NOT MEDICAL ADVICE – ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING ANYTHING!
When I was pregnant with Lauren, I suffered from Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy (PUPPP). It is a debilitating hormonal rash so itchy you’d think you had sand flies underneath your skin biting their way out. All day and night. You wouldn’t even wish it upon your worst enemies. So I’m going to share a simple PUPPP relief method, for the good of all womankind. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE! [space]
Table of Contents
What Is PUPPP?
PUPPP is uncommon, but not rare, and apparently has a reported rate of 0.5% in single pregnancies. In other words, 1 very unlucky woman out of 200 will get this. So 199 women can thank their lucky stars that I was the chosen one, 天煞孤星. How do you know if it’s PUPPP? It comes during the last trimester and spreads everywhere, excluding the face, palms and soles. That’s right, you’d even get the rash on your armpits and butt crack. Nasty right? For me, it started from my belly stretch marks. The rest is history. I was only 36 weeks and according to the doctor, the only PUPPP cure was to deliver the baby.
I know right, if men could get pregnant, I’m sure there would be a PUPPP cure. Heck, there may even be a vaccine to prevent it from happening. Just take a look at this monstrosity.
PUPPP Rashes and How It Looks
As you can tell, the rash is unlike any other rash. They are like college cheerleaders, forming cliques and all.
Another tell-tale sign that you have PUPPP, if it’s not obvious enough when you are losing your sanity from scratching, is the rash has a halo effect. Yea, nothing beats being mocked by an angelic rash from hell.
So, many women opt to induce birth so they can be freed by the shackles of this PUPPP rash. Others try oatmeal baths and pine tar soaps that make you smell like you were roasting boar at a campfire. Many others just scratched till they bled. It’s so tragic! So how did I manage to get through this without a single scar on my skin?
Hot Water or Hot Air
That’s right, I used hot water. *DISCLAMINER: This worked for me and does not necessarily mean it will work for you. Execution is key. Try at your own risk! AND BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF!
As mentioned, execution is key. Hot water has a wide range and the hot water I’m talking about is like onsen temperature hot water. Almost as hot as you can accept and yet, not scald your skin. For me, I turned down the water outlet to the right temperature and used the shower head to focus on the PUPPP rashes.
I am not sure about the science behind it but in simple layman’s terms, the hot water actually manages to agitate the excessive histamines store (we don’t know why we suddenly produce so much!) all at once, i.e. getting to the root of the itch and it feels as though you scratched the crap out of it but you didn’t! So you are gratified without damaging your skin! And since it takes time for our bodies to build up the histamines store again, before we start itching like mad, it’s time for us to get some sleep! Finally! And this method is good for relief around 8 hours! Only issue is, the rash will look very freaky friday.
Recovery Phase
Oh yeah baby. That’s what I’m talking about. It looks horrendous but the hot water provided me relief of up to 8 hours at a go! In fact, the hot water felt so good, I recall looking forward to it every time! Hahaha! I kept it up for about 1 week or so and by then the rash had pretty much stopped itching and my skin was on its way to recovery. Isn’t that fast?
You have no idea how victorious I felt overcoming something that was told to me, “Sorry no cure”. Take that, b****! Self-censorship there.
Update 7 Feb 2019
I’m now pregnant with my 4th baby and getting rashes again at 22 weeks. The hair dryer works just as well and has less possibility of accidentally scalding yourself. You just have to be extra careful and hold it further away first to get a feel of it. You will feel as if you’re scratching but you’re not. Turn the hair-dryer away once you feel the itch has been “scratched” and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT burn yourself!
The rash was totally gone before Lauren was 1 month old. No scars, no sweat. Thank God! Well, if you are dealing with PUPPP and can’t even sleep, hope this helps. If you’ve had another way to deal with PUPPP, share with us!
***Update: So although Lauren is already 20 months old, the rash still comes back, in small patches like under my belly button. So due to the “strategic location”, I can’t exactly scorch myself anymore. Sigh! Haha, so thankfully I’ve got the Baby Miracle Balm cos it stops the rash and dries it up overnight. Doesn’t have the ooomph factor but works.
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183 Comments
Catherine
Yes it helped me, thank you so much for what you are doing also. I’m so grateful to you that I found a way to feel better in my pregnant body. And I must say that I’m so lucky that I found your remedy at the good time ?
Jolene Liow
I’m glad it helped! But as you mentioned, try to limit the time you spend with the hot water. The unbearable itchiness should be gone totally after 1 week or so. Take care and all the best for your delivery!
Catherine
Hi Jolene,
Every time after taking hot showers, did you put any cream on your body to not let the skin dry? And I read also that hot showers are not good during pregnancy. I’m following your advice but as a future mom I’m still worried.
Jolene Liow
Hi Catherine, in my case, I tried applying some cream on the rashes but it made it itch soon after. As my main objective back then was to relief myself of the unbearable itchiness, it was the lesser of 2 evils – to itch or to have dry skin. I decided to just leave my skin to dry out without applying any creams. Fortunately for me, I’m not sure about others, although the rashes dried up and my skin was very dry during the recovery phase, the dry patches eventually healed on their own and faded away to smooth skin. I can’t say the same for everyone though, hope I’m not misleading anyone here. Hot showers are indeed not good during pregnancy, and based on the very hot water temperature required, it’s impossible to stay under such hot water for long. When I used the hot water for my rashes, it was mainly a patch by patch exercise, not standing under the shower as I couldn’t take the temperature. Hope this helps!
Jennifer
This worked for me !!! I had it everywhere I’m 33 weeks and it began literally in my stretch marks, and then it started…. My arms my legs my ancles even my damn butt I used scorching hot water and scrubbed them areas (obviously keeping my belly away from the hot water) and then just letting it sting doesn’t itch at all and I’m 3 days of no itching since doing this. I the. Showered under extremely cold water and tada it’s fading !!!!
Jolene Liow
Hi Jennifer! Great! I’m glad it helped, I hope you didn’t scald yourself! Try not to scrub while you scorch, it could be too much for your skin. The marks will fade off really quickly, wishing you all the best and a smooth delivery! Take care and God bless!
Alexes eide
Can you use the baby miracle balm while pregnant to help with PUPPPs?! I need something bc I am dying. I am 35 weeks today and i dont know if I can take 4 more weeks of this.
Thank you!
Alexes
Jolene Liow
Hi dear, you can use the miracle balm but whether or not it’d help, is another issue. It’s not a drug so no guarantee of effectiveness. I did some research previously and some recommended bathing with pine tar soap, oatmeal baths, and using dandelion root. I didn’t do all that though since I just scorched the rashes. I think what’s important is for you to get over this phase, without leaving scars on your skin. I hope you find something that works for you! Take care!
Lim wei ling
Hi, how long does ur puppp recover? How many times do u use hot water on ur puppp? I tried hot water on mine too whenever its itchy.. i have this stinging feeling on my skin now..
Jolene Liow
Hi Wei Ling, if I don’t recall wrongly, I did the hot water for about 1.5 weeks to 2 weeks. I recall my skin had stinging too, try not to overdo it and don’t scald yourself, just twice a day at most or your skin will feel very dry. After about 2 weeks, I stopped completely as the rash was gone, my skin was no longer bumpy but smooth, and my skin had patches of discoloration from the hot water which took about 2 months to completely go away. No scars or marks left, but the rash does come back in small patches postpartum, even up to today. Hope this helps.
Lim wei ling
Thank u for ur advise.. 🙂