Are There Bug Bites In My Stretch Marks? PUPPP Rash: The Third Trimester Pregnancy Rash
I had an entire, lengthy blog written about how I discovered I had PUPPP Rash (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). Then I realized if someone is looking up PUPPP Rash, chances are they’re experiencing some level of unbearable itchiness and just want answers. So, I decided to rewrite the blog to keep it short (as possible), sweet, and to the point.
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What is PUPPP Rash?
As I noted above, PUPPP rash stands for Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. In lay terms - and how I have been explaining it to people - is that essentially, your skin stretches so fast you get stretch marks. And, because it stretched so fast, the skin within the stretch marks ends up getting irritated and inflamed, creating little bumps. (If you want a better breakdown of what is happening, check out this article on PUPPP Rash from Healthline.) PUPPP Rash usually presents itself in the third trimester, when baby is rapidly growing. These are some other factors, according to Healthline, that make a mom more susceptible to getting it:
You’re pregnant with a boy
We’re not finding out the gender of our baby, so I can’t say whether this risk factor holds for me or not yet.It’s your first pregnancy
This is my first!Maternal Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Mutliples Pregnancy (Twins, Triplets, etc.)
Rapid or Higher-Than-Usual Weight Gain in Pregnancy
Also, I hate to be the bearer of bad news mamas, but PUPPP Rash does NOT go away until after delivery!!! Sometimes, even two to three weeks postpartum.
How do you diagnose it?
Honestly? I self-diagnosed myself with it. As I mentioned earlier, I was sure I had bug bites on my belly. For as long as I possibly could, I avoided scratching the area for fear I would make my stretch marks worse. I would rub my belly to alleviate the itch, even though that really didn’t work. One day, I couldn’t help myself. I HAD TO SCRATCH, so I did. When I asked my husband to rub lotion/oils on it to try and remedy it, his eyes bugged when he saw my belly because it was red and inflamed, specifically the bumps!
I immediately reached for my phone and looked up “pregnancy rash,” the first thing that came up was the illustrated image I included above from Cleveland Clinic. Aside from looking exactly like my belly, the symptoms sounded exactly like what I was experiencing, so I didn’t think it could be anything else (it could be, but I doubt it)! It did end up spreading, to my arms and legs, and higher up on my belly, so I am sure I have it.
If you want a full-on diagnosis of it, you can always check with your OB.
Cool, but how the heck do I treat it?!
If you look up remedies for PUPPP Rash, there are a lot! Out of sheer desperation, I tried everything under the sun to get the itch under control. I was miserable. For me, only a couple of things seemed to help. Still, I’m going to list everything I found as a remedy, tried, and didn’t try, so you can find something that hopefully works for you.
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I wanted to try using tea tree essential oil in addition to lavender because I know how healing tea tree oil can be. I asked my mother-in-law if she had any on hand (she is all about the EOs), and she did! But when I mentioned that I had a rash from the pregnancy, she suggested I try Ozonated Coconut Oil, which she also had on hand. At first, I didn’t like it. I put it on, and it itched like CRAZY, probably because it was already raw from scratching. Despite the initial itch, I ended up not feeling itchy at all the rest of the day, so I kept using it, and I am glad I did. Of all the remedies I tried, this is by far the best.
I also got some stretch marks near my armpits, which were also itchy and inflamed with PUPPP. I swear this particular brand of coconut oil has not only gotten rid of the rash in the area, it’s also made my stretch marks look better!
I USED: PurO3 Ozonated Coconut Oil - 2 Oz.
They also have: PurO3 Ozonated Coconut Oil - 4 Oz.
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Truth is, I tried neither but I do think that this would help a lot. I noticed the rash would “flare up,” when I was hot. And I love to take hot showers. So, when I would jump in the shower and the hot water would run over my body, I would immediately get itchy.
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YES. This was one of two remedies that actually did help. Not to mention, it made my skin (entire body) so soft, supple, and moisturized. More on how I took an oatmeal bath below.
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I always try essential oils as a remedy when needed. For me, Lavendar EO (I use doTERRA) did help to alleviate the itch for a pretty long haul. It probably would have been best if I used fractionated coconut oil to mix it with, but I didn’t have any at the time. So, I just put a little bit (so as not to burn my skin) on the palms of my hands and rubbed it on the affected areas.
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Yeah, no. I tried over-the-counter ointment and cream like Cortizone (as suggested by a doctor); neither of them worked. In fact, it helped for maybe 10 minutes before wearing off. He did mention that the 1% creams barely work (which is why they’re available OTC), so if you can find something a little stronger where you are, it may help!
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I have been very cognizant of what I put on my body throughout my pregnancy. From my body wash to my lotion, they were all fragrance-free, so I already had to throw this out the door. Keeping moisturized did not help.
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Again, no. I would walk around the house naked because it itched so much, which also did not help.
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I read in a few places that PUPPP Rash could result from an overtaxed liver. I didn’t try veggie juice, but I did try black cherry juice to try and detox my liver, thereby helping the rash go away from the inside out. I bought two bottles, and had one cup every single night, but I saw no results from this.
It could be that I didn’t keep at it long enough. One gal, I read, saw results after two weeks. So if you try it might best to stick it out for as long as two weeks before calling it quits like I did.
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When we did bring up the Rash to one of our rotating doctors, he was SURE cortisone cream would work to relieve PUPPP Rash. He said if it didn’t help, we could continue to climb the ladder of creams/ointments until something did provide relief, but one of them was steroidal. I didn’t want to go this route, so this was something I decided against.
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My sister SWORE by this balm for everything. From diaper rash, to human rash, to cuts and scratches, she felt like this was a miracle cream for her. I tried it, but unfortunately, to no avail.
If you want to try it, you can get it for a little cheaper on Amazon (I bought mine from Target).
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This soap bar came up a lot for me, but I live in the middle of nowhere and I knew I wouldn’t be able to find it locally (I needed immediate relief), so I didn’t even try.
It’s available on Amazon for $4.42 (as of December 2022).
How To: Oat Bath for PUPPP Rash
I LOVED taking oat baths because they were both relaxing and soothing! But I will not lie, they are a lot of work (though totally worth it when you’re miserable AF.
I bought a big can of the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats (ingredients = oats ONLY)
I used a coffee grinder to pulverize the oats into a powder.
We placed the oats into a cheesecloth, then ran a WARM bath (the key here is WARM water, not hot) and put the cheesecloth in it. Kind of like we were making an oat tea, haha.
After it ran, we squeezed the cheesecloth to get the goods out! It was a creamy type of liquid that came out. It felt pretty silky and soft with the consistency of a serum.
I tried my best to submerge my body in, but at three months pregnant, this got a little tricky. Haha. So what I could not submerge, I simply splashed water on or squeezed out that serum and rubbed it into my skin that couldn’t soak.
After I was done, I rinsed with lukewarm water, again not hot, but warm - closer to cold.
PUPPP Rash SUCKS! And I am so sorry if you are going through it too.
But, I hope that this blog helps in getting you at least SOME comfort.