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
SHARIEZA
Thankyou for this! Sooo much help! God bless you!!!
Gillian
Omg thank you so much for the advice hot showers is definitely helping , I got advices to have cold showers , tryed everything and thankfully came across this page . Not sure if my rash is going away completely but it’s definitely giving me relief when nothing else was . Thanks again
Ashley
I was about 35 weeks into my pregnancy when I first started showing signs of this horrible rash. After a good bit of research I found that it was likely to be PUPPP. So I tried what most websites recommended, hydrocortisone cream 1%. But that wasn’t enough when I realized I was waking up several times a night to find myself scratching. So I started taking benadryl as well. And even that didn’t help my sleep or itch problem. I tried to tough it out for about a week before I just couldn’t bear the itch anymore. I mean, the cream and benadryl made things better but not enough. So at 36 weeks I called my Doctor and she prescribed me some stronger hydrocortisone cream (2.5%). I was so excited use it so I could have some more relief! So I put some on as soon as I picked up the prescription, but it felt like it had worn off after just 30 minutes… I felt defeated. So much so, I was ready to ask my Doctor at my next appointment to induce me so I could finally have some relief. Then I found this site.
I was thrown with the idea of using hot water to relieve the itching. Mostly because when I took a shower with warm water, it seemed to make the itching even worse.. So I always made sure I was in and out as quickly as possible. Well, while I was doing my absolute best to restrain myself from itching tonight, I came across this site. I read through several comments and was shocked with how many women found relief with super hot water. After scrolling/swiping/reading I finally said “I’ll try anything,” and ran into the shower.
Let me tell you! I’ve never had my shower so hot before. It felt AMAZING! The first few seconds felt like my itch was getting scratched. Finally. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I noticed that the itch was fading. I was soo surprised. So I let the hot water run over my belly until it no longer felt itchy. I then went about my business and OMG…2 hours later and I haven’t had any itchiness and I also haven’t felt the need to apply any lotions or creams. I’m hoping it lasts throughout the night so I can finally get some decent sleep.
I’m also excited to have an excuse to take more hot showers…because they always seem to help me relax after a long day. Which is often these days lol!
Kelly
I’m 5 weeks till expected due date, and I developed this rash 2 weeks ago. I don’t actually have any stretch marks (lucky me) but it still started on my stomach and wrists. It spread and spread out from those regions and is now all over my body except my palms and feet, and it’s all around my face but not actually on my face.
I was so lucky I enjoy hot showers and found out about the hot water helping only 1 week in. I am managing to avoid the clustering of the bumps, but it doesn’t seem to be going away.
But it still really helps. The key is to immediately stop that hot water on the area once that incredible “scratching that itch” sensation goes away. Every second past that point is just drying out and burning your skin.
I also found that if I scratch the areas really good and damage the area before finally applying the hot water, it feels itchy even after the water, like it’s super dry and cracking or getting poked by tiny pokey hairs. This is because I damaged it and then the hot water poofed it up a little and it actually IS dry and cracking and sensitive to tiny hairs poking it.
Just trust me that it becomes more sensitive and super dry after and in the long run if I use water that’s too hot (burn myself) or for too long. Dry itching on top of this crazy condition can really mess with your head when analyzing results of experimenting with this.
Also, Cold water after is also key (in the areas you can stand it, anyway – cold water under the arms or other no-no squares can be pretty torturous itself). The cold water will help fight the counter-productive swelling and blood pooling your body wants to do at the rash sites. It will calm it all back down and also soothe anywhere you might have accidently burnt yourself.
Lastly, if your skin gets dry, you MUST moisturize it. It is true that moisturizers tend to make my rash itch (I think it’s because it makes my body hairs sensitive to stimulation and the areas get tickled into itching) but moisturising is necessary if you are dry and/or have burnt an area. I just use straight up coconut oil and natural cooking oils I have lying around. Just google what cooking oils are good for moisturizing your skin and you’ll be surprised at how less expensive the pricing is for more products. (Be Sure to test 1 area for a full day to make sure you’re not topically allergic to it! Very important!) Plus, they tend to absorb into the skin faster than lotions and creams, which means less irritation for your rash.
And lastly, it never even crossed my mind to use a hair dryer! I literally just tried it and it totally worked! It’s a lot less drying and it’s fast, but it’s also easy to overdo it and burn yourself. So just be careful and find that perfect sweet spot. Just remember to apply some sort of cold after to soothe the areas. Very important in the long run.
I love you ladies! You’re not alone in this torture! Stay strong, take it day by day, and just remember that it’ll all be over before you know it.
Jolene Liow
Thanks Kelly. Amen to everything you’ve said. Stay safe ladies and PLEASE DON’T burn yourselves!
Tanya
I was so miserable until I tried the scorching hot water trick last night around 1am. The relief was so amazingly wonderful and I was able to sleep afterwards! I’ve been suffering for almost 2 weeks and it had spread literally everywhere. I tried every remedy on the internet including the pine tar soap and nothing was helping. Also, my midwife prescribed me a steroid cream and a strong antihistamine. Neither helped. It sounds crazy but the hot water is the trick! Only thing that actually helped. Thank you for sharing this remedy!
Bridget Skillingstad
Oh my goodness I wish I read this sooner. I am 36.5 weeks and have been dealing with this awful rash since 31 weeks. My OB has prescribed meds and steroid creams and neither have worked to alleviate the itch. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in over a month. In fact it was one of those late night scratch sessions that woke me up and I took to researching the internet in the hopes of finding another mom who found a way to combat PUPPS enough to sleep. I was skeptical of the hot water idea because heat seemed to make my rash itch more, but at this point I was willing to try anything. Much to my surprise it worked. I tried it yesterday morning and no itch for the entire day and I didn’t take any meds or use any creams. Used the hot water again last night before bed and other than my normal potty breaks in my sleep I slept through the night itch free without meds or creams. I actually woke up today feeling as refreshed as a 36 week pregnant woman can.
ARose
Thank goodness for this post. I am one of the unfortunate few whose PUPPPS started at 26 weeks…I have a long way to go before baby is born. So far coconut oil and ice packs have helped, but I’m trying the hot treatment tonight before bed!!