how do I know when pityriasis rosea is healing?

I had PR for 3 months. It started on my chest first and one large spot on my arm. It looked like mosquitos bites at first and then ringworm when it got bigger. The doctor prescribed steroid cream (Triamcinolone Acetonide 0.1%) to help with the itch and told me that PR is caused by virus and will go away on its own. On my 3rd week, it spread all over my neck, trunk, arms, and legs. The only place that was not affected was my face. The itch was severe. I tried Neoplasm and Lysine but nothing could stop the spread. I thought hot shower/bath would help ease the itch but it just exaggerated the rash and made it worse. Right before I decided to go back to the doctor, I found this website and was so glad that I did. I followed others’ suggestions, and here is what I did and it worked for me:
1. Head & Shoulder Eucalyptus: use as body wash, leave it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing it. It stings a little at some points but it really works. It dries out the rash and cools the skin to help bring down inflammation.
2. Coconut Oil/Body Butter: to keep the body hydrated, overly dry skin will cause itching. I personally prefer body butter because it is richer than regular lotion and soaks into the skin faster than coconut oil.
3. Supplements (vitamin C or elderberry extract): to boost the immune system.
4. UV light: I tried to expose to the sun 15 minutes a day. Remember it is the UV light from the sun that helps, not the heat. The heat will exaggerate the rash, so try not to wear too many clothes when getting the sun and avoid intensive physical activities. I did not use tanning bed because of personal reasons but I think it would work because it gives the right amount of UV light every time.
My PR started to flatten and dried out. It turned from bright red to brownish color. I also used Bio-Oil and Sudocrem at some points but they did not do anything for me. The scars fade on their own pretty fast so Bio-Oil is not necessary. Unfortunately, my body was not strong enough to fight the rash completely, so when one episode was over, another one began. I had multiple episodes, and it took a total of 3 months for my body to fight it off. During the last month, I was giving up and stopped thinking about the rash. I guess because I was no longer stressed out, my rash somehow healed really quickly at this point. I was worried because the scars were everywhere on my body, but they just peeled off or faded away as soon as the rash cleared. Now 90% of my scars is already gone, the 10% left is the ones on my legs which will eventually go way as well.

I'm so happy that I found this thread. I've had pr for just over two weeks. The patch was on my inner thigh and I didn't understand why i had this random nickel sized dry patch. The bumps started in my neck and hairline and spread down to my chest and back, then onto my face. I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with Pr. I've been bathing with an African soap that has ash and oatmeal in it. Allergy medicine doesn't help with anything, so I stopped taking it. I had no idea about head and shoulders and will get it tomorrow. I've had multiple break downs because of my face, but I'm hopeful the bumps will fade. I saw someone else posted about swollen lymph nodes, I have two swollen lymph nodes on my hairline by both ears. In addition, my lips are extremely dry and chapped, I can't get hydrated. Thank you all for your tips.

I need help! 3 weeks ago I got one rash close to my private parts. I didn't pay much attention to it because I thought it would go away. Few days ago I got more and more of these rashes. I now have a few more close to my private parts, one on my stomach, many on my chest and two on my neck. I know it's hard to diagnose through photos, but I really need help because my doctor is clueless (like usually). Could this be pityriasis rosea? Or is it some kind of ringworm?
I would really appreciate your help.

I was under tremendous stress last week. I found out that my dog has cancer. One day I noticed a patch, but didn't have any idea what it actually was. It has been a week and now it is spreading to my face, neck, and legs. Thank God it does not itch, but the spreading is worrying me. :( I know it was stress that brought it on! Is it normal to begin spreading the second week? I was prescribed something they usually give for Chicken Pox but the doctor warned me that it may not help. Help!

MY PITYRIASIS ROSEA STORY!!!!

So most of the stories I've read in these forums are usually vague and don't really give people the answers and hope they need. Let me tell you my "PITY" story in hopes that it will lift your spirits and help you through this....
AHEm..this is the story of my pityriasis rosea outbreak and healing...lol

I am 25 years old and african american
So one day I was driving and my friend looked at my arm and said i was breaking out. I looked at ny arm and say a couple of bumps, i simply thought they were heat bumps and brushed them off.. later that day i went home and not thinking i looked at my arm and saw it was covered in many many small bumps...i have no allergies and have never had a reaction to anything. The bumps were not itchy at all and i live in florida and I'm constantly in the sun so again i thought it was a simple heat rash, so i tried to stay inside out of the sun. The next morning I woke up and not only were there more bumps, I saw they had spread to my other arm, This is the point when I started to panic, I began to think about all the things iI had done and the only different thing i could think of was the fact I had eaten peanuts from a spanish women the day before so I thought I may have been allergic or something, But hell I've eaten peanuts all my life so I know that wasn't the issue. So like every one else I took it to the web, I ruled out any STD'd because I practice safe sex, and I haven't been active for a month (BY CHOICE lol)
I couldn't find anything that matched my symptoms....days went by and the bumps now covered my chest, my back, my neck, shoulders, and neck, eventually they would cover my face. By this point it had been 4 days, and these tiny bumps covered my body except my hands and my feet. Day 5 I happened to get in a car accident and found myself in a hospital, the nurses took off my shirt and were confused and amazed by the rash that covered my body, the doctor asked me a few questions and explained to me that I had something called Pityriasis Rosea, I WAS RELIEVED TO FIND OUT THIS MAN KNEW WHAT THIS WAS!....until he told me there was no cure, and I thought I would catch a heart attack, WHERE DID IT COME FROM?!? was my first question, but then he tells me HES not sure of the cause...No Cause...No cure....you could imagine what I was thinking. He simply smiled and said I had absolutely nothing to worry about as it would go away In a few weeks. Now Im a good looking young man...and when he told me I would look like this for weeks i almost threw my phone away as my social life had died.
A week had gone by and these bumps had now become Raised Skin colored Patches all over, Whe i took my clothes off, I SAW THE CHRISTMAS TREE PATTERN all over my chest and back, by this point it started to Itch like CRAZY..THIS WAS THE WORST ITCH IMAGINABLE, It was one time were every point on my body itched at the same time and I could only choose to scratch two places...I wanted to cry. I went to the store and got some **YES TO COCONUT WIPES**, **BENEDRYL**,**HEMP LOTION**,**ORGANIC MINT BODY WASH**. I immediately took a shower and used the MINYT BODY WASH, and immediately felt relief, It was as if a cool feeling covered my body, I got out of the shower, and took some benedryl, for the first time i was able to relax. It wasn't until night time that again I had an itching episode, I used the coconut wipes, and again I was relieved..I was amazed the coconut wipes worked so well, I grabbed them randomly looking for moisturisers but yet these worked better than anything else. Morning I put on the Hemp lotion with seemed to keep the patches calm, and whenever i started itching i used the coconut wipes..I found relief using these for the next few days..

days later all the patches seemed to get flat and now my skin looked very...scaly? and dry? if that made since. I didn't care...I was just glad the bumps were gone, but now I had this to deal with..Ithe patches seemed to get flaky and just rub off. So i thought i had begun healing...unitl the itching started again..The coconut wipes didn't seem to work on this phase but the hemp seemed to keep my skin moist whenever I was drying out.
I was now 2 weeks into the rash and now my skin seemed to get dry and flaky where ever the bumps were...I was shedding everywhere...and itching. My friend told me about how his mom used to get flaky skin when she was doing cancer treatments. So i talked to her and she told me she used **Cocobutter Petroleum Jelly** **Jergens Shea Butter Deep conditioning moisturisers** **Lotion with Aloe extract** and **aquaphor healing ointment** and i was to apply the all in that order. I put them on and for the first time since I had this god forsaken rash...My skin Felt Normal, I could see that where my skin was peeling there was light patches, It was like the darker layer of my skin was peeling off revealing a new lighter layer. Days went by and the itch became less, but I was flaking more and more, my skin looked rough and even when i scratched my head flakes began falling out, I then went and got **HEAD AND SHOULDERS SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER**, after about 3 times the flakes on my hair began to stop. I said hell why not, I used the head and shoulders shampoo and conditioner as body wash. After about three showers, and the application of the lotions, my skin began to look like its original texture, but i still had the light patches everywhere. at first I was scared to go back out in the sun because i thought thats what started this whole mess. But my skin tone began to even out the more time i spent in the sun. The itching became less and less, AND ONLY ITCHED IF I THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
3 Weeks in the flakes were now non existant, you could barely notice the light patches, the first part to completely clear up was my face, and I COULDN'T stop smiling. Although my skin would get dry from time to time. I was still showering with the head and shoulders and applying all four lotions. The next week all the light spots were gone, I wasn't flaking but my skin was only getting a little dry but It was completely back to the way it was before this rash started.

4 WEEKS PEOPLE!!! IT DOES GET BETTER I SWEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heres a list of all the things i used:
First stage (Bumps, patches, and Itching)
Weeks 1-2
-Say yes to coconut wipes
-Hemp Lotion
-Benedryl

2nd Stage(Dry, Flaking, and Itching)
Weeks 2-4
-Cocobutter Petrolium Jelly
-Jergens shae butter drep conditiong moisturiser
-Aloe vera lotion
-Aquaphor healing ointment

Total: $34.76 cvs

I HOPE THIS HELPS!! THIS WAS THE WORST!!!!