2 years ago, I developed what I thought was seborrheic dermatitis on my face. My whole face became, red, blotchy, scaly and painful. I distinctly remember sitting my desk trying to work, scratching above my eyebrow and a huge chunk of dead skin falling off into my hand. It lasted for over 6 months. First bumps would appear, then they would flatten out, and scale over, eventually they would peel and I would have normal skin for a day or two before it would start again. I was depressed, withdrawn, and did not leave me apartment except to work and buy food/products that I hoped would help my skin. I did try ACV at that time, but I stopped when I didn't see results after a few days. That was probably a mistake, or at that point the infection was too severe.
My Dermatologist put me on Protopic (steroid cream) and antibiotics. I used it for a few months and it my rash disappeared. However, I was doing two other things at the time that I think helped. I was using a face cleanser that contains the same ingredient used to treat scalp dandruff. I also started covering my whole face in Vaseline after reading that it would “starve” the bacteria on oxygen. The first night I put Vaseline on, my face burned which I interpreted as the fungus dying.
I was left with normal skin, with a lot of hyperpigmentation because I had been so rough with trying to get rid of the scales. I think what happened is that the steroid cream kept my symptoms at bay while I continued to use the cleanser, which eventually killed the bacteria. I stopped using protopic after a few months the rash did not come back. Occasionally, I would see a bump or two, apply protopic and it would go away. The hyperpigmentation eventually faded.
In Oct 2017, I decided to go off of my oral contraceptive. In January 2018, I entered into a new relationship and so restarted my birth control. That's when I started getting bumps beside my mouth. Acne cream did not help, neither did the protopic. After some online research I self-diagnosed myself with perioral dermatitis.
From my experience two years ago, I knew how bad this could get. I was terrified and determined not to go back to what had been. My Dermatologist cannot see me until April! After reading all the reports on ACV on EC website, I bought some organic AVC and began to apply it to my face, followed up with calendula cream. I applied it full strength, I was diluting at first, but when done full strength I could see the “fizzing and bubbling” that others have mentioned. The PO active areas on my face would show white bumps. After the areas stopped reacting (2-4 days), I apply a diluted ACV solution to keep it from coming back.
I applied it not just to my mouth, but my forehead, nose and cheeks. I did this because in the past that's where the bumps would occur and fade. Sure enough, there was PO, hiding in this area too. The ACV definitely made my face worse before it got better.
Using it full strength caused some bad drying of my skin. Some patches look like burns. Even with the calendula cream, y skin was tight and I looked tired and wrinkly because of the dry skin. I returned to using Vaseline after the calendula cream. This made my face feel comfortable and normal. The dry skin began to fall off and the skin underneath was smooth.
I started using this treatment 2 weeks ago. The PO is not gone, but is remarkably better. My skin is smooth, not red but a light pink. I am going to continue to use ACV and hopefully can get rid of this for good. I intend to tone with diluted ACV solution morning and night from now on.
Other things I am doing
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Since I could not get the Born to be Mild cleaner anymore (they don't ship to Canada), I bought a soap on Amazon.ca with the same zinc ingredient. It's not drying on the skin. I wash my face with this before applying AVC
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I take a probiotic, multivitamin and zinc supplement at night. I will stop the zinc after the PO is gone, because there is such a thing as too much zinc in the system. It can make you sick.
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I put AVC and turmeric in my green tea every morning. No more than 2 tsp of ACV, usually less
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I am not going back on oral contraceptives. I am going to speak to my doctor about other options
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I have been a vegetarian since the age of 10, about 75% of my diet is vegan.
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I do use makeup to cover the PO when I go out. Probably shouldn't, but I am not as brave as some. Just concealer and foundation. I use Tarte and Bare Minerals.
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Talked to people about what was happened. When this happened before I just hid at home and cried. This time, I was honest with the people in my life. I told the guy I was seeing about it before he saw me for our next date (he said he didn't notice anything, sweet guy) I told my friends about it and how scared/upset I was. When people ask “how are you?” I am honest and say “I'm having some skin issues actually; I'm pretty self-conscious right now.” The support has been immediate and I don't feel like I am hiding. From a mental health standpoint, it's helped.
I know my use of Vaseline may be controversial to some on this site. Most sites agree that it is not good for PO. But in my experience it has not made my skin worse, and everyone's skin is different.
Good luck everyone!