Pityriasis or Fungus?

About 2 weeks ago I developed a couple of dry, red patches on my leg that I attributed to something like a flea bite.  They didn't itch, but spread quickly and became scaly.
Around a week after that, smaller bumps and rashes started to pop up around my shoulders and neck, my arms, and (in smaller clusters) on my back.
I went to a clinic and the doctor said it was a fungal infection, but after using the application he gave me, there has been no improvement and the sores/rashes/whatever on my arms have started to spread out.
However after I gave a verbal description to my friend's dermatologist mother, she said it was probably pityriasis rosea.

I have pictures and I'm wondering: is pityriasis rosea or a fungal infection?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

The picture was unfortunately not very clear but from the description of symptoms it sounds like pityriasis rosea. Pityriasis rosea is a common human skin disease which presents as numerous patches of pink or red oval rash. The rash may be accompanied by low-grade headache, fever, nausea and fatigue and sometimes by itching.

No treatment is usually required. In most patients, the condition lasts only a matter of weeks or months(upto six months).

If the rash persists then it will be best to get it evaluated from a dermatologist.Other possibilities of discoid eczema and psoriasis  have to be ruled out then.
I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries. Kind regards.