The herald patch of pityriasis rosea is then followed by the appearance of multiple smaller oval pink patches on the child's trunk, arms, and legs. These can be mildly itchy and can linger for several weeks or months, but the child will otherwise have no symptoms and pityriasis rosea is thought to be harmless.
It is not known what causes pityriasis rosea, but it may be cause by a virus or a reaction to a previous viral infection. No treatment is usually required, except perhaps to control the itching if it is bothersome.
