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
Ronette
Hi jo! Stumbled upon your pupps post as I was researching on the most effective way to get rid of the horrible itch. I am 33 weeks pregnant and i’m still waiting for my drs confirmation if it’s pupps (though i’m sure it is! Just by looking at google images and the pictures you have also put, I am now 100% sure what i’m having now is pupps). It’s really horrible and the thing is, the itchiness strikes anyime during the day! I’m teaching kg so just imagine working with kids and itching at the same time ? will try the hot water remedy you’ve recommended. I already have too many creams and ointments but none seem to work! I even bought grandpa’s pine tar soap! Scratching as i type right now!! Desperate for relief!!! ???
Jolene Liow
Hi Ronette, congrats on ur baby & hang in there! I hope the hot water hack can provide you some relief! Take care & all the best!
Vanessa
Hi Jolene, Im one of the unfortunates who developed PUPPPs AFTER delivery. I’m curious, did you use any special body wash or soap when you showered with hot water? I’m wondering if I’d be safe to continue using my body wash or if I need to get another. I’m 6w pp and I just had this start showing up about a week ago. Cant wait for it to go away!! ?
Jolene Liow
Hi Vanessa, sorry to hear that. For me, the PUPPP was soooo bad I couldn’t sleep so my priority was to get sleep. So I used the hot water only to get relief long enough to sleep. I would bathe as usual quickly and before getting out of the shower, I’d do the hot water hack, and follow up with cold water. I think best not to change too many things at this time. Speedy recovery to you!
Namratha
Hey jolene, its a year i delivered my baby but my puppp marks aren’t fading away..they are dark and look ugly..suggest me a way out of this..should I consult a skin specialist?
Jolene Liow
Hi Namratha, sorry to hear that. Did you do the hot water scorch? Or the marks are due to scratching/breaking skin? My marks faded away 1 month pp but I only did the hot water scorch, so I think it’s a good idea to see a skin specialist. Hope it all works out fine for you!
Riss
Jo, did you have it on your stomach too? Mine has been mostly on my belly but also creeping to other parts. I had tried many other things and was desperate so I tried your hot water remedy a few nights ago. It helped tremendously and I had 24 hours without scratching, was finally able to get a good sleep. I’ve done it 3 times now, but I’m worried about overheating the baby since I’m putting that super hot water directly on my tummy! Have been googling to see if this is a potential danger but can’t really find anything – still not sure what to think though.
Jolene Liow
Hi Riss, glad it helped! I believe another mom also had it on the belly and she shared in her comment that her OBGYN said if it’s just a few minutes it should be fine. However, I’d highly recommend you ask your OBGYN about this! My OBGYN was more concerned I was hurting my skin than anything else. Hope this helps!
Riss
Hi Jolene, I kept forgetting to come back and check in. I did end up speaking to my OB, and also to a midwife, who said they thought it’d be fine. I also mentioned it to my naturopath who’s from Japan and she said that in Japan traditionally most people would take a very hot bath every night, and it’s never been thought of as an issue for pregnant women. So I’ve gone ahead and been using this hot water remedy every night for the last month and it’s been a life saver. Thanks so much for sharing this post. It made all the difference to me! <3
Jolene Liow
Hi Riss, thanks for coming back and sharing your good news! That’s definitely a relief for other moms in the same plight!
Annie
Hi Jolene – thanks so much for posting about this! There really needs to be more information out there about this crazy rash. All of the comments have made me feel better that I am not alone. I just had my third baby and it started a couple hours after I delivered under my belly button and then spread to my arms and my whole abdomen and now I am a week PP and it is all over my upper legs, arms, back and neck and I think I have some patches on my face. It is so horribly itchy. Your hot water treatment is such a relief!! I really didn’t know what I was going to do. My question for you is, what temperature water did you use for your regular showers when you weren’t doing hte spot treatments? I’m not sure if lukewarm showers for cleaning would agitate the areas that are already healing? Thanks!
Jolene Liow
Hi Annie, thanks for your message! Regular showers would be slightly cold. Best to do that after the hot spot splashing. Hope you feel much better soon!