Pityriasis rosea: How to treat it at home

While you have a rash, you want to take some precautions

Keeping your skin cool, using fragrance-free skin care products, and protecting your skin from the sun can help prevent a worsening rash. You don’t need to stay away from others.

If you have pityriasis rosea, the rash and symptoms will go away without treatment. Until the rash clears, here are 9 tips that dermatologists give their patients to help them feel more comfortable.

1. Avoid overheating when you can. Heat can worsen the rash and the itch. To reduce the risk of overheating, do the following until your rash clears:

   • Avoid hot temperatures whenever possible.
   • Stop doing strenuous activities and anything that makes you sweat.
   • Stay out of hot tubs and whirlpools.

2. Take warm – not hot – showers and baths. Hot water can worsen the rash and itch. If your rash doesn’t itch, it might after you take a hot shower or bath or soak in a hot tub.

3. Protect your rash(es) from the sun. Getting a sunburn while you have pityriasis rosea can feel miserable. To reduce the risk of sunburn and becoming overheated, dermatologists recommend that you:

   • Wear loose-fitting clothing to cover the rash(es).
   • If you cannot cover a rash with loose-fitting clothing, apply sunscreen with broad-spectrum protection and SPF 30 or higher to the rash before going outdoors. Keep in mind that some skin care products can irritate the rash. To avoid this, sunscreen should also be mild and fragrance free.
   • Seek shade whenever possible.
   • Don’t tan with or without the sun.

4. Be gentle with your skin and use fragrance-free skin care products until the rash clears. Rubbing or scrubbing your skin can irritate your skin, causing the rash to worsen. Gently cleansing your skin with your hands can reduce the likelihood of irritating your skin.
   
   Fragrance can also irritate your skin. To avoid this, use mild, fragrance-free cleansers, body washes, and soaps. Going fragrance free also means:

   • No antibacterial skin care products
   • No deodorant soaps or other skin care products
   • No scented or unscented skin care products
   Antibacterial, deodorant, scented, and unscented products like soaps and cleaners tend to worsen the rash.

   Aren’t unscented and fragrance free the same thing?

   They’re different. “Unscented” means a product contains fragrance that you cannot smell. While you cannot smell the fragrance, it can still irritate your skin. Fragrance- free products contain no fragrance. That’s why you want to use fragrance-free skin care products rather than unscented ones until your rash clears.

   

5. Apply a fragrance-free emollient to help your skin feel more comfortable. An emollient can relieve the itch and discomfort by moisturizing, softening, and soothing your skin. For the best results, apply it immediately after showering or getting out of the bath. You also want to apply it throughout the day if your skin feels uncomfortable.

6. Wear loose-fitting clothes. If clothing rubs against the rash, this can worsen the rash.

7. Relieve the itch with one or more of these dermatologist-recommended remedies. The rash can be itchy, and sometimes severely itchy. To relieve the itch at home, dermatologists recommend the following:

   • Place a cool, damp washcloth on your itchy skin. Dermatologists recommend using a clean washcloth that you’ve just soaked by placing it under cool, running water. Once soaked, wring out the excess water, but leave it damp. Then apply the washcloth to your itchy skin. Keep the washcloth on the itchy area for 3 to 5 minutes.
   • Take an oatmeal bath. To make this bath, buy colloidal oatmeal at your local drugstore or online. You’ll find the instructions for making this bath with the product. Be sure to use warm – never hot – water.
   • Apply calamine lotion, pramoxine lotion, or hydrocortisone cream to itchy skin – but take these precautions. If you’re treating a child younger than 12 years of age, check with the child’s pediatrician before applying any of these. When you want to apply this to a large area, apply a small amount first. If you don’t get a reaction within 24 hours, then apply to a larger area.
   • Prevent the itch from waking you and keeping you awake by taking an anti-allergy medication called an antihistamine. You want an antihistamine that can help you sleep, so choose one that doesn’t say “non-drowsy” on the package. A now-drowsy antihistamine can help relieve the itch while you’re awake.
     
     If you’re treating a child, check with the child’s doctor before giving an antihistamine.

8. Never use an anti-fungal medication to treat pityriasis rosea. Applying any anti-fungal medication to a pityriasis rosea rash can worsen the rash. Anti-fungal medications include those used to treat athlete’s foot, jock itch, and ringworm.
   
   If you’re unsure whether a medication is an anti-fungal, ask the doctor who prescribed it or your pharmacist.

9. Use a concealer if desired. If you have a visible rash, you can cover it with concealer. To avoid irritating the rash, use a concealer formulated for sensitive skin.

When to contact a dermatologist

While the rash of pityriasis rosea can often be cared for at home, you should see a board-certified dermatologist if the rash worsens or lasts longer than 3 months. No one knows your skin better than a dermatologist, who can tell you whether treatment is needed.

If you don’t have a dermatologist, you can find one at Find a Dermatologist.

Images
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References
Drago F, Broccolo F, et al. “Pityriasis rosea: An update with a critical appraisal of its possible herpesviral etiology.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;61:303-18.

Goldstein AO, Goldstein BG. (section editors: Dellavalle RP, Levy ML). “Pityriasis rosea.” UpToDate. Last reviewed: 8/2024.

Litchman G, Nair PA, et al. “Pityriasis rosea.” StatPearls. Last updated 3/1/2024. Last accessed 9/2024.

Kunin A. "Pityriasis rosea: Relief for a little-known rash." In: The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual. Simon & Schuster. United States, 2005:197-201.

Wood GS, Reizner GT. “Other papulosquamous disorders.” In: Bolognia JL, et al. Dermatology. (fourth edition). Mosby Elsevier, China, 2018:170-2.

Written by:
Paula Ludmann, MS

Reviewed by:
Brendan Camp, MD, FAAD
William Warren Kwan, MD, FAAD
Ata Moshiri, MD, FAAD
Carla Torres-Zegarra, MD, FAAD

Last updated: 10/24/24