Everything you need to know about Perioral Dermatitis

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 3^rd or 4^th 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!

 

 

Wishing you all the best!!

Lisa Alicja