Help me with my **possible** perioral dermatitis

Hi all,

I have removed several links from a few posts above as we do not post links directly to selling sites. Please use the message service to exchange these links if necessary.

Regards,

Alan

Emis Moderator

Its great to think that something I posted on the off chance I might get a couple of replies has generated such an incredible and thorough discussion about PD, and helped alot of people! I am SO pleased and thank you all for contributing greatly with your experiences.

Clare- I too tried apple cider vinegar for a while. I would put some on a cotton pad and hold it at the sides of my nose for about three minutes each side. It did dry it out A LOT, and lessened the flakes, which somehow I felt helped it a lot. I stopped doing it and about a month later it cleared dramatically. I do think it was helped a lot by the ACV which killed the bacteria associated with it. But I guess i'll never know!

sweettooth- re. the yeast spit test thing. I did that too! I am convinced mine was initially caused by yeast after taking antibiotics, and then made worse by hormones. My spit test suggested that was the case, too! I also tried grapeseed oil but admittedly didnt stick at it for long enough. I tried it a few times and for me it appeared to have not done much. It didnt make it worse but it didn't make it better either! So pleased it has decreased the bumps for you. Along with ACV, calendula etc, grapeseed oil is something that seems to crop up again and again for helping PD so I think there is definitely success with it as it is quite drying if I remember rightly.

Fiona- Couldn't agree with you more on a couple of things. One being the benefits of zinc in relation to PD. I tried many variations- zinc supplments, sudocrem, topical antibiotic called zineryt containing alot of zinc and lastly a cream called Cicalfate by Avene which has zinc in it and has helped keep my PD completely gone for a few months now! I would say that whilst the Cicalfate and zineryt helped more than anything else, everything I have tried in regards to zinc has helped to some extent. Its probably the one thing I would recommend to try first. It promotes healing, after all!

Secondly, I've said it before in a few posts above but I am so with you on the stresses of trying to try lots of remedies. I admit that I became a bit obsessive about it when it was bad. Because it made me so depressed and I was so upset about it every hour of every day, naturally i wanted to try every single thing that people said worked for them and 'cured it'. I found myself constantly on forums and then on amazon buying oils, creams and countless other supposed remedies that have worked for someone or other. It can really mess with you and stress you out, thikning you should try everything. This doesn't work- not least because you aren't giving each product enough time to work and just trying lots at the same time. But first and foremost, it just really effects your stress levels. If you tried everything you saw on forums you would be spending hundreds and hundreds on hundreds of products!

Good luck everyone.

Well, the wind has been taken out of my sail regarding zinc curing this pox....it's under my eye now. Anyone have that happen? Bought zinc powder and added loads of it to CereVe cream to up the percentage and it's keeping it at bay around my mouth area but lovely, lovely, lovely spot under my right eye. Can't wait to get that prescription for doxycycline next week....I don't care if it's not natural, I just want this plague off of my face.

Thanks again for your offer of diaper cream recipe Sweettooth....I hope you're not buried in snow and ice!

I shouldn't be that hard on the zinc because it IS alot better. It's just not gone

Hi Fiona, See if you can get your Dr to prescribe some pimecrolimus cream.It is prescribed as 'Elidel' here in UK .marvelous stuff.

I am clear skinned now after month of antibiotics and Elidel cream.

Just hope it doesn't come back.

I will know if I get to the end of this month without fresh outbreak..

Thanks for that Lisa....I will definitely take note of it for my doctors appointment... I want to have as many options as I can before I get there so I won't have to go back with an afterthought.

I am so glad that you are clear of this and hope that you continue to see results.... I don't want to jinx you but I would really like it if you posted to let me know either way if it does have anything to do with your cycle.

Also, I know that I can read about it on the internet but I would like to know first hand from you if you find that you can use this Elidel cream as a replacement to a moisturizer; at least until I get this cleared up. I just don't want to mix too many things but I have dry skin especially in this frigid weather.

Thanks in advance

Hi Fiona, I use La Roche-Posay Effaclar DUO[+] anti-blemish cream as a moisturiser which is light matt lotion.You can get this of Ebay or Amazon it is expensive but you only use tiny amount each day.

Read the reviews!

If I need more moisure i use Cetaphil moisturiser.

I don't use pimecrolimus cream as a moisturiser but as a treatment for spots/bumps and as I said it is excellent.

No return of PD as yet;It last came up 17th Jan so we will see.

Thanks Lisa...just wanted your personal experience re; your choice of product because I believed the sales lady when I spent $300.00 for the Geurlain eye cream that is sitting in my cupboard. Sick and tired of falling for all the sales pitches. Crazy amounts of money spent on skin care

Hey Sammy,

I have been meaning to thank you for that link that you sent me....I truly feel for you having to deal with eczema and psoriasis. It can just appear one day out of the blue! Having PD for a comparatively short time, I can only imagine what you went through (Past tense!)

I really value getting recommendations about skin care products from people with tenacious skin problems. You are so happy with Sonya skin care so I looked it up and was surprised at how reasonable the pricing is. I just want to find ONE LINE of skin care if possible.....no more flip-flopping all over the place. I am determined that there will be no more trips to the skin care counters trying to keep it as simple as possible and then getting home and sitting on the bathroom floor with all of the leaflets around me trying to figure out how to have enough face to apply it all to.

I will NOT buy 50 different kinds of creams anymore

I will NOT buy 50 different kinds of creams anymore

I will NOT buy 50 different kinds of creams anymore

I will NOT buy 50 different kinds of creams anymore

Pray for me Ladies

At 47 I was hoping that my skin would start to show signs of clearing up, having suffered from spots since ateenager. I generally get them around the chin, jaw line and forehead. Not loads, and they don't really makeme too self-conscious.

However before Christmas time I developed a 'pimple' in the fold of skin from nose to mouth - each day

another pimple grew next to it until the whole crease was red and sometimes dry flaky. I used Savlon daily and it eventually seemed to clear up although it still looks slightly red. However, a few weeks later at the

beginning of the year I developed a red patch at the corner of one eye, that has since expanded to include several patches on the corner, top eyelid and below the eye, and has now started in the corner of my other eye.

The practice nurse at my GP diagnosed impetigo a couple of weeks ago but it doesn't look like any

impetigo photos you see on the web - in fact it definitely looks like periorifacial dermatitis so I've taken the

liberty of diagnosing myself, and stopped the topical medication I was given for impetigo as it made no difference, and the 'rash' even spread whilst using it.

At the moment it isn't so bad, but growing. I only get bothered when I look in the mirror at breaktime at

work if I notice I have been walking around with a big flaky bit for everyone to see!

I had read before finding this site that it could be hormonal related, and as I don't fall into the 20-45 year

age group that usually get it, I'm also wondering whether it is menopause related. I've not had a period in

over 10 years due to the pill I am on, so have no clue whether I am peri-menopausal or not!

I'll be reading all your replies again for the best remedies and wish all of us the best luck in clearing up our problem patches.

MissMcs post is why this forum is so informative..... A few posts ago I mentioned how fed up that I was because I started to have a patch under my eye but I couldn't attribute it to PD because the literal translation of perioral means "around the mouth". MissMc now adds a new spin on this when she mentions "perioralfacial" I was really puzzled by what looked to be the same type of outbreak around my eyes and cheek and now I know.

Thank you thank you thank you for your post just in time for my upcoming doctors appointment because I want as much information as possible before seeing my GP.

I still strongly feel that menopause is not the cause of this because I have read of small children and teenagers with this problem as well.....you only have to look to the images of perioral or perioralfacial dermatitis on your computer to see loads of pictures of all ages.

Thanks again MissMc and PLEASE let me recommend that at the very least you try zinc ointment...make your own with powder zinc oxide or plain old diaper cream.....It really does make a huge difference.

Thanks for your reply Fiona. I'm glad I could help a bit. I Googled 'rash around the eyes' and a site in New

Zealand had a photo of a lady with the same patches around the eyes as myself - it could have been me! It was only then that I realised that the patch from my nose to mouth that erupted earlier was probably also related to the patch around the eyes. Unfortunately I only found this out after my appointment with the nurse and the ointment for impetigo didn't work.

I will definitely try the home made zinc ointment. I don't use harsh chemicals in the house as I have a septic tank, and buy vegan-friendly cleaning, washing products and toiletries for the house, and rarely use make up, so the only thing I could think was a hormonal outbreak. I need to check whether my toothpaste has fluoride though.

I'm glad you think it isn't the menopause - I'm not quite ready for hot flushes and restless nights yet!

A quick note on the zinc oxide powder, MissMc....you must use a mask when mixing the zinc oxide powder into whatever cream you choose. It is such a fine particle (nanoscale) that it can easily be inhaled and is considered harmful to the lungs. I must admit that it put me off at first. I had dust masks leftover from a renovation so I just use those.

As to the ratio, I looked on the internet and could find recipes for sunscreen only. My main objective was to get as much zinc onto my skin as possible so I didn't want to dilute it with beeswax etc. therefor I eye-ball it.....I just make a little at a time so about a tsp. of CereVe cream (my choice) and few toothpick scoops of zinc powder (a little goes a surprisingly long way!) and your off to the races.

The whole "harmful to inhale" thing started me wondering about putting too large of a concentration on my skin so I called a few pharmacies and was assured that zinc is not absorbed into the skin so all round I am happy with this method and as I said has without doubt worked for me. This should be done when your staying inside though because it goes on like war paint.

So much for the "quick note"...oh well...I don't mind being a Majordomo on this because it frustrates me no end and I want it OFF me. At 46 I am really feeling that the warranty is running out and don't even get me started on the hot flashes....that's a new development on my end and I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to deal with that yet. I am self-combusting 4 to 5 times a night and I am utterly exhausted and horrible to be around. These mounting changes are too numerous to deal with all at once and I wish the Powers That Be would spread them out a little.

QUESTION TO ALL: Does anyone have rosacea? I am seeing that PD can be attributed to it but nobody has mentioned anything about it on this forum yet. I DO have a mild case and am wondering.

Take Care MissMc and All

P.S. You helped more than a little bit and also, I wondered about the toothpaste and washing detergent and though my worse breakout ever occurred after I did laundry, I have not had another breakout specifically AFTER using detergents since. I also use toothpaste with a whitener and fluoride in it and have literally wiped it over my mouth because I had to know if that was the cause.....no breakout occurred and I am still "mostly" in remission with the PD around my mouth and just a few spots around my cheek and eyes so I am leaning towards it not being the culprit....for me anyway

Hello all! I think Dawn8319 mentioned something that everyone possibly missed here and I just wanted to share something I have learned!! Dawn8319, you said you have Lupus and that is an autoimmune disease. I have been dealing with what I was told was eczema by dermatologists and given steroids and creams over and over to no avail. I don't want to bore you with my story but I have come to find that I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, and autoimmune diseases, especially thyroid ones, can cause skin issues and rashes. I don't think everyone is going to have this but I would encourage anyone with any kind of dry skin issue or rash to push their doctors to run a full thyroid panel. TSH levels are often normal so make sure they check antibodies. I am just so proactive about this and want to share what I've learned with people suffering from skin issues, as I know how awful they really can be! I would also encourage anyone with skin issues to remove gluten and sugars from their diets as those often trigger reactions to skin. For some it may be cow's milk, etc. but I still push for gluten free as much as possible, it's just better for everyone!

Hello Fiona, thank you for your detailed response. My zinc hasn't arrived yet so can't report the effects but I do expect it to work. I was rubbish at chemistry at school and don't remember being allowed to do any practical experiments so it's all very exciting mixing powders and cream and using a face mask I am on holiday from work so can apply it liberally without frightening my work mates. The patch below my nose on the left has flared up again and has now started on the opposite side, so now I have four separate patches.

Hello to MiniCoop too. Your post was very interesting and I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis, although I suspect it came as a relief after all the bother you went through. I've been thinking about cutting out gluten for a long time, for a separate issue, as have had what I would describe as an 'overactive bowel'! for over

10 years now. I won't give you the details but have often wondered about coeliac disease as my brother was diagnosed with it as a toddler, and my auntie diagnosed in her 40s. I did ask for a blood test once but it was negative, however I read somewhere that not all coeliacs will show a positive reaction to the blood test. At the moment I will just see how the topical treatment works before changing my diet.

You have certainly given the forum another angle to pursue if our home remedies don't work. Thank you.

PS apologies for my typing - I think my PC settings are wrong for this forum!