondering if this is actually pityriasis rosea as it also took a month to develop this patch. Was anyone else’s very slow moving like this? Everyday I hope that it will show signs of improvement but it doesn’t.

tuesday 6/30 i noticed a small breakout of spots around my belly button, collar bone, & lower back (my lower back being the largest and itchiest breakout). went ahead to urgent care since i work at a daycare just to make sure it wasn’t anything contagious. got prescribed steroids. no itching this day. the urgent care doctor told me it was likely just something viral.

wednesday 7/1 wake up covered in bright pink spots all over my torso, back, shoulders, and inside of my thighs. i don’t take the steroids this day (still at the pharmacy) and try allegra & benadryl as the urgent care doctor told me to. went to bed that night & kept waking up with urges to itch (but i didnt), and could feel the rash sort of under my hair on the back of my neck.

thursday 7/2 (current) and rash looked inflamed and even worse. tried half a dose of the steroids from the doctor. no improvement. went to the er.

at er is where i was “diagnosed” with PR. they did blood tests as well, but the doctor made note of the “heral patch” on my back, the fact that i have no other symptoms than the rash, and that is how she concluded my diagnosis of PR.

today is day 3 & im incredibly itchy and also just freaked out. i’ve never seen my body look like this before. i’m wearing loose clothing, showering in cold water, using an oatmeal bar soap, and i will be using my beef tallow lotion- since ive seen people say it helps. i also intend to get some sun exposure later in the day, once it isn’t 102 degrees.

if there is anything else you guys have done that helped you, please let me know. i was also prescribed acyclovir by the er doctor so i will be taking that on top of the steroids :,).

25M

Started off small, then rapidly intensified over last 16 weeks.

Docs have said it’s PR but it’s not clearing at all, it comes and goes at random times, although I think I’m noticing some white coming through now instead of fully red.

Absolutely NO symptoms, no itching or discomfort, it just exists.

No herald patch; and it’s going below my knees, basically covering my entire body other than head, buttocks, groin and hands and feet. Also no Christmas tree pattern on my back, but it’s definitely covered.

I smoke medical cannabis and I also vape daily. Other than that I eat pretty well and don’t drink too much alcohol.

Completely flat oval shaped rash, more salmon than red.

Any idea what it could be instead?

Hello everyone,

I have two PR occurrences and it has been and still very frustrating.

Since February 2024. Seven dermatologists.

Same answer every time: "self limiting, wait it out."

I got tired of waiting.

So I started researching the mechanism myself — HHV-6/7 reactivation, immune surveillance, why extremities clear last, why some people recur and others don't.

The answers aren't in clinical literature because studies on PR are tiny, short, and exclude atypical cases like ours.

I'm an MPH candidate in infectious disease epidemiology which is why I want to approach this with actual methodology not just anecdotes.

So I built a short anonymous survey to start collecting real data:

→ How long did yours last

→ Where on your body

→ What you tried

→ What actually helped

→ Whether antivirals made a difference

→ How doctors responded

I'm going to analyze every response and share the findings back here openly.

No email collected. Fully anonymous. Takes 5 minutes.

If you've been dismissed, if you're still searching for answers.

Please fill this out:

https://forms.gle/3b67XMiiS9PUzVNW8

Feel free to share your story in the comments as well.

its only on my torso and the uppest of upper legs. it started suddently two days ago and i dont know what to do. it also doesnt itch or hurt

On my torso/ sides and a bit on my back. Not really itchy but a little tender to the touch, it does blanch when touched. First time experiencing something like this. I do have a dermatologist appointment in 6 days but I’m worried about it

These have all seemed to have appeared quite recently. Not really itchy, they feel slightly rough. There is a heatwave atm in the UK but doesn't seem to be a heat/friction rash. Thank you!!!