Puppp

Updated on April 05, 2009
L.W. asks from Orange, MA
16 answers

HI...I just wondered if anyone else had to deal w/ PUPPP while they were pregnant.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about this is what i got from the internet (Approximately one percent of women will develop an itchy, raised rash in the last part of their pregnancy called PUPPP (pruritic uticarial pupules and placques of pregnancy), . According to the American Academy of Dermatology it is the most common skin condition of pregnancy, usually appearing during the third trimester, and, although the discomfort and itching may keep you up at night, PUPPP is harmless to both you and your baby)

I went to the dermatologist yesterday at the referral of my OB and that's what he says I have. It's very very very itchy and really disrupting my sleep, my daily routine...it's driving me crazy. I have the cream he gave me but he says its not a cure but this should clear up a week or so after I have our son...but thats not for another 5 weeks! Just wondered if anyone had any history w/ this lovely rash.

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So What Happened?

Everyone was so wonderful with their responses and advice! Thanks for all your input, I have some ideas to try now. I'm so glad i'm not alone in this!! :)

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G.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi L.,

It's awful, I know! I had it with my pregnancy and I used PUPPP relief soap and cream from this site below to feel better within a week. I actually clued in the dermatologist I saw to the cream and the soap as it's the ONLY thing that made me feel better, and it only took a few days.

http://www.rainiersoapworks.com/puppp_relief.htm

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

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V.H.

answers from Boston on

Hi L.,
I myself had this horrible rash, (only had it on the belly) I had it a week before the schedule c-section and then after I had the baby, it went from head to toe and it was so itchy the Drs. were even baffled by it, they no longer thought it was puppp I had to have shots to try to stop the itching, it was REALLY bad for me. So as soon I was dismissed we had to go straight to the dermo. and then they did a biospie on one of the bumps and it came out as a very severe case of puppp and I was one of the rare ones to get it from head to toe, cause normaly it is on the belly area. I agree creams did not help. Good luck I'm totally with you on this one, it is miserable, but just focus on that little one you will soon be holding! :) (also once you get puppp you will NEVER get it again....) if your planning on having any more.
V.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.W.

answers from Boston on

I had this as well for about the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. I did not like the idea of cortisone creams etc, plus they didn't really seem to help. What made me feel better was a cold wet face cloth or towel laid over my belly. The cool would take the itch away. On nights when I needed instant relief I actually used ice. I would freeze paper cups filled with water and peel it down and rub on my belly. It almost numbs the area and feels sooo good. Once the initial hell of the itch was relieved I would put the wet face cloth on. This would relieve the itch for me for several hours. It was almost as though it was partly due to heat? Who knows, but it helped me.
Good luck!

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C.G.

answers from Boston on

ahhhhgggg i had it. funny enough i got it right after i gave birth(not the norm), so i was able to go on pregnzone(spelling). i itched my skin to the bleeding point. especially my inner thighs! ohhh my heart goes out to you. what i did do that helped a little was that pink stuff that you put on poison ivy. calamine lotion. but check to see if it's okay while pregnant. oh so horrible. good luck.

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M.J.

answers from Providence on

I really feel for you, it is so uncomfortable. My doctor told me to take aveno baths and that helped. I only had to deal with for a couple of weeks. After I delivered it went away.

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J.B.

answers from Hartford on

Hi-

I had puppps really bad with my son. It was on my legs, arms, and belly. I was desperate and ended coming across the website for rainier's soapworks and decided to give it a try. I swear it worked! I used the soap in the shower daily and the lotion a couple of times a day (after shower in AM and before bed in PM). The rash started to clear the week before I delivered and was all but gone by the time my son arrived. Please check it out using the link below... best of luck!
Jen

http://www.rainiersoapworks.com/puppp_relief.htm

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R.B.

answers from Boston on

I had a more mild case and my nurse midwife, if I recall correctly, said it had something to to with the liver function... I think... and recommended trying foods that would clean the liver. I ate a cucumber a day (since I like cucumbers) and it cleared up within a week. I'm pretty sure this is how it went, but maybe I'm just crazy and confused. (My son is a toddler now and so crazy and confused is par for the course.... you know, your daughter is toddling too).
Anyways, worth checking into. A big itchy belly is no fun. I think she also told me to get some sun on it. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and birth.

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M.H.

answers from Providence on

i had it when pregnant with my son. it showed up around 35 weeks only on the belly, but eventually spread to my legs and arms. also unfortunately, mine was one of the rare cases that lasted for about 4 weeks postpartum. sucked. several nurses at the hospital said it was one of the worst cases they'd ever seen.

i got little to no relief no matter what i did, but some things would help very temporarily. keeping the area moisturized and taking warm (not hot) showers with very mild soap. a 1% hyrdrocortisone cream (though you should note that prolonged use of any topical steroid like that can thin your skin and increase scarring). when it first started my OB said that an antihistamine like Benadryl was safe to take; i took that at night since it makes me drowsy. after a few weeks that wasn't enough though and i could not stop scratching all day, so she prescribed me Atarax, a stronger prescription antihistamine. it worked somewhat but also made me drowsy and unable to drive. after delivery i was able to manage it with only the creams and topical treatments.

for what it's worth, my OB told me PUPPPs actually is very likely to recur with subsequent pregnancies. lucky me!

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M.C.

answers from Hartford on

I had it. It was no fun. I didn't use anything on it and it stopped itching after about a month. Though the scars didn't completely go away for another month or so.

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M.T.

answers from Boston on

Unfortunately I too had PUPPS when I was pregnant with my first and second child. It first appeared in my second trimester for my first child and my OB said there was nothing they could do for me. I did a lot of research and tried every home solution out on the web to keep from the itching which drove me crazy. When I reached my third trimester and the rash had pretty much spread to my entire body my OB suggested I go to a Dermatologist. The dermatologist gave me a steroid cream which does not do much however at 35 weeks you can be put on a steroid pill which they put me on and in about 2/3 days the rash slowly started to go away. By the time I was ready to deliver I had no sign of the rash. I'm not sure where your from or what dermatologist you went to but Hines Dermatology in Attleboro, MA was my savior for this horrible rash that by the way only 1% of woman get. And just another note that no where online does it tell you that if you scrach and itch it actually spreads the rash. Good luck to you as I know it's a horrible experience to go through especially while your pregnant however there are options once you reach a certain week that you can take a steroid to help with the rash.

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J.A.

answers from Boston on

Hi L.,

My daughter, now 30, had Puppp when she was pregnant with my grandson. The Puppp was from head to toe. She also experienced preterm labor and generally did not have a great pregnancy. The Puppp did last until after delivery and sorry to say she was miserable. She lived on antihistamines she was also taking steroids due to the preterm labor, was on bedrest and frankly, her experience was so unpleasant she has not become pregnant again and my grandson is 7 now.

I wish I could give you better information and I hope your experience is different, but I can give you my empathy. Keep your eyes on the prize and God Bless.

J. L.

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L.S.

answers from Boston on

Had a horrible itchy, scratch holes in my body rash that my midwife said was PUPP. I tried several things and then stumbled upon a lotion at my co-op made by ShiKai. It's in a green bottle and it is Borage Dry Skin Therapy. It is amazing. I will sometimes get a little itchy, but it's more in the realm of normal. Also the rash cleared up.
http://www.shikai.com/products/borage.htm
Good luck!

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H.S.

answers from New London on

I developed this with my second pregnancy. It was terrible and I was miserable. I thought I might scratch myself to death. I found relief in oatmeal bath, like two a day. In some creams and tried to keep my hands busy instead of trying to scratch. I had a hard time sleeping because I would wake up itching. The cream I had was very soothing however. It did not go away until after I gave birth. good luck!!

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S.F.

answers from Boston on

You have my sincere sympathies. At around 35 weeks I had PUPP and felt like I was going insane. I tried everything and definitely had to cut my nails in fear that I would scrath myself and leave scars. After trying lotions and benedryl to no help, my OB finally did prescribe an oral steriod which, for the most part, cleared it up so that by 37 weeks it was gone. In combination with the medicine I got the most relief from slathering myself with a paste of baking powder and water. I had finished working by that time so I could lay around with this paste. It sure made a mess but it was well worth it. There was also some temporary relief from using Aveeno Soothing Bath with colloidal oatmeal (Walmart makes a generic and since I went through about 2 packs a day I was able to save a little money by buying that) in a temperate bath. I hope you can find relief before you deliver.

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B.A.

answers from Boston on

Hi L.,
I had this when I was pregnant with my son. To me, it was worse than the labor. One thing that I found that helped stop the itching temporarily at night so that I could get some sleep was to take really cold showers. Benadryl did not really help. When I was in the hospital being induced, I soaked washcloths in ice water and held them on the rash. While waiting for him to come which took a few days, they actually gave me something to help me sleep finally. It did take a while to go away after I had him but even though I was nursing, there was something that my doctor could give me to relieve the itching. Hopefully the time will go by quickly. Good luck !
B.

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L.S.

answers from New London on

take some benedryl if you are itchy. It should be safe to take.

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