Pityriasis rosea - Diagnosing pityriasis rosea

Your GP should be able to diagnose pityriasis rosea by asking you about your symptoms and visually examining the rash.

Further investigations are only required if there is uncertainty over the diagnosis.

If there is some uncertainty, you may be referred to a doctor who specialises in treating skin conditions (dermatologist).

The dermatologist will be able to check whether your symptoms are caused by a condition other than pityriasis rosea, such as eczema (a skin condition that is often triggered by allergies), psoriasis or a type of fungal skin infection known as ringworm.

Further testing will usually include blood tests, scraping of a small area of skin to check for the presence of fungus and a biopsy (where a small sample of affected skin is removed so that it can be examined under a microscope).