Pityriasis Rosea-Rash-Anybody's kid every have this?

[cruisnfamily]

My dd had what appeared to be ringworm on the inside of her upper thigh...about 4 perfectly circular red sores with the outside edge raised up. We had some sample prescription meds for ringworm that a friend gave us and we were planning to use this thru the weekend(she only showed it to me fri night) and go in Tues morn to the doc. Well, Sat morning, she wakes up and there are spots on her belly, upper chest and neck that look like they're going to flake away and turn into more of these things so I figured I'd better call the on call doctor and get it looked at. On call doc says it's not ringworm but Pityriasis Rosea which she says is a skin thing with no known cause and there's no treatment either unless it itches then you can do benadryl. These marks aren't bothering DD at all, they don't itch or hurt. The problem is the doc said it can last from 2 -12 weeks and will probably get much worse before it clears up. DD is horrified to think her whole trunk area could be covered by these sores.

So, anybody ever experience this? How did you handle it? How long did it last? What if anything did you do to treat it?

Thanks! sorry so long, this is just a mysterious thing to us and we know nothing about it.

 

[Swimnoid]

I had it once several years ago. It was mildly itchy. It went away on its own in a week or two. It was strange because it only shows up in places covered by clothes. I had it all over but it stopped where my sleeves and shorts stopped!

 

[zulaya]

Yep. My DD had it. Doc said he sees it at least once a month. No cure, just wait it out. My DD didn't itch at all - I was the one having a cow over the rash. It did take about a month to completely fade. No worries.

 

[cruisnfamily]

glad to hear your reports of it clearing up quickly....dd was picturing having this for months based on the 12 week thing.

We've been told it's not contagious, do you guys agree? Did anyone else in your families get it? Or anybody you know?

Thanks!

 

[rascalmom]

My daughter had a case of it when she was about 8. It only lasted about a week. Very little itching. Good luck with your dd - hope it clears up for her quickly!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I had it when I was in college but it was only on my trunk. No itching but they gave me cream for if it did itch.

 

[maci]

Yes my DD had it when she was 2. And IT DID last the fully 12 weeks if not longer! I swore it would never go away! It spread really bad on her too, her entire body, poor thing!

DS has it now! He has had it maybe 3-4 weeks and it is going away. His never really spread though.

Good luck! Hope it wont spread too much, and go away quickly!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Bumping for more feedback. I realize you aren't doctors and we have been to the doctor already, I'm just looking to hear what you all experienced with this.

Very interested to know whether or not you guys feel this is contagious. Doctor says it's not contagious but I figure DD had to get it from somewhere so it must be contagious at some point. Did anybody else in your family get it? Did your friends or aquaintances get it?

I'm also interested in the reports of how long it lasted. It appears we're at the very beginning of it. The one patch has been there about a week but now there are all kinds of new spots starting up. We wonder how long this is likely to continue and how long before they start to fade instead of sprouting new ones.

We head for Disney next week and then she goes to camp the following week, I guess I'll need a Dr's note saying it isn't contagious.

Yuck! I just hope it goes away soon. It sure does look icky!

 

[maci]

As far as the contagious thing...no one else in the family got it when either of my kids had it.
They had it about 2 years apart.

I know I was really stressed about it when DD had it, b/c it covered her whole body. It does look really bad.

 

[phamton]

There are several articles about it but this one from the American Academy of Dermatology seems to answer most of your questions about it being contagious and how long it lasts:
http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/PityriasisRosea.htm

"Pityriasis rosea usually begins with a large, scaly, pink patch on the chest or back, which is called a "herold" or "mother" patch. It is frequently confused with ringworm, but antifungal creams do not help because it is not a fungus.

Within a week or two, more pink patches appear on the chest, back, arms, and legs. Patches may also occur on the neck, but rarely on the face. The patches are oval and may form a pattern over the back that resembles the outline of a Christmas tree. Sometimes the disease can produce a very severe and widespread skin eruption. About half the patients will have some itching, especially when they become warm. Physical activities like jogging and running, or bathing in hot water, may cause the rash to temporarily worsen or become more obvious. There may be other symptoms including fatigue and aching. The rash usually fades and disappears within six to eight weeks, but can sometimes last much longer. Pityriasis rosea does not seem to spread from person to person and it usually occurs only once in a lifetime."

There are also pictures so you can see what to expect whithin the coming weeks. My father had it when he was 78 years old but I doubt that his experience will be anything like your daughter's. He developed the classic "Christmas tree" pattern.

 

[roger_ramjet]

I have it right now, actually. I've had it a couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to be doing anything much, if anything it's going away, and it hasn't been itchy. It's just not very attractive. It's not meant to be contagious, so there is no cause for concern there. It's a very strange little ailment anyway.

 

[cruisnfamily]

There are several articles about it but this one from the American Academy of Dermatology seems to answer most of your questions about it being contagious and how long it lasts:

Yep, I've done lots of googling and I did read the info on that site. Thanks for the link though. I guess I was looking more for personal stories as opposed to textbook definitions.

The articles all give such wide parameters and I wondered how most people's actual experiences were.

 

[cruisnfamily]

OK, it's now 3 days since she first showed me the "herald patch" which are the five or so circles that look kind of like ringworm. She's been out at various sleepovers since Saturday morning and just got home so I put her under the bright lights and checked her over. She has a bunch of spots on her chest, shoulders and back that basically look like little peely patches about the size of the end of a q-tip each. They're not particularly pink just like a top layer of skin has peeled in very small ovals so she is pale there instead of tan. If this is all this rash will do, then it's really no big deal. I pictured all of these spots turning into the ringworm looking stuff like she has on her leg. So, tell me, those of you who experienced this. What did the spots do? Just peel a bit? Or turn an awful angry red like the original patches?

Thanks for holding my hand thru this. I had already decided if they looked really awful or covered her body pretty thoroughly we would consult a dermatologist but at this point, it seems like a bunch of nothing.......or is the worst yet to come?

Thanks!

 

[maci]

When my DD had it, it was blotchy, same places just looked dry and flakey and other were the really dark red. But it was all over her torso. It got much worse before it got better. But it sounds like others have had less severe cases of it, and my sons was much less severe.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

DS 12 had it last month. Took him to Dr. to rule out Scarlet Fever since he had been exposed to Strep. His lasted under a week.

 

[cruisnfamily]

DS 12 had it last month. Took him to Dr. to rule out Scarlet Fever since he had been exposed to Strep. His lasted under a week.

Under a week? Wow! That would be great...

 

[HeatherH]

I had it TWICE as a child. I know it's not supposed to come back, but it did for me.

Our dermatologist gave me something to paint on the patches to help the itching. I hate to tell you, but it lasted about six weeks each time I got it...once as a pre-teen, and once in my late teens.

There's not much you can do and no point in stressing about it, it WILL go away, and you just treat the symptoms. The spots for me the first time were more "flaky"; the second time I got it it did not itch nearly as much as the first time and they were just the raised pink skin. And it is definitely not contagious.

Hope your daughter feels better soon.