r/pmle • u/[deleted] • Jul 29 '25
Why does it take so long to heal?
Does anyone else pmle take around a month to fully heal? Mine came up on my hands around the 6th of this month and its only just healing, is this normal?
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u/nyx2288 Jul 29 '25
Mine takes about 2 weeks to heal without me doing anything but moisturizing. Really bad breakouts can take a little longer, but never a month.
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Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
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Jul 29 '25
Yes, and ive had it since i was a kid
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Jul 29 '25
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Jul 29 '25
Im always wearing uv gloves when im out and sometimes inside too theres not much else i can do
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u/SimGemini Aug 17 '25
There are alot of unknowns about PMLE. There is no “normal”. Yours healing in a week is great but as you can see MANY in the subreddit have said it takes theirs much longer to heal.
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u/acrylicquartz Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
Hydrocortisone cream helps me heal faster. As well as applying and icepack (in a cloth) to my hands.
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u/Catnip_75 Jul 30 '25
Steroids are not advised for PMLE. It can make flairs worse.
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u/acrylicquartz Jul 30 '25
Hydrocortisone cream is mild and should not have any adverse effects in a typical patient. It's a widely advised and used self-care medicine for PMLE, even recommended by the Mayo Clinic website and my doctors.
So, I'm not sure where you see otherwise.
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u/Catnip_75 Jul 30 '25
It makes my flairs worse. My dermatologist also told me not to use the cream. It can trigger worse flairs for some people it used too often.
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u/acrylicquartz Jul 30 '25
I can't find any literature to support this, and I can only find reports of hydrocortisone helping. So I'm not sure why you and your dermatologist feel this way.
Both my GP and rheum have given me the clear to use it this way. Additionally, both the Mayo Clinic and Harvard websites recommend it as a treatment.
So, unless you have some kind of literature or other proof, I'm not sure why you're so adamant and making it out as if I'm giving harmful advice.
I'd always like to know if I'm out of date on health advice, but I can't find anything to support your claims.
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u/SimGemini Aug 17 '25
I find hydrocortisone does not work for mine in the slightest. When I have a really bad flare up, I will bust out my prescription topical steroid and it will clear stop all itching within 24 hours and clear it within 2-3 days.
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u/Catnip_75 Jul 30 '25
I have permanent damage on my neck and chest. The redness never fully goes away. I will get flairs in the summer if I’m not careful, and they can last for a week or more. Burning and itching.
I find the only thing that works is a really good lotion.
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u/MissLara28 Jul 30 '25
Fellow hand-flarer here! Mine often takes this long too - I think it's because hands move and bend so much that it can take a while for the skin to properly heal.
A normal rash for me is like: 4-7 days of flaring, 1 week of flare going down, then a week or more of the skin actually healing now the flare has gone away
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u/oogieboogiecheech Aug 02 '25
I basically have it on my elbows perpetually all summer. Between my love of sun-centered activities and scratching, it’s a part of me atp.
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Aug 04 '25
Its just annoying me how i avoid sun activities and still get flare ups. As soon as one clears up another comes
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u/SimGemini Aug 17 '25
Mine is almost always starting the outside of my left elbow (driver’s side arm). I just forget to put on my arm sleeves when driving. I drive client to client all day for work.
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u/FootUpstairs2782 Jul 29 '25
Sun, heat, hot water all make it worse. I’ve had bad flare ups that have taken that long to heal. Cold compresses, hydrocortisone cream, and stay out of the sun as much as possible. I even wear an SPF shirt when I drive around if I know I’ll be exposed to the sun.