Polymyositis & Dermatomyositis Support Group

Polymyositis (PM) is a type of chronic inflammation of the muscles (inflammatory myopathy) related to dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis. The inflammation is predominantly of the endomysium in polymyositis, whereas dermatomyositis is characterized by primarily perimysial inflammation.

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Muscles & Bones
/ Polymyositis & Dermatomyositis Support Group

redness

mccourtjs
mccourtjs
This is a question for all of my DM friends. Does the redness, our special markings, on our hands ever go awa? What about the face, forehead? I am currently on 25 mg of metholtrexate and 7.5 mg of prednisone and have been feeling a lot better, but the redness never goes away. It has been a year of trial and failure with my meds, but I think this is working. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
joyforalifetime
joyforalifetime
hi! i'm sure it's very different for everybody, but mine disappeared significantly. it took a while and i was afraid it wasn't going to get back to normal, but the redness in my face completely cleared up. there's just a little redness on my knuckles but nothing that looks super out of the ordinary. my feet get the most red. glad to hear you are feeling better!
angelamichelle
angelamichelle
my arms and hands are still red but much better. they seem to get worse in the cold or hot and gets slowly darker as the day goes on.
amberhere
amberhere
Hi mccourtjs, I have had DM since last February - I started taking Plaquenil 6 months ago, cleared up most of the red on my eyelid and neck but unfortunately did nothing for the muscle pain and stiffness in my hands and shoulders. I am still on it as well as the Prednisone but will be going onto MTX soon and still take Plaquenil.
trpt1
trpt1
Hi Mccoutjs. My experience with the redness is that it does fade when the medication is working. I notice that if I am not feeling well, then my knuckles on my hands will get a brighter red. I do not think the red ever goes away, but it can fade down to a much less intense color. The palms of my hands continue to be a bright red and that does not go away with my meds.

Your MTX is a good med for getting the red to fade. I think you will see improvement over time. I am glad you are feeling better too.