PUPPs Relief

My Experience 

In week 37 of I developed the most irritating, frustrating and all consuming itchy rash on my forearm. It seemed to come out of no where and at first I thought I must have rubbed up against something I was allergic to. However after a week on just my arm it began to spread.

A little googling and I discovered PUPPS or PUPPPs (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). At first I wasn't sure if this could be it. My rash started on the inside of my forearm and stayed there for a week before it began to spread. From my reading most tend to see it start on their belly. I'm due with my second, and most see it with their first. I'm having a girl, and most see it with a boy. But holly $hit did it itch!

 

A day after noticing some spots on my stomach it was almost covered as was my face! Oh the torture of this rash! I wanted to roll around in sand paper the itch was so bad and of course being 37 weeks pregnant they don't want you to take much of anything. I was rubbing extra strength Benadryl on it like crazy and scouring the internet for solutions. I saw my OB who said it was likely PUPPs and then my dermatologist who concluded the same. Both said it's basically a catch-all for any type of itchy hives type rash that you get during pregnancy. My OB's office recommended nettle tea, and my dermatologist gave me a list of pricey lotions and recommended not letting my skin get too dry. I immediately invested in both but by the next day it had only gotten worse. It was all over my face, stomach, hands, starting to spread to my legs and up my arms.

 

I finally gave into to 25 mg of Benedryl orally at hope towards relief which pretty much knocked me out for the next few hours... finally a little sleep. When I woke up it was time to find another solution because I couldn't imagine how anyone could live like this, especially with the doctors shrugging their shoulders at me and saying it could last until I deliver, with my first having been induced after 42 weeks that's a potential 4 more weeks!

The Solution

*I do not offer this as any sort of medical advice, and recommend checking with your doctor before trying any type of treatment as every pregnancy is different. This is simply what worked for me*

Thankfully I was able to find something that seems to have worked! Thanks to a couple specific forums and blog posts of ideas I came up with the following routine. 

1. Showering twice a day, sometimes more when it was bad, and specifically using a wash rag wash all areas throughly with Grandpas Pine Tar Soap. I also found this to be a undercover way to get a little itch relief in while scrubbing with the soap as well. 
2. While still in the shower but after rinsing off the soap I would rub my coconut oil mix on all the same areas. 
3. After getting out of the shower and drying off I would use my PUPPs spray bottle mix to rub oil over all the same areas. I found this 3 step combo would relive nearly all of the itching for at least a few hours, 
4. Then I would treat specific spots as they bothered me with my PUPPs oil roller throughout the day. 

I also drank Dandelion Root Tea in the morning, and Nettle Tea in the afternoon in addition to my normal pregnancy tea routine in the evening.

Here are the ingredients to all my mixes. I was able to purchase all the supplies at my local Whole Foods for about $75. I've seen many solutions with more oils in them, but I wanted to go as simple as possible as I know essential oils can be potent and some aren't recommended during pregnancy.

Coconut Oil Mix

Keep in mind using this in the shower can make the floor pretty slippery.

• 15 fl oz tub of Spectrum Essentials Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil
• 4 oz Empty Amber Jar 
• .5 fl oz Tea Tree Pure Essential Oil

I used a spoon to scoop the coconut oil into the empty jar adding drops of Tea Tree oil as I went to try and get a mix. In total I added about 20-24 drops of the Tea Tree oil and filled the rest with the coconut oil using the spoon to mash and mix as I went to try and blend the two working them together.

 

PUPPS Spray Mix

Yes, this is oily, but in my opinion so worth it and smelling like a peppermint air freshener isn't the worst thing. The peppermint also has a fantastic cooling effect especially with a little ice pack time after applying.

• 2 fl oz Empty Amber Mister Bottle
• .5 fl oz Tea Tree Pure Essential Oil
• .5 fl oz Eucalyptus Pure Essential Oil
• .5 fl oz Peppermint Pure Essential Oil
• 4 fl oz Jojoba Skin Care Oil

I added 8-10 drops of each the Tea Tree, and the Eucalyptus. 40-50 drops of the Peppermint, and filled the rest with the Jojoba.

 

PUPPS Roller Mix

This was the most potent of the mixes, which worked for me as a quick fix throughout the day.

• 2 fl oz Empty Amber Mister Bottle
• .5 fl oz Tea Tree Pure Essential Oil
• .5 fl oz Eucalyptus Pure Essential Oil
• .5 fl oz Peppermint Pure Essential Oil
• 4 fl oz Jojoba Skin Care Oil

I added 4-5 drops of each the Tea Tree, and the Eucalyptus. 30 or so drops of the Peppermint, and filled the rest with the Jojoba.

 

Teas

I already have a nightly routine of drinking pregnancy Tea for general pregnancy health, but adding these to the mix for their PUPPs possibilities.

• Dandelion Leaf & Root
• Nettle Leaf

Why These Items?

• Pine Tar Soap: Often used to treat skin conditions and relieve itching.
• Dandelion Tea: I heard that PUPPs can be a result of toxins in the body, and I hadn't been as healthy as I usually am. The Dandelion tea popped up and a lot of what I read and is a detox tea for the liver as well as being good for skin.
• Nettle Leaf Tea: This has natural anti-inflammatory benefits as a antihistamine and is often recommended for eczema.
• Peppermint Oil: The cooling sensation relieves the itch and it can be calming and increase immunity.
• Tea Tree Oil: This is also known as melaleuca and is a powerful essential oil. It has great skin and antibacterial benefits and can help with inflammation. 
• Eucalyptus Oil: Helps heal wounds and skin sores and is good at soothing irritated areas as well as having antiseptic qualities.
• Coconut Oil: A known beauty oil great for skin and excellent at moisturizing.
• Jojoba Oil: Has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties as well as and soothing abilities and moisturizing properties.

The Results

Within 24 hours I was able to focus on things other than itching again! By 2 days later it had drastically cleared up nearly everywhere. I still have persistent itchyness on the backs of my fingers, and I a few spots that started to pop up but I have been able to keep them at bay by keeping the routine going. Now it's no more annoying then a few mosquito bites would be aside from being oily all the time which is a welcome tradeoff in my opinion.