Help me with my **possible** perioral dermatitis

MissMc,

I am really glad I found out why I have had so many issues over the years. I had even went through psychiatric care and was put on anti-epileptic medication for mood disorder and I was so sick from it that I had to take time off work, which ended up costing me my job. So, yes, it is such a relief!! As far as the Celiac goes, I have read that if you continue eating gluten when you have even a sensitivity to it, you could develop Celiac disease. I don't know how accurate that is, as I just started reading more about autoimmune diseases and celiac/gluten intolerance is highly linked to almost all of them. I say go for it and see how your tummy feels! Also, research "leaky gut syndrome" and see if that doesn't sound familiar to you. Are you able to order from Amazon? They have tons of GF stuff, I order my all-purpose flours from Amazon, as well as most of my GF things, though almost every store here has tons of GF options now! I am about to go to Japan in June for two weeks and am finding it is very difficult to eat GF there so I have to take my own food and a food card written in kanji/hitagana (pardon my spelling). I really hope something helps you!

Hello All,

MissMc, you made me chuckle at not being allowed to do any experiments in school...I was laughing to myself when I was mixing the zinc potion as well because it felt very "mad scientist".

I was sorry to hear of your troubles with diagnosis MiniCoop. I can imagine how it can be a mind-bender because this comparatively small thing has been a nasty thing to deal with. So glad to hear that you finally know what it is and can now address it. Japan will be no small feat trying to keep your food needs met. Good luck to you.

When you both mentioned gluten it struck a cord with me because I have been watching my weight for the last two weeks and I cut out all white... the usual potatoes, bread etc. It had nothing to do with the PD. It was just to trim down. My face has been better than it has been since this all started in October. I don't know what to think. I really hope it's not the reason because it opens the door to a more complex issue than I hoped for. I enjoy bread and pasta and pastry every once in a while. Also I believe that you can over-think yourself into ANYTHING being the cause and that's when it gets too involved for my liking. Also, I have never in my life had allergies of any kind. Ugh....so much for trying to keep it simple.

Take Care

Fiona, have no fear! I am no cook, I usually make spaghetti or tacos or chicken. Just so you know, there are tons of gluten free pastas that taste almost identical. Well, now that I've been eating them awhile, I don't think they taste any different than I remember but I make everything gluten free and my boyfriend doesn't even notice. He even asks if its GF and when I say, of course, he says it's good. I think he's actually shocked. Also, there are some GF breads that are just terrible and will make you think you can't handle it but Rudi's makes amazing GF bread. I love all of them, especially the cinnamon raisin. I put the loaf in the freezer then take the pieces out and put them in the toaster. I make all my sandwiches with it, of course you can defrost the bread and not toast it. I just enjoy it that way and it lasts longer. Going gluten free will definitely help you lose weight but if you still have trouble, I would really recommend you get a full thyroid panel checked. Now that I've been researching I just see all the same complaints I find here amd from my own experience that there are far more people with autoimmune disease than they realize and it often takes an average of 7 years to get the correct diagnosis. Just think about checking it due to your skin problems alone! Research Hashimoto's, leaky gut syndrome and adrenal issues. I bet something else besides the gluten will strike a cord! Good luck, have faith, God bless!

Thought I'd just give my memories of my brother's gluten-free prescription food when he was a child (we're now late 40s!). The bread came in a red tin. You had to pierce a hole in the top and put it in the oven to 'bake'. If you didn't pierce a hole, as my dad forget once, the tin would explode in the oven! It looked a bit like around rice cake when sliced but a bit more denser and nothing like the texture of normal bread. It tasted awful - and was only palatable toasted with proper butter (yes, I did try it) which we only had at Christmas and Easter . He also had chocolate digestive biscuits on prescription - they were very soft, not sharp and crunchy like a normal biscuit and again, not very palatable.

He couldn't eat sausages due to the gluten in them. When my mum found out from the butcher that his sausages didn't have any flour added my brother had a sausage-fest for weeks, until he couldn't eat them any longer Pizzas and pasta weren't heard of and there was no McDonalds to tempt him so life probably was a lot easier then, despite the lack of gluten free products. In fact, when the rest of the family had apple pie and mum's lumpy custard for desert, David would have a bar of chocolate which he would eat very slowly in front of us as we choked on the pie and custard

He was diagnosed as a baby (not sure how young) after 'failing to thrive'.

Hello everyone! I just wanted to start off by saying that I am so relieved to have found this discussion - an ACTIVE discussion on PD. I got so excited when I saw the dates that these posts were made on and have spent the past 30 minutes reading it all. I have had PD since last January, so over a year, and in that time it has waxed and waned. For the last 6 months or so it has been very minor - just a slight redness around my nose that can be covered with makeup. And for this I am thankful. But in the year that I've had it I've had in around my chin, corners of my mouth and even eyes.

I'm a 19 year old girl and so when some of you think it can be caused by the menopause I'm afraid that myself and others are proof of otherwise!

Like many of you on this thread I believe that PD is caused by a yeast overgrowth, and this is what I have concentrated on with my treatments for the last few months. My problem is I am never consistent. In the first few months of me having PD I spent hundreds on lots of products and never gave them enough time to do their job. I am thankful that my PD is mild now compared to what it has been in the past but the reason why this condition has affected me so much is that I have always had perfect skin - before this I don't think that I had ever had a spot in my life. I hadn't changed any makeup/skincare/toiletries at the time that my PD began, and over the past year haven't seen any correlation with products and PD. I've used SLS, fluoride-free and then both fluoride and SLS-containing products without any difference. So for me, this is an internal issue. My PD began in the year of my life when I moved to University and began drinking - along with alcohol I began drinking a lot of soda (which I never drank before), not eating as well as at home, and being stressed. I do a very demanding University course, coupled with moving away from home and going through a breakup - I believe this set it off. Stress = lowered immune system. So for now my focus is on lowering my stress levels, which is easier said and done when every morning you look at yourself in the mirror and see this. If it was on my body I'd wear clothes and cover it up and would think about it less. But I am confident that stress affects my skin badly - 2 months ago I was very stressed and got a full body itchy rash.

So for now my regimen is eating healthily but not severe restriction diets - this would just make me more stressed. Drinking ACV twice a day before meals. Moisturising with coconut oil.

My other big problem is my lack of patience with this condition and the possibility that detoxing myself from this stress and yeast/internal imbalance issue is likely to make it worse before it gets better. Drinking ACV takes time - many people don't see benefits until a month in. Last time I tried this I did it for 2 weeks (with a poor brand of vinegar) and so don't think I gave this enough time. Also PD is often linked to pregnancy - during pregnancy your immune system is lowered so that your body doesn't reject the baby, a lowered immune system = internal imbalance. Just my two cents. Also the fact that most regimens that people say have worked - ACV, coconut oil, violet extract, kefir/acidophilus on countless forums are class anti-yeast treatments.

I'm just so thankful to have found you guys. I just know that when I get rid of this (and I WILL) I will never take my skin for granted again. Wishing you all well

Rachel

Hi Rachel!

I am so pleased you find this thread useful. Surprisingly, there are no real active threads on PD and on top of that, I can honestly say that everyone here has contributed SO much from their experiences and helped others by doing so. Happy reading!

So much of what you mentioned rings true with my experiences. I too have spent hundreds of pounds on different products that people have found to cure their PD. But you know what, I don't really regret it. It really is a case of trial and error and the laws of probability would suggest that you'll find something that works in the end! Another thing is that many products that people claim to have cured or curbed their PD are multipurpose; that is to say that even if you buy them and they don't work, they can be used for many other things! I have dry skin anyway so I have used up almost everything I have bought on my face, body etc.

It aggravates me somewhat that alot of pages you find with basic info on PD, even from the NHS (the national health service here in the UK), mention that cosmetics often trigger or cause it. I have even heard it called 'the curse of the vain'. Argh. But as you mentioned, you didn't use anything new. Neither did I, when I got it. But I had just come off antibiotics- another link with yeast, for sure.

I really can empathise with the stress it causes, and the feeling that it is making it worse. Its a vicious circle. But I can tell you that it WILL go away. It certainly isn't forever. I know that feeling of looking in the mirror and seeing flakes and redness and feeling horrible and that people would stare at it. It can also be very sore, in my experience! But it WILL go away. Mine has pretty much cleared up completely. Although unfortunately I have been left with a lot of pigmentation that is red. I'm sure that will never go away. But it can easily be covered with make up. And you know what? I'm sure I'll probably get it again. I can't seem to find much of a pattern with mine. I haven't been eating well at all, especially with regards to yeast, and it hasnt come back. But im sure something might trigger it in the future. I'm just taking comfort in the fact that it will eventually go away once it appears.

I would definitely echo the ladies above and suggest using something containing zinc. Coconut oil did keep mine moisturised, but didn't do much in terms of making it any better. I have mentioned before, but honestly the only things that have significantly improved it are creams or applications of zinc based products. Definitely give it a try! I would recommend Avene's Cicalfate cream (you can get it on Amazon!). Alternatively, there are some fantastic posts and discussions above about zinc and topicals you can try out.

I wish you all the best Rachel. Stay positive! And remember to keep us updated with anything that works for you.

All the best

Emily

Yes, before I found this I was looking at posts from 4 years ago and just felt like everyone had cured their PD apart from me!

I feel like mine is in the same stage as yours Emily - I just have the redness around the folds of my nose which can be covered by makeup. My mum says that she has never noticed anything there but I have because I know my skin better than anyone else. I feel for those who have it worse than me and I know that I was so stressed when mine was around my mouth and eyes. I feel like one of my problems is that I'm such a perfectionist and having always had perfect skin I feel that I want to get rid of this redness but as you said that may never happen.

I am also thankful that I have never been to a western doctor about this - I self diagnosed by typing 'redness around nose' into google. So thankfully I have never been down the steroid/antibiotics route which only seem to make it worse. I'm also in the UK too so I know that the doctors here are even more clueless about PD and getting to see a dermatologist that may have seen this before is nearly impossible!

In one way this PD has taught me a lot about stress, the downsides to antibiotics, healthy eating and natural therapies and so I am thankful for it. If I ever get a wart I know to use ACV now which I had no clue about before!!

Rachel

Reading all the posts, and Rachel's, I believe there can be many different triggers - hormonal (monthly cycle, the menopause); topical reaction to face creams / makeup, stress (not in my case, I'm in the most chilled part of my life right now thankfully , reactions to food, the environment, household cleaners, yeast overgrowth and even the remedies we have tried. I don't think we'll get a definite answer and I would be surprised if it is down to one thing - for example, very young children can get it and they don't wear makeup or use face creams so therefore should we rule this out as a trigger?

The main thing is finding a cure for it or at least help to keep it at bay. And perhaps, different people will need different remedies. The great thing about this site is that there are many suggestions for each one of us to try. Personally I'm looking forward to using my home-made zinc ointment. If it doesn't work I'll have a rethink using the suggestions on this site.

Rachel made me laugh about never taking her skin for granted. To get to 19 without spots is an achievement in itself . Personally, at 19 I never appreciated my slim legs when I had them - always wishing my calves weren't so muscly Oh to have those lithe young legs again, calves an all All the best Rachel and be sure to keep us updated.

I totally agree that there's a different cause for everyone. Why else would there be hundreds of cures and yet no definitive cause has ever been found? It's definitely an outward symptom of something else - like you said it's just finding what that cause is for YOU that's the issue. (And what may take a while)

Haha... I'll be sure to show off my legs as much as possible then!

Once again, it's lovely to find and interact with others who have this. Also it puts a lot of things in perspective - it's so easy to get bogged down over this minor issue but things could be much worse. I have my sight, hearing, food, shelter, an education and so I have a lot to be thankful for and focusing on these things reduced stress which my skin and whole body will thank me for. I'll keep taking the acv because it gives me so much energy (which I need) and I'll be sure to report back any improvements or changes over the next few weeks!

Rachel

At the risk of throwing everyone off on a new direction....I HAVE been eating more GP lately because of the diet thing but more consistently, I have been focusing on the mineral angle. When I got results from the zinc I delved deeper into it and found just how important mineral intake is to the skin because our bodies don't produce them... we rely on it through food intake.

Long story short because I'm running out the door....If you have a mind to look up the connection between zinc and other minerals AND vitamin C because it is sooo important, especially to older woman who need it for collagen production (sagging bottoms and faces). If anyone can tell from my posts so far, I really try to keep it SIMPLE and it was just a matter of eating more vitamin C foods and eating OVER 70% cocoa chocolate....more later.

Emily has hit it on the head when she says that having to do the research on PD hasn't been so bad because we have learned so much beyond it.

MIssMc has been as entertaining as ever with her stories of her brothers horrid bread, biscuits and over consumption of sausage.

Please do me a favor Coconutlover and be my guinea pig (does that have the same meaning in England?) Please buy a cheap tin of diaper cream and give it a try. I HAVE to know if it works for you because I really feel that it does for me and I want to know your results with it......It should work almost immediately.

MissMc...get on with that zinc powder concoction and let me know too!

Take Care!

P.S. (as usual)

Rachel, I do agree with stress being a bad inclusion to PD but please take it from a mid-forties woman (how did that happen?!)....Enjoy yourself and youth and your legs and maybe your not-so-perfect skin...looking back on everything that I was concerned with at that age makes me laugh and cringe a little bit because a lot of it was so unnecessary. Your skin will get better! And please don't feel that I am condescending because I was such a perfectionist also...still am to a degree and I guess that's what makes this so annoying to deal with.

Oh......How I sound like all those older people that used to say the same things to me. Ugh

Hi everyone.

I have had success in calming it (and it almost disappears) when I swim regularly in the ocean. The long exposure to the salt water must do something, so I just leave the sunscreen cream off and stay in for at least 1/2 an hour (live in Oz ). I don't wash the salt off either. This doesn't totally get rid of it, because after a few days of non-swimming it starts to redden up again, but it certainly works to calm it right down to almost nothing for a while. I haven't done it yet, but I thought that perhaps bathing my face in a sea salt solution a couple of times a day may have the same effect. It's worth a try. 35 grams of sea salt to 1 litre of water to make your own sea water.

I've been dealing with PD for approx 18 months. It started in a little crease near my mouth and then circled around to the other side.

I tried vinegar and then calendula ointment without success. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with hormones because of the monthly flare ups and also notice that I have a bit of eczema flare up on my hand when I eat lots of bread, so maybe bread also contributes.

Hope this is of help to someone.

Hello to everyone. I get an e-mail every time someone posts. I read all the posts since I joined and continue to read how everyone is struggling. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease this past week and have since then learned SO much! I know you all have been on medication after medication and cream after cream and have probably spent tons on different products. I now know we all have something in common, leaky gut syndrome or possibly low gut microbiota from all the medications doctors prescribe. I know some of you won't be interested in my suggestion but if you Google perioral dermatitis and Paleo diet you will see a ton of people resolve their skin issues with specific foods and probiotics. I am starting my diet tomorrow, mine will be a little different because of my disease, I'll actually be removing even more than the paleo diet does. You only have to do the diet for at least 30 days then you can add things back in one at a time and you'll see what foods are irritating your immune system. Perioral dermatitis has been researched and shown to be similar to rosacea, which is affected by the immune system. If you would like more info and book recommendations let me know. Just research a little about the gut-skin connection before you write me off as crazy. Lol. Good luck and God bless.

*I also want to add, if you don't want to do the paleo diet or just think I'm clueless, I urge you to cut out gluten and cow's milk for at least two to three weeks and see if that helps. For some people thats all it takes.

Hey MiniCoop,

No suggestions are crazy and you ARE on to something with the Paleo diet. I started my own tweaked version of it a few weeks ago and as I mentioned earlier my skin is doing exceptionally well. Please also do some reading up on dark chocolate (should contain at least 70% cocoa) and spinach and yellow peppers and walnuts and chia seeds and stewed tomatoes etc., etc.....Vitamin C foods and foods high in minerals.....if your conditions will allow. So necessary for healthy skin.

Am happy that you are getting a handle on your stomach issues!

Louse, I feel the same about sea water.... it does wonders for so many ailments. So envious that you are able to swim in the ocean whenever you want....

Fiona