Hot, Welted, Itchy rash

[vanilla5]

I have what has been diagnosed as pityriasis rosacea.  It has come every year about this time for the past 6 or 7 years.  It usually starts with a herald patch on my legs/thighs and then spreads out into hot, welted itchy circles & "mirrors" itself on my other leg/thigh.  About the time the welted area starts healing, the area around it gets hot, welted & itchy.   It progresses out from there in a continuous circle.  I use antihistamines orally & hydrocortisone topically for the itch.  I've also found that patting the area with a wet tea bag helps stop the itch & helps the healing process.  Also some times at night it's just so hard to sleep because of the itch that I get up & put a cold compress on the itchy area.  This cools the hot welted area & stops the itch long enough so I can get back to sleep.  Once I can expose my legs to sunlight for an hour for 3 or 4 days in a row, the rash will go away.  If I don't get the sun exposure it can take up to 2 mos for it to go away.  Unfortunately, I live in a northern state & the rash usually crops up in January or February.  Natural sunlight is limited until March or April.  Anybody else have any other ideas on how to make this go away faster?

[sfguy01]

Have your doctor test you to see if you are lacking in Vitamin D. You can find Vitamin D over the counter.

[sfguy01]

Have your doctor test you to see if you are lacking in Vitamin D. You can find Vitamin D over the counter.

[nektr]

"Light therapy (phototherapy). This can be with ultraviolet B (UVB) light or sunlight. Talk to your doctor before using sunlight to treat your rash. UVB therapy is most often available at your doctor's office."

looks like you can use a light bulb, but ask your doctor :) lmao