HELLO everyone! I've had PR for about one week now and it's drastically fading and going away. I'd like to share my story and tips in hopes that this will help anyone suffering from this awful disease.
BACKSTORY:
I noticed a hearld patch on my inner thigh about the size of a penny and mistaked it as a boil. Exactly one week later I started I started to itch and breakout with spots all over my neck while eventually moving down the front of my torso over the course of 4 days. My neck was completely covered-- no clear skin to be seen, a little less on my chest and sparse on my stomach. At this point I did a ton of research and realized I had PR (Dr would later confirm I was correct). It was a Friday and I couldn't get in to see my Dr until the next Tuesday so I knew I had to research and treat myself the best I knew how. I made a plan, stuck with it and now am on the mend.
MY PLAN:
Knowing the skin is the biggest eliminator of toxins and anything you do to you body shows through you skin, I decided it was time to drastically change my diet. My diet was poor and along with no sleep and stress I eventually contacted a virus that would lead to the breakout of PR.
1. Juicing - Only fresh fruits and vegetables. Your body need to flush and heal in order to clear your skin. Because juice is easy on the digestive tract, your body then is actually forced to put that energy toward healing. I drank a detox drink of lemon, ginger, coconut oil and garlic in the morning. Then, juiced anytime I felt hungry throughout the day. This isn't store bought juice either; it's fresh juice from an actual juicer. If you don't have access to one, use a blender. Juicer or blender, you will be doing your skin a favor regardless. Think of it as clearing your skin from the inside out.
Here is the link to the juicing diet I followed: http://www.all-about-juicing.com/detox-diet.html
2. Liver Detox Tea - Your liver is then responsible for flushing out the toxins in your body. Whether the tea actually helped or not, I felt good about doing something for my liver. After all, if your liver is poor-- your immune system is low. And anything you can do to kick that immune system back into high gear may help your PR or ward off lingering ailments.
I found this tea and my local grocery store and drank probably 4-5 cups a day. I'm a tea addict to begin with-- so this was easy. Organic or not, I don't think it really matters, but just remember not to add anything to the tea like sugar, milk, etc.
3. Drink as much water as you can to flush your body. Buy a fun water bottle or something to keep with you at all times. I found one with a straw which I found myself mindlessly drinking.
4. Shower with mild water. I love hot showers, but the itching and irritation were horrible.
5. Wash head to toe with Head & Shoulders Clinical Strength Shampoo. Let it sit on your skin for as long as you can. I sat for about 3-5 mins before I got too cold and had to rinse.
6. Following shower use Eucerin Eczema lotion.
7. Following lotions, apply a nice thick coat of Zinc Oxide - baby's diaper rash cream. This will act as a barrier to keep moisture out. We all know that sweating is like a breeding ground for PR as well as an irritant-- especially in the skin folds.
8. Even though I'm not pregnant or nursing, I started taking a packet of PreNatal vitamins containing: 2 calcium, 1 folic acid, 2 greens (veggies), 2 fish oil (omega-3).
9. Biotin Forte (Found at The Vitamin Shoppe) - Although my PreNatal vitamins contain biotin and pantothenic acid, I added an additional supplement to increase the dosage. Biotin and pantothenic acid promote healthy skin and immune system.
10. Tanning 3-4 times a week. This is very important. I will stop the spread and fade the spots. Even if you are worried about the effects of tanning beds, go 3x a week for one week and see if you notice a difference. It's worth a try!
With all of that said, I started this plan in full force on day 3 after the mass of spots arrived. By day 7 ( one week later after the spots showed up) I am on the mend. My neck, which was at one point completely covered with red, scaly rash is now faded almost back to my normal skin color. The raised lesions have flattened and the itching has subsided. I truly believe some sort of concoction that I listed above it to credit for this as well as acting immediately. I'm noticing that the fading is starting to move down my chest, but not without a terrible peak of itching first. I anticipate that this will be completely gone in another week with no trace. I'm assuming the fading will take a little bit yet. After all, it may take weeks or months to completely fade back to normal, but I'm hopeful!
What I will say to anyone reading this is to try what I did. At this point you have nothing to lose. Am I right? That's how I felt. Don't get discouraged if you don't notice a change in a day or even a week. Everyone's body/skin has it's one timeline. Keep your head up.. you can get through this!