Pityriasis Rosea

Pityriasis Rosea

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Photo provided by Thomas Habif, MD.

Pityriasis rosea is a skin disease that causes itchy and small, scaly circular patches on your skin. On dark skin, the patches may be purple, brown, or gray. On light skin, the patches may be tan or rose-colored.

• Pityriasis rosea may be caused by a virus, but doctors don’t think you can spread it to other people

• Girls and women between 10 and 35 years old are most likely to get pityriasis rosea

• Pityriasis rosea usually goes away on its own in about 5 weeks, but sometimes it can last for 2 months or more

Doctors don’t know for sure what causes pityriasis rosea, but they think it may be caused by a virus.

You usually will initially get a patch of skin on your chest, belly area, or back that is:

• Round

• Scaly

• Rose or tan in color on light skin or purple, brown, or gray on dark skin

• About 1 to 4 inches wide (2.5 to 10 centimeters)

This patch is called a herald patch or mother patch. Sometimes, you feel weak and tired, have a headache, or have joint pain a few days before the patch appears.

Pityriasis Rosea (Herald Patch)

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Initially, most people who have pityriasis rosea develop one large scaly patch called the herald patch (arrow), and, within 1 to 2 weeks, smaller tan- or rose-colored patches can occur on the trunk, arms, and legs.

Image courtesy of the Public Health Image Library of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After 1 to 2 weeks, you may have:

• Many smaller scaly patches on other parts of your body

• Itchiness, which can be severe

In children, patches may start in the groin area (the area between your upper thighs and your belly) or under the arms and then spread. Children and pregnant women with pityriasis rosea may have patches with little or no scaling.

Your doctor usually can tell you have pityriasis by the way your skin patches look and because a large patch showed up first.

Your doctor may recommend:

• Exposure to natural sunlight or sunlamps

• Medicines called antihistamines you take by mouth for itching

• Corticosteroid creams for severe itching if antihistamines don't help