how do I know when pityriasis rosea is healing?

So after being diagnosed with PR and being told i have to wait 6-8 weeks for it clear up by itself, i felt at a loss. My wedding is in 8 weeks and i have such a sever case that i doubted it would have cleared up in that time frame. So after going through as many website and seeing what worked with others i finally decided to try tanning. And from what i can tell it's working! But being fair skinned i have never tanned in a salon before and i'm not sure with the PR if this is normal, but i get little pin prick feelings where i have the PR. This feeling continues on for a few hours then dies down, and by the end of it, it starts to look better. So my question is to others who did the salon tanning if this is a normal feeling, or if it's because i'm fair skinned and shouldn't be tanning.
But to all others i do recommend getting as much UV as possible. It seems to really help it.

well I decided i am going to find a way to profit from my Pityriasis rosea. If I can find a way to harvest and control the infection I could package it up and sell it.
It has the potential to be a new type of street drug. I found out that if you take a dip or use running hot water if the infection is on your arm then run or scratch the infected area while in contact with the hot water; The relief from the scratching is almost
Orgasmic to where your eyes will roll backwards in ecstasy.

I think the key will be being able infect small portions of the body and control where the herald patch forms and also control it so it does not spread.

Basically you are selling the herald patch the customer can get as many orgasmic as they want from their hot water supply. When the herald patch goes away the customer will have to purchase another.

WHAT IS WORKING FOR ME:

It's semi-comforting that others are suffering with me. This truly is a miserably skin condition. I got the herald patch about 4-5 weeks ago and than erupted in a whack of spots all over my stomach/chest and back shortly after. Just like all of you, the burning, itching, and hopelessness followed soon after. At first they were smaller bumps, then they seemed to explode and double in size and now they are pealing sand scaly.

I refused to wait 8 or more weeks for this disaster to disappear. I have my very first all-inclusive trip booked for March 10th and I had planned to spend the 7 days surfing. So here is what i did and will continue to do:

1) Every single morning I take a COLD shower and only use soap on the areas not affected. On the areas affected I sponge it with water.

2) I lather up with Aveeno for extra dry skin. And if I am still itchy, which i always am I put calomine lotion on.

3) Every second day I tan inside for about 10 minutes then come home and soak in a COLD bath with a generic oatmeal bath.

4) Afterwards I lather up with a thick layer of cream followed by cortinsomne or the calomine lotion.

- when I started taking action I looked like I had flesh eating disease. Within one tan they had dried up, stopped spreading and my herald patch completely disappeared! After a week of doing this, they are significantly less red.

I'm really hoping that I don't get the white spots afterwards and that this goes away really soon!

I have had this condition for nearly a month now- it started with one patch on my forearm which I attributed to dry skin. Nearly a fortnight passed before I spotted another lesion, this one on my breast; the day after that, it went crazy!
I am covered from knees/elbows, all over my torso, back, neck, into my hairline and even a little on my face.
It is under my arms and has started spreading into my groin, too.
Extremely itchy, occasionally painful, and extremely unsightly.
Heat definitely aggravates it, as does woollen or synthetic clothing, and soap.
At the moment I'm taking antihistamines and alternating between a mild steroid cream and Doublebase to try and clear it up, but it's still spreading and I'm embarrassed to be seen like this so I've stopped going out.
Fingers crossed it will go away soon.

tanning works,,same kind of thing first went to dr said ringworm,then went to a dermatologist she said nummular excema,,everything i looked up pointed to pityriasis(pictures esp) then went back to dr and within secs confirmed it was pityriasis. I went tanning for a wk (5 times) in a stand up bed, no lotion and it immediatl started to look better,,then the scab phases started so i put a and d diaper ointment on every scab,,woke up the next morning and they were almost completely gone,,just lighter patches now due to when i was tanning the rays didnt get through the patches,,everyday they are less noticeable. From start of rash (not the herald patch) to finish it was only about 3 wks. (and i had it pretty bad) it was all over my back was worst, also on my neck chest and stomach and a few on my arms and legs. GO TANNING THEN MOSTURIZE,,it works. sorry to all who has this,, but it could be worse, so keep thanking God

Im 28 and had PR right before Christmas. At first it wasn't so bad, had it over my stomach and back, then it just got worse and worse. Same as everyone else, went to doctor to be told nothing he could do so I took Benadryl at night so I wouldn't itch. Its the itching that is the worse. After 5 weeks, It had spread on my arms and I had it really bad on my thighs and back... But my concern was that I was going down south for 2 weeks! Doctor said, sun will help but not too much. So I went down south and put sunscreen like crazy because I didn't want to get sunburn & I hid from the sun in the beginning... a bit of sun but no too much. I have to say, that I believe the salt water combination with the sun healed me. It started to get "crusty" and it peeled off... after a week, i was completely cure. The ONLY issue.... I now have white patches everywhere lol. Since i tanned, and when the PR cured, all the spots where i had PR peeled off and i have untanned skin under. My bf says I look like a cow lol. but i'm happy the itching is gone :)
I would say it lasted about 6/7 weeks total. I do believe sun will help you and if you live somewhere where you have access to the sea, go swim!

I have had this for about a month and a half and it kept getting worse. I read a website online about a guy who had it for 3 months and then went tanning 6 times in 2 weeks and it was completely gone. Normally I only get spray tans btu i upgraded my membership yesterday and added tanning on to try it out. I went ONE day and already my boyfriend and I have noticed it is starting to fade away. I think a few more times and it should be gone. Didnt need lotion or anything...although I am a little sunburnt, I will take that over the PR. :) GO TANNING!