Need help with Perioral Dermatitis desperately! !

Hi Brooke, 

im so sorry that your PD has become such a nightmare for you.  I too have PD for 0ver 7 months now.  I just went on doxycicline last week because the PD spots had spread to my eye, and that was the last straw for me.  I hope that the antibiotics will help you!! In my experience,a most anything I put on my PD made it worse especially any oil or moisterizer. I had the most success with just usin a mild organic soap and nothing else. That said, a lot of people have had a lot of luck with using diaper rash cream with high amounts of zinc oxide. A group of us from this forum have started a Facebbok page for perioral dermititis. It is a private page. Please send a request to join. You will find a lot of support there and some great ideas that may help you. 

I hope to see you on our Facebook page!

stay strong!

Hi Brooke.  I too suffered from PD due to overuse of hydrocortisone creams, and possible sampling too many new face products!   I had it for 5 months.  I stopped all face products, SLS and flouride. I washed with natural hoñey and used coconut oil for months.  Ramped up my probiotic intake.  This worked slightly.   So I found on another forum a lady used Avene product for her PD and it cleared up.  So I "liked"  their Facebook page and sent a message outlining everything.  They gave me a program  to  follow and some other help. So after two days of using their face cleanser, thernal mist spray and the face cream, my PD is gone.  The line is for Troubled skin. I use these three products in the morning and night and my skin is remarkably improved.  I still dont qear any face concealer or any other product.  My doctor said it could take several months to fully heal.  Good luck! 

Hi, I went through Perioral Dermatitis the past 4 months I was able to get lots of help and support from a closed Facebook group. They are a wonderful bunch of people if you are interested check us out. We have lots of information, we share product information and all our do's and don't 

Perioral Dermatitis USA & Beyond

Hi, I went through Perioral Dermatitis the past 4 months I was able to get lots of help and support from a closed Facebook group. They are a wonderful bunch of people if you are interested check us out. We have lots of information, we share product information and all our do's and don't 

Perioral Dermatitis USA & Beyond

My perioral dermatitis was cured in 3 weeks. Follow these steps:

1. STOP PUTTING ANYTHING ON YOUR FACE. No makeup, no face wash, no lip balm, no moisturiser, no essential oils, NOTHING. Especially avoid products such as Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment that has a hidden ingredient, Balsam of Peru (or myroxylon), and can trigger perioral dermatitis. 

2. You seriously have to follow Step 1. Although it may be tempting and it might feel soothing to put something on the rash, but trust me, your pores can heal themselves. They need to breathe. 

For about the first two days, it will seem like things are getting worse. Your dermatitis may get really red in your skin's attempt to release all the toxins. It will start flaking up, and this is a sign that it's healing. DO NOT SCRATCH/EXFOLIATE IT. Just leave it, and rinse only with water. 

3. In three-or-so days your body will have detoxified its skin, and you will now see improvements with each day that goes by. My perioral dermatitis was cured in 3 weeks. Avoid touching it with your hands.

4. After the perioral dermatitis has subsided, try to stay as natural as possible with your skincare regime. Water is the best cleanser. 

I can guarantee you, this is the most natural and effective treatment. 

I know exactly how you feel. Please try this:    Feedback: I have had seborrhoeic-dermatitis for the last 20+years. I was given cortisone cream to use sparingly. It didn't work for me. At times trying to get rid of rash and flaky skin my face would end up almost raw. I then read somewhere that COAL TAR SOAP was good for this condition. I have used the soap, applied with wet cosmetic pads and rinsed off with pads. The flakes came off right away with little to no effort. My face and hairline has never been so clear. This is a cheap and effective solution and really worth a try. Good Luck. 

Check to see if you are using products that have Methylisothiazolinone in them, otherwise known as kathan and the related chemical Benzoisothiazolinone.  About 10% of the population is allergic to it, but they are putting it in more and more products as a preservative.  Sometimes you have to contact the manufacturer to find out if it is in something.  Some moisturizers (like Nivea for example) also have it in.  There are a lot labelled hypoallergenic which include it.  It's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid, as it is in household cleaning products, washing up liquid, shampoos... you name it.  You shouldn't lay on the hydrocortisone thickly as it can have detrimental effects, thinning your skin etc, especially anywhere on the face.  I would try The Green People products, as they seem to be free of all nasties, and join a support group on FB to get recommendations from people who are suffering from the same thing.

I know that this thread is several months old but I need to share my current dermatitis issue just in case someone stumbles upon this thread while searching for help.

First, let me start by giving a little background.  I am 48 and, as far as I know, I have not begun menopause (I had a hysterectomy several years ago due to severe endometriosis - but I have one ovary left).  I have never had any acne issues - other than single pimples once in a long while.  In fact, over the past 1 1/2 years, I have suddenly been receiving compliments on my skin - a few have been family members/friends - but I have also had several occasions where strangers have complimented me and then asked me what I use for my skin.  Several times the question is asked after people hear that I have a 24 year old daughter because I look pretty young for my age (when I was 18 and looked 13 it was pretty upsetting - my mom always told me that one day I would be happy about it).  I am not trying to brag - I am just trying to give as much info as possible in order to provide assistance to anyone suffering from facial dermatitis.  After spending hours and hours looking for answers about my rash, I know how frustrating this issue can be because one remedy may work wonders for someone - but then do the exact opposite for someone else.  The posts that I have found most helpful were ones that included a more detailed background.  My skin is just pretty normal and doesn't have any issues - very soft and smooth.  

Anyway - about 2 weeks ago I woke up with a small red bumpy rash on the side of my chin.  I had used a new moisturizer the night before because I had forgotten to pick up the one I had been using so I was stuck choosing one from the drug store (it was a Saturday night and I had a flight to Playa Del Carmen at 7:00 a.m.). The funny thing is that I spent a bit of time reading labels before deciding to purchase Burt Bee's night cream and daily moisturizer.  I selected it because it was 99% natural and didn't contain the "bad P" ingredients.  I decided to purchase the intense hydration formula because of my trip - I thought my skin would need it due to being at the beach (dehydration). Obviously, i really didn't have a lot of knowledge about skin products (I do now!) and just made the choice based upon some common assumptions (natural is always better than synthetic - and that my body being a bit dehydrated would immediately affect the moisture level of my skin).  I was wrong on both accounts.  I'm not sure which ingredient caused the reaction because there are 3-4 strong possibilities (one being clary sage - the fragrance aspect of it is a known irritant - I actually was pretty surprised about how strong the scent was when I opened the jar at home). 

I wasn't overly concerned (at first) because I've had a few occasions where I've developed the same issue on my chin in the past and it's resolved itself after just a few days (just by not moisturizing the spot).  However, this time the spot didn't get better - I assumed that it was because I had to put sun screen on it instead of leaving it bare (wrong again). 

While l was down in Mexico, I started having an issue with my mouth.  I have a few health issues which require meds and have had to deal with pretty severe dry mouth in the past.  Because I had stopped taking one of my meds, the past month was the first time I didn't need to use Biotene (so, I didn't pack any). My mouth became more inflammed (the concierge had some mouthwash that a pharmacist thought would help (they didn't have Biotene).  I didn't get the mouthwash until 2 days before going home - it helped a little.  When I got home, the first thing I did was stock up on biotene mouthwash/gel/mints.  Typically, those items have a pretty fast soothing effect - but this time it wasn't working as quickly.  I waited a few days but wound up at urgent care because I was in so much pain one night (at this point, I suspected something else was wrong with me - the only relief I had was while I rubbed a piece of ice on my tongue). The doctor diagnosed oral thrush.  She prescribed two mouthwashes (nystatin and "magic mouthwash"). She told me that the nystatin would help clear up my rash also.  After a few days, my mouth was getting a little better - I was able to reduce the amount of time I needed something frozen in my mouth (and could actually sleep).  The rash was still there on day 5 post prescriptions, but it was less inflammed and was getting smaller.  However, because I just wasn't thinking, I started eating a lot of popsicles.   The sugar "fed" the yeast - and my mouth went CRAZY - and the rash became worse.  

So, I started my quest on the internet about my rash about 2-3 days ago.  I've learned that Nystatin and Magic Mouthwash both contain forms of sugar (or sugar substitutes) - so, some people start developing thrush again after stopping them (plus, I added a TON of extra sugar to my diet). In desperation, I started using baking soda in my water pik about every 2 hours which seems to have helped get the oral thrush under control - but not the dermatitis.    

I wasn't sure if it was perioral dermatitis because it was only on the one side of my chin.  Based upon my research, when a women gets acne on her chin (or jawline), it's usually due to her hormones being unbalanced.  Also, I read that it tends to manifest on the same side as the ovary that is ovulating that month.  My breakout is on the left side of my chin - and I only have my left ovary.  I also wasn't sure if it was perioral dermatitis because mine (while ugly and bothersome to me) wasn't anywhere near as awful as most of the pictures that I've seen.  Further, I had had it in the past and it had gone away pretty easily/quickly, so I thought it was probably acne.  However, based upon continued research - and it's reaction to treatment, I am 99% sure that it's perioral dermatitis.  

First, at, I know that I'm sensitive to tarter control toothpaste (it totally eats away at my gums/cheeks). I started thinking about the other times I've had the rash, and how much toothpaste runs down onto my chin - which makes me believe that my crest whitening toothpaste (I only use Biotene toothpaste when I've had a dry mouth flare bc my mouth just doesn't feel as clean after I use it).  I think that the toothpaste irritates my skin, and because I've had dry mouth in the past, the bad bacteria that can build up at times causes further irritation (I never had a rash on my chin before I had the dry mouth from my meds).   I think that it was much worse this time because the allergic reaction to the moisturizer was a bigger irritant, and this time I had an overgrowth of yeast.  

Okay - here is what I've done to treat it: (i) switched to Biotene toothpaste, (ii) washed the rash only with a tiny amount of neutrogena natural cleanser and didn't use my Clarisonic Mia, (iii) no skinmedica AHA/BHA exfoliator or AHA/BHA Cream/ or moisturizer, and (iv) dab a thin layer of clotrimazole cream 1% (anti-fungal OTC - do NOT use the prescription one bc it adds a corticosteroid to the cream) with a q-tip on the affected area.  I started this exact method late afternoon yesterday and it is significantly reduced (redness and inflamation) today.  Due to the mess I make while cleaning my mouth withmy water pik (baking soda water), I immediately rinse off the affected area with room temperature water and then re-apply the anti-fungal cream - so, I've put more on probably 3 times today). 

FYI - two days ago, I used witch hazel on it and I think it took a little of the redness out.  Yesterday I put coconut oil on part of it - and tretinoin .025% on the other part.  Coconut oil seemed to make it the same (or just a touch more inflammed). The tretinoin seemed to help a little bit.  I was kind of surprised because I never use the tretinoin - it caused me to have a tiny breakout when I used it before - I was just so desperate to fix this that I decided to try it because someone else had good results.  

Sorry that hat this is so ridiculously long - I just wanted to be thorough (and I'm an attorney so I can't help it!).  Also, I am having some pain issues today so I've taken a prescription pain med - so, pls excuse any errors.  I hope that this all makes sense!

Hi everyone. I've been struggling with really bad perioral dermatitis... Or at least I'm 95% sure that's what it is. There's also a small possibility that is seborrheic dermatitis but either way, I want to tell you guys how I have gotten rid of it because these forums are what helped me.

What I had was bad. It started out as a dry spot on my chin that my dermatologist gave me a steroid ointment for. After using it a couple of days it seemed to help, but from there it only got worse and spread to the sides of my nose! It was very red and I got a lot of small papules and bumps. After a couple weeks it started itching really bad and only got worse, especially at night. I did a lot of research and what I have looked exactly like perioral dermatitis which, funnily enough, can be caused by using steroid ointment on the face. So I believe it may have started out as one thing and turned into a bad case of perioral dermatitis. Long story short, I got my doctors to prescribe me Elidel that I use in the morning, and Metrogel that I use at night before bed. I noticed the metrogel dried my skin causing flaking, so I rubbed in ASDA Organic Argan Oil in the middle of the night to avoid the dryness in the morning.

I think the Metrogel made the biggest difference...after a few days of using it my skin improved so much! It has barely been a week now using Metrogel (a month using Elidel) and I'd say it is all 98% gone and getting better everyday. I was miserable for weeks and reading through the forums helped me figure out what to ask my doctors for. In addition, my doctor had me take 2 types of antihistamines, Zyrtec (an H1 blocker) and Zantac (an H2 blocker). I hope this helps someone as much as it helped me because I was at my wit's end, miserable for many weeks.

I also should point out that I stopped using anything with sodium lauryl sulfate. I also switched to a natural toothpaste and stopped using tartar control mouthwash. I also stopped using my face-wash and switched to a natural soap. I think avoiding the typical triggers definitely helped it get better more quickly. I still maintain a natural mild soap for my face and I am now using Avene Tolerance Extreme Cream as a moisturizer, just in case my regular moisturizer irritates it. I plan to do this until there is no more trace of it. Bottom line: Metrogel made a world of a difference, but daily routine changes will speed up the healing process.