Pityriasis Rosea?

Question

1. anyone had it
2. is there anything to make them less scaly
3. anything to make them go away or not be red
4. how common is it

thanks, but I already know all that. I just want to know if there is temporary relief of the redness. I'm mostly past the itching stage, I just want a way to make them less scaly or less red....

Answer 1

Pityriasis rosea is an inflammatory disease characterized by diffuse, scaling papules or plaques. Treatment is usually unnecessary.
Treatment
In most cases, pityriasis rosea goes away in four to eight weeks. Treatment usually focuses on controlling itching. The antiviral drugs acyclovir and famciclovir and the antibiotic erythromycin may reduce the duration of pityriasis rosea to one to two weeks. These medications often are not necessary, however, because itching is usually mild, and the condition clears up on its own.
If itching is a problem, your doctor may recommend the following to provide relief:
Steroid creams or ointments. These creams will help ease itching and decrease redness.
Oral antihistamines. These medications are available by prescription as cetirizine (Zyrtec) and fexofenadine (Allegra), and over-the-counter as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), clemastine (Tavist) and loratadine (Claritin).
Light therapy (phototherapy). This can be with ultraviolet B (UVB) light or sunlight. Talk to your doctor before using sunlight to treat your rash. UVB therapy is most often available at your doctor's office.
Self-care
These steps may help relieve the discomfort of pityriasis rosea:
Bathe and shower in lukewarm water.
Take an oatmeal bath. You can find oatmeal bath products at your pharmacy.
Use zinc oxide cream or calamine lotion on the rash.
Avoid strenuous physical activity if sweating makes the itching worse.
Please see the web pages for more details and images on Pityriasis Rosea.

Answer 2

You have my sympathy but the good news is that this a self limiting rash. In other words, it will go away by itself, without treatment. The bad news is that commonly the process may take 12 weeks. My son has had recurrences over several years and our physician has advised no treatment other than preventing sunburns, keeping his skin clean without drying it out with harsh anti bacterial or deodorant soaps. It is not contagious to others but you should not scratch or irritate it further by constant touching. If your doctor feels your case is severe enough to warrant treatment, the most common is antihistamine pills or capsules to reduce the itching. Sometimes calamine lotion or zinc oxide cream can be effective also. Only your physician can prescribe steroids and that's for truly the most extreme. Here's hoping you won't have to go to that extent.