PR survivor
Hi to all suffering with the dreaded PR. I just wanted to tell my story of what I went through and what worked for me! I first noticed a round red scale type patch on my neck, on 15th July 2011, at first I thought I was were maybe a dog scratched me (I work at a kennels so some times dogs can accidentally scratch you) I left it and forgot about it. Until a week later I noticed some small red kinda itchy bumps appeared near the patch on my neck, at first I thought it was prickilly heat as I have had before and It had been hot that day. I wasn't to worried as I assumed it would just go! After another week gone still the same rash, but slightly more inflamed, I showed my mum when I went round hers and she seconds my thoughts that I should go to the doctor. Next day I made an appointment with doctor. They said I was a fungus infection, possibly ringworm as I work with dogs! He prescribed me basically thrush cream which I was completely embarrassed to go buy. At this point I am freaking out slightly as I think it's catching and typically think the worst, anyway after a week of putting this cream on it seems to be getting worse and more angry! I'm stressing out now and to my horror the next morning I wake up to find it has spread down my arm, belly, chest, back and legs! I go back to doctor but it's a different doctor and they say deffinately not ringworm but not sure what it is maybe an allergic reaction to something. With no help from them and I'm in tears worrying as I am getting married on 11th November 2011 I resort to the Internet and my fiancé found this site with every talking about this same rash so I have found a name for it and read everyone stories and give a few suggestions ago. First I go back to my doctors and they then confirm my suspicions and say nothing then can do.
I tried taking zinc and milk thistle after a while still no difference it's now August and my worries are increasing, I then started washing twice a day with original head and shoulders shampoo in a cold shower as hot or warm water seemed to make it tons worse, after a few weeks I had noticed my rash wasnt as itchy after using H&S but it was still not going, my only option left was sun beds, I don't really like the idea of them but I was so desperate I would have tried anything. I started with 3 sessions a week and each session was 4-6 mins long, I did use suntan lotion from the tanning salon, I did slightly agrovate my PR but I didn't want to get burnt, I used the lay down sunbirds and I lasted a towel across my face so it wasn't exposed to the UV after a couple of weeks of gradual sessions I noticed a dramatic change the rash want spreading and was fading away! Within a few more weeks it had completely gone and I was able to wear my strapless wedding dress.
So to all PR sufferers out there althoght it is bad for you it sun beds seemed to be the only solution to my PR do I would deffinately recommend it. Touch wood my rash went early October 2011 and I haven't had it back since so for so good! I hope that this helps someone. I also truely believe that all my worring and stressing made it ten times worse and if I had of chilled out more it probably would have vanished on its own in time.
If your suffering try to stay positive and just use what is working for you.
Rachael
Hi Rachael
Good news that you have dealt with the PR and all was clear for your wedding! Such a relief for you, I'm sure 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experiences - it means that those who develop this problem know they can find relief and get it sorted.
Relief at last!
Hi everyone,
Firstly please excuse me if I am not doing this correctly - my first time on a forum!
Am so glad I stumbled across this forum. About 6 weeks ago my son said he had a lump on his head which itched. After a few days he said it still itched and had lost a little bit of hair around the lump. About the same time he had a couple of red patches come up on his right shoulder. We visited the GP and he told me it was a reaction to a virus and gave him some Trimovate cream.
After a week using the cream, the lump on his head did seem to be receding but his upper torso was now covered in angry red patches and several were appearing on his face. He also had a much larger patch on his shoulder which I was convinced was ringworm! Back to the GP to be told that it was psoriasis and was a reaction to a virus. He was given some Dovobet to use once a day. As a psoriasis sufferer myself I was rather dismayed especially as it is on his face(not nice at any age but definitely not as a young teenager)
After using the Dovobet for over a week and slathering him in E45, the existing patches weren't getting any better and he was developing more. I searched on the NHS website after googling images of guttate psoriasis as something didn't ring true to me, and saw a picture of a herald patch, which by this time my elder son had on his upper thigh. (he was also feeling unwell - sore throat and a cough)
I then searched for more info on pityriasis rosea and came across this website which has given me (and my sons) so much relief.
I went out and bought the Head and Shoulders, vitamin C, milk thistle and zinc and have been making sure they have both been taking each every day. After 6 days there is a vast improvement in my younger son - no further patches have appeared and the ones that were there are now starting to fade. My elder son still has the herald patch on his thigh, but (touch wood!) he doesn't seem to have developed any other patches and is now feeling a lot better in himself.
A couple of things are a little strange; although it's not classed as contagious it's odd that like a few others, two of my sons have it and I don't know whether it's connected but I have been feeling off colour for the last few weeks, as if I am fighting a virus (headaches, lethargy, sore throat - on and off)but fortunately haven't developed any rashes.
Thank you to everyone who has posted on here - the information from everyone has been invaluable and much more informative than on the NHS website, where as you will all know, they tell you there is nothing you can do.
Good luck to everyone in their quest to have clear skin!
Hello WorriedMum - welcome to Healthy Pages!
I am so glad you have found the advice here helpful. I would suggest you continue to give your boys vitamin C with zinc daily after it has cleared up as it can also help with acne (even prevent it!).
Another thing I'd do is to make sure they get some sunshine on their bodies - without protection - 15 minutes a day during the summer if at all possible to up their vitamin D levels and to give them a store for the winter too. Vitamin D is a vital nutrient made in the skin in the presence of direct sunlight and is responsible for bone strength, is anticancer, has a role in insulin secretion (keeping blood sugar levels stable), blood pressure stability and many more things - so do get the sun on their skin - but only enough - too much, when the skin burns is not good!
Perhaps you will join in other discussions on this site? 🙂
Hi Caroline,
Yes, will definitely get them to keep taking it - and also agree that the sunshine (if we ever get any!) will do it good, it certainly helps with my psoriasis.:)
Hi Caroline,
Yes, will definitely get them to keep taking it - and also agree that the sunshine (if we ever get any!) will do it good, it certainly helps with my psoriasis.:)
Hi Worried mum .
I have heard that Edgar Cayce has wonderful remedies that help eczema and psoriasis .
I think slippery elm, saffron, kelp, crude oil, potassium are mentioned as being important .
What I do know is that in psoriasis there is toxins that are being excreted out via the skin cos the body is not coping sufficiently enough through other means ..
The main thing is not to add fuel to the fire so to speak and begin to detox and purify the blood .
x dazzle x
PR advice
Hi everyone,
Firstly I want to say how great this forum is, it's good to know that we can share our experiences and help each other get rid of PR.
I was diagnosed with it 2 weeks ago now, and it took 3 doctors to give an accurate prognosis. The first told me that it was normal and that I was overreacting, the second said it was a contact skin allergy, prescribed me a tiny tube of hydrocortisone and told me to take antihistamines and when that didn't help I saw a third doctor who actually took the time to examine me properly and told me I had PR.
She gave me a tube of steroid cream and said to take painkillers to help the itchiness as well as the usual advice on avoiding hot water.
Now I'm moving from the uk to Australia in a few weeks and was desperate to try to shift the PR, which was all over my trunk, groin and breasts, and even in my hair, so I feel confident enough to wear a bikini. So after reading up success stories on a few forums I've tried the following and they are really helping.
Using a nappy rash cream or sudocrem every morning and evening or in fact whenever I start to get itchy. It contains zinc oxide which has medicinal properties and the creams also have an antiseptic in them.
I've also been using coal tar soap and for my scalp a coal tar shampoo called t-gel. This takes a couple of washes to start working, but it really helps to soothe the scalp.
Thirdly, and I would never normally advocate this, but I've been using tanning beds. I've been twice now for a total of 10 minutes, but I can really see a difference. Immediately after I looked a little pink but I covered myself in after sun and the nappy rash cream and I can hardly see the PR now. There are a few little scaly white patches and my skin doesn't look even yet, but it's a huge improvement. Apparently the virus hates UVB rays so Im going to keep up with this until I'm certain I've killed it!
Other than that, I'm eating healthily. I always have a detox tea made from warm water, freshly squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper and ginger in the morning followed by a green smoothie. I eat plenty of fruit and veg and minimal processed food and drink
loads of water. I also take some supplements such as acidophilus, cod liver oil and skin, hair and nails.
I'll keep you posted on how I get on and what the final stages look like. Good luck everyone.
Hi,
I have been diagnosed today and have it all over my chest and back 🙁 will start the sunbeds tomorrow but just wondering which head and shoulders shampoo to buy?is it an anti dandruff one or another one?also I have eczema so am
Concerned that using this will then trigger that off?
Thanks for you help!
Gem
This forum has saved my sanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I suffered for months believing it was a fungal infection, tinea versicolor. After being driven absolutely demented I hit the internet to try and find some advice to help. This is when I saw pictures of PR and knew right away it was that. The symptoms also matched mine, feeling so tired and unwell, I had stopped exercising, stopped seeing friends, unable to focus at work and generally miserable and low! And the insane itch!!!!
I did some research, including this forum, and in a week my rash has practically cleared. SO HAPPY.
First, I carried on using Selsun Shampoo, prescribed for the fungal diagnosis as it has metalic properties which kill the fungus and dries out the skin. I think that with PR, the drying element helped to reduce the aggressiveness of the rash and prevent it spreading. I also tried to hold off on moisterising so that the redness would really reduce, and I think this also helped although I cant be sure. (NB please do not leave selsun on longer than 30 mins- when told to do this I got a severe chemical burn!!!!*)
I then hit the sunbed, going on 3 minutes to start with and then 6. I think this has been the main factor to such a speedy recovery.
I also stocked up on orange juice for Vit C, cod liver oil tablets for Vit D, lots of oily fish for dinner, plenty of water, and experimented with steroid creams and cocoa butter on the skin. Not sure at what level this helped but good for you either way.
In the first stages I also took plenty of anti histamines and paracetamol to cope with the itch and general discomfort. Necessity.
Overall this was really easy to treat, once I was confident I had PR. This forum really helped to give me hope that I could get some control on it and good ideas on treatment. Thanks!
Hey everyone,
that forum helped me a lot during the last few weeks, so I decided to share my experience with PR with you.
20/07/2012: I discovered the first few bumps on my stomach and my breasts. But since I had worked outside the week before I thought these were bug bites
24/07/2012: I had to go to Madrid for work and by that time the rash got a little worse but I still thought it was just an allergic reaction to fabric conditioner which I had just started using the week before.
27/07/2012 Three days in Madrid, 38 degrees outside temperature, lots of sweating, the rash got a lot worse (stomach, breasts, hips) and it started to get a lil itchy
28/07/2012 Back in London, I googled all sorts of rashes and without a doubt it was PR, I also discovered the herald patch which did not have the same color as the rash, probably because I have had it for longer. I also googled treatment opportunities for PR and decided on buying a bottle of Head and Shoulder Eucalyptus.
01/08/2012 After showering with H&S daily (I know you should keep your skin dry) it seemed as it had not gotten any worse. I also put baby oil on the rash 3-4 times a day. Then I decided to go to the gym
02/08/2012 Gym was a bad idea. The rash got worse but the weather got better, so I decided to spend some time in the sun. Did not help though (Probably the sun in London is not strong enough)
03/08/2012 Luckily the rash was not that itchy. Still using H&S. But it seemed like it had gotten worse. Bumps on my arms and legs. I decided to look for other treatment options. Bought vitamin C & zinc supplements at Boots and also zinc and castor oil cream for nappy rash. Used the cream 3-4 times daily
05/08/2012 The rash is not as red anymore and it seemed like it partially disappeared. Not sure whether it was the H&S or the nappy rash cream, but after using the cream, i felt like there was an immediate relief.
10/08/2012 The rash is almost gone by now. It has lost its color, it's not dry anymore, there are just some bumps left which no1 but myself would notice.
15/08/2012 I'm still showering with H&S after the gym. I still have one or two bumps on my body and the skin where the rash was is not as even but it's not bothering me anymore because it's almost invisible .
It might be true that PR will go away after 6-8 weeks but after using H&S shampoo and nappy rash cream it made my symptoms go away quicker. I would HIGHLY recommend to go to boots and buy H&S Eucalyptus, the nappy rash/zinc cream and the zinc & vitamin c supplements!
Thank you for that report tmzzz
It is always useful to hear how people have dealt with PR. Good that it is almost gone, and I am sure you are right - the regime you used seems to be a good one.
flare up
Ok, so last week my PR had pretty much gone (See post above!) but iv noticed over the last couple days now that I have stopped any treatment that its coming back a bit.....
I wanted to know from people who have managed to get rid of it for good, what the key thing was that worked. Sun bed or HnS...or combo?
thanks!
This page helped!
I discovered the herald patch sometime in March (2012). Within a month, it had spread everywhere; from my lower jaw area to my knees and it looked pretty bad and got me so depressed especially when the Nurse said I had to wait for it go by itself:eek::mad:. Now it is completely gone - and one of the following might have helped:cool::
*I stopped using shower gels/creams and washed with head and shoulders shampoo.
*I dissolved high strength Redoxon vitamic C and Zinc tablets in about 500ml glass of water and drank that once a day.
*I applied aloe vera gel all over the affected area (soothes especially after using head and shoulders).
*At night before going to sleep, I applied Clotrimazole Cream all over the affected areas:o.
I did all of the above religiously from June and started seeing results within 2 weeks. By the July, about 50% of the rashes had cleared and 90% by the end of July.
I stopped the regime around the end of July and the rest (mostly around my knuckles and elbows) slowly disappeared.
My skin was actually smoother and still is, almost glowing with no scars! (I was worried as I have dark skin and is prone to hyperpigmentation) Also, I somehow stopped breaking out in hives - reaction to a 'food' allergy I had all my life so yay! 😀
Hope this helps someone as I was so down about it around May
DrDB
I was diagnosed with PR 3 days ago after a week of putting up with what I thought was an allergic reaction. I missed the herald spot however I had been at the doctor 2 weeks previously with an allergic rash that had infected and needed treatment. I was put on antibiotics and given antihistamines (oral and cream). I now think this was the start.
Like you all doc told me to take a concrete pill and deal with it for 6-12 weeks. Sorry, can't do. The rash has spread down both my arms and hands, heading onto my back, is on both legs and worst of all on my face and neck. The rest of the rash I can hide but I can't hide the ugly red mess my face is becoming. I left work at lunch time today because the itch had got so unbearable despite eveything I had thrown at it. Got home, googled more, burst into tears that I had to put up with this for soo long. :012: I knew I would become a hermit and not go anywhere until it had gone. Also like a lot of you I am heading away on holiday this weekend, to a place called Rotorua. The whole idea of going to Rotorua was the relaxing spa treatments they have there and even better the natural hot pools that melt away your worries - unless you have PR. There is no way I can get into a hot pool with this and I can't see any therapist wanting to give me a massage when my skin looks so disgusting!
So I googled more and found a couple of blogs. Thank you everyone for giving me hope that I can help prevent the rash rather than just treating symptoms. I threw caution to the wind, went out and got some Selsun shampoo, zinc and milk thistle (already had vitamin C) and did what I swore I would never ever do - went and had a relaxing time on a sunbed. :nature-smiley-008:
I know I won't heal over night but I sure hope the itch stops quickly and the rash fades. Fingers crossed I will be able to go out and dance the night away soon...
Follow up from my message - I have now been taking Vitamin C, Zinc, Milk Thistle, the antihistamines (double dosing them) and had a couple of sun bed sessions. Oh and Hydrocortisone lotion along with a couple of other lotions the Health shop recommended.
I started this regime on Tuesday after I left work at lunch time beside myself with itching, couldn't make it to work yesterday as I was so badly itchy and my face was puffed up with dreadfully itchy patches. I couldn't wear anything with sleeves or legs as just the touching aggravated the itching. Yesterday was an amazingly stunning May day herr in Auckland, NZ so was able to sit outside in the sun which did heat things up and make it worse for awhile but I decided I had to do it in the hope that it would help longer term.
This morning I woke feeling a little better, rash had spread to my chest and was heading south. My face was still not comfortable but not as bad as the day before. So I went to work. And worked the whole day. Got home and stripped down to check how things were going and was completely blown away! 99% of the rash has either gone or faded to next to nothing. I have a couple of new patches that are itchy but totally bearable.
I totally recommend what I have done. I will keep up this regime for the next 4 weeks or until I am certain PR has gone. I can't thank you all enough for the suggestions. You have saved my sanity!
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