Hello all! I decided after suffering with Perioral Dermatitis (PD) for over 3 years now, it would be helpful to create a blog with everything I know about the issue- which is a lot.
PD is a skin condition closely linked to acne vulgaris, consisting of red papules that may appear microvesicular that typically affect the nasolabial folds (around the nostrils), perioral area (around the mouth) or perioccular area (around the eyes). It usually affects women between the ages of 20 and 45. It is not uncommon, and has a tendency to recur in individuals who have had it once.
MY STORY
I had my first encounter with PD 3 years ago. I was stressed with final exams, moving into another house and broke up with my boyfriend all at the same time. I noticed some little red bumps around the left side of my chin, which I thought was just some pimples. I picked at them in hopes they’d just go away. After a few days it was spreading and the skin was becoming flaky and itchy. I noticed it started spreading up my laugh line towards my nose. At this point I was pretty embarrassed because I never have had “bad” skin. My mom thought it was acne, but I found it odd that it was just around my mouth area. I put polysporin around my mouth area to relieve to itch and it somewhat helped with the redness. It continued to spread completely around my whole mouth area and I had no idea what it was or how to get rid of it. This was a particularly bad time in my life because of all the changes and stress occurring at the same time. I cried probably every night and become obsessed with looking at my skin. I didn’t go out anywhere and when I went to school I would wear hats and avoid people. Unfortunately I couldn’t wear hats at work so I would spend an hour in the morning putting makeup on to cover up the red bumpy patches.
I finally went to a doctor to see what was going on. The moment she saw my face she told me I had PD. I was relieved that I had a name to the problem but she didn’t seem to have much insight on what causes it. She put me on a one month supply of antibiotics (tetracyclin). After a month it was gone. Needless to say I have had 4 flare ups since this time and have continued to take the antibiotics to solve the problem. They do work, but like most of you, I would rather try to find more naturalistic ways of getting rid of it.
CAUSES
I have heard of everything under the sun causing PD. There seems to be three categories which come up the most; products used, what you eat and stress.
Products
We all use a variety of products every
single day whether it be makeup, lotions, shaving cream, shampoo etc. I have
heard that people with PD may have allergies or skin sensitivities to ingredients
in products, which may be true. A big one is fluoride which can be found in toothpaste
(and sometimes water).
What you eat
I read somewhere before that “what you
put on the inside, shows up on the outside”, which might be a good indicator for
a lot of bodily issues. I have heard of people cutting out gluten, dairy, nuts,
etc. out of their diets because of the possible connection to PD. I also heard
sulphites might be the culprit. They also recommend u stay away from spicy food
and cinnamon.
Stress
This category is the one I personally believe
has the biggest effect on aggravating the symptoms of PD. It is well known that
stress can have a negative effect on our bodies including, loss of sleep, aches
and pains, acne, poor appetite, low energy etc. It may not cause PD, but it
appears to worsen the condition.
TREATMENTS
I can truly say I have probably tried
every single natural remedy out there to heal my face. Unfortunately nothing
worked for me, but some say it’s worked for them. Either way here are some of
the most popular treatments used (which all might be a huge waste of time to
try because they might not help anyways..but your probably willing to try anything
if you’re reading this!)
Excluding products
As mentioned above, there is a lot of
speculation that PD is caused by ingredients in your products that are
irritating your skin or you are allergic too. I know a lot of people have stopped
using fluoride toothpaste and go natural. I have done the same thing, although,
it hasn’t stopped the PD from coming back. So to be using this toothpaste is
pointless, but that’s just me.
Some people have stopped using lotions
or putting makeup (or any products for that matter) around the mouth or nose
area. I have also done this but it has not stopped the PD from coming back. I
heard something about ingredients in shampoos which might irritate your skin
but I didn’t look into that at all…
Natural Remedies
This seems to be the most popular
route to go with treating PD. Many people make their own face masks or apply
natural creams to their mouth or effected area. Here are some of the more
popular remedies (although, once again, none of these worked for me)
Apple
cider vinegar-
contains prebiotics, which feeds probiotics. People will apply this to the
affected areas or ingest some.
Yogurt- yogurt has live cultures
which kills “bad” bacteria. People will apply this all over their face as a
mask or just the affected areas.
Coconut
oil-
contains antimicrobial properties which helps conditions such as rashes,
itches, athletes foot, dermatitis etc. People will apply this to the affected
areas or ingest some.
Honey- contains antioxidants
and antibacterial/antifungal agents to disinfect and heal the skin. People
often wear a honey mask to rejuvenate their skin.
Sometimes people will mix a bunch of
these ingredients together and make their own super mask. Like I said, none of
these worked for me but maybe give them a try if you are desperate.
Cleansers
It can be hard to find a cleanser that
is gentle on your skin and doesn’t aggravate the affected area. There are so
many products which people use I wouldn’t even know where to start. I can only recommend
the one I have been using- Spectrojel. After one of my breakouts I started
using it and didn’t get a flare up for a year, which was a miracle. I made a
youtube video swearing by it, but unfortunately it did eventually come back.
Regardless, its still an excellent cleaser which is super gentle on the skin
and doesn’t contain any harsh products. I would recommend it for any and all
skin types. It gets rid of oils without drying your skin out. I still use it to
this day.
With all these possibilities being mentioned,
some people swear that once they stopped using a product or eating a certain
food, their PD went away and/or has never come back. I have tried everything
that I have written about yet nothing has worked for me. I personally believe that
people who said theirs went away show that a. everyone reacts differently to
different treatments, or b. it was a fluke it went away when it did.
Point is, you could spend forever and
ever trying to research this problem and you’ll probably try everything under
the sun to get rid of it and keep it away. I’ve been there and still am. I
worry just like you when my next flare-up will be, and when I see it coming
back I get incredibly stressed out and upset. With all this in mind, here are
my top 5 suggestions to dealing with PD.
#5 JASON fluoride free toothpaste
Although I honestly don’t think this
has anything to do with my PD, I do continue to use this toothpaste. You can
purchase it at any grocery store (I believe).
#4 Spectrojel
As I already mentioned, this facial
cleanser obviously doesn’t cure PD but if you’re looking for a gentle cleanser
that won’t strip your face dry- I’d recommend this one. You can only purchase
it in Canada so I was suggest buying it from the website, and if you can’t, go
on ebay.
These tops 3 suggestions are
definitely the most important and the most effective, so listen up!
#3 Relaxation
After reading many stories about
people and their experiences with PD, it has become obvious that stress has
played a huge role in the worsening of their conditions. If you have PD your
probably online all the time googling cures and treatments, reading other
peoples stories and becoming more upset. I am the first to admit I have a
difficult time relaxing when my PD flares up. I’m constantly in the mirror
examining my face and worrying about new spots that are appearing. It’s awful I
know, but you need to STOP and RELAX. Here are some suggestions:
-Take time off work/school, go on a
vacation or even a mini getaway. I know this isn’t always possible but it will
definitely take your mind off of your PD. I always notice my PD simmers down
when I’m able to do get a way, even for the weekend, and do something fun!
- Meditation, relaxation, yoga, exercise..any
of these things will do! While performing any of these activities, endorphins
are released into the brain which reduces stress and leaves you feeling happier
and relaxed.
- Doing whatever helps YOU relax. This
can include reading, drawing, cooking, cleaning..just about anything!
#2 Proskin Eczema (By Mama Nature)
One of my YouTube subscribers actually
recommended this cream to me. She said she heard a lot of great reviews on it
and it’s all natural. I figured I would give it a go and buy it off ebay. It
was a bit on the pricier side ($55CAN) but it was a great investment. I
purchased it at the right time because I was in the processes of getting
another flare-up. It started spreading down my laugh line and onto my lower
chin. I began applying the cream onto my face and within a few days I noticed a
drastic reduction in bumpiness and redness. I did start on a new batch of
antibiotics just to be on the safe side, but I normally don’t see results until
the 3rd or 4th week anyways, but this cream has definitely
kept it at bay while the meds kick in. I kind of wished I didn’t start the
medication just to see if the cream would have taken care of the PD, but
needless to say it has done an awesome job. I`m always skeptical to try creams
out because I`m scared there are chemicals or my skin will react badly to the
cream. I checked all the ingredients and they are all natural and organic-
nothing but good stuff! Using this product, it was the first time my PD had
almost gone away by using a cream. If you can afford it I would HIGHLY recommend
it.
#1 Medication
And of course my number one suggestion
to get rid of PD (although Proskin is a high contender) is antibiotics. I know I
know, it`s not the most ideal treatment, but it works on the majority of people
with PD. I have read that it has not helped some people, or that their PD comes
back right when they`re done their medications, which is why I suggest trying
my other recommendations as all.
There are three different types of antibiotics that you can take: short acting (tetracyclines), intermediate (Demeclocyclines) and long acting (doxycyclines).
I was a bit concerned with the amount of
antibiotics I was taking and thought maybe it would become less effective due
to the high amounts I was taking (3 years, 4 flareups = 4 months on
antibiotics). I read a medical study saying that antibiotics should stay
effective as long as you are taking them appropriately. Follow these
instructions:
-Make sure you drink a full 8 oz glass
of water when you take the meds. In reality, you should be drinking a lot of
water during this time to flush toxins out of your body
-if you are taking a tetracycline,
take your pill 2 hours before or 4 hours after you take your pill
-make sure you spread the doses apart
evenly (same time every day), try not to miss any pills and make sure you
finish the whole prescription. Even though your skin may look better, there
still might be bacteria there and if the medication isn’t used up, bacteria
might grow stronger the next time. This is how we become resistant to
antibiotics.
I hope all this information has helped
you on your journey with PD. If it makes you feel any better I`m currently having
a flare-up (but the Proskin Eczema is keeping it manageable). It sucks I know. It`s
even harder because it`s right on your face, which everyone looks at every day.
But now that you are more informed..get off the internet and stop searching PD
information!!! Its only going to stress you out more. Relax and do something to
take your mind off of it.
As a side note, I work at a children’s hospital and
see dying kids everyday due to various illnesses. It puts things into
perspective sometimes because here I am complaining about a harmless red rash
around my mouth and there are people younger than me who won’t even live long
enough to experience life. Things could be a lot worse, so cheer up and don’t let
some red bumpy skin take over your life!
Feel free to leave comments or stories
below! I made a Youtube video talking about spectrogel as well so if you would like to check it out below!
Lisa Alicja
