Dietary Changes for Perioral Dermatitis

At the beginning of December, I got a cold and I was very sick for about 5 days. In this time, I couldn't eat anything aside from a little chicken soup. My face started really clearing up. The minute I got better and started eating normal food it freaked out once again. Something just clicked for me then and there so I started researching rashes and found that facial yeast infections and perioral dermatitis look identical. I then started reading everything I could on yeast overgrowths and how to cure it with diet.

I decided to wait until after Christmas to begin. I started what is called the Candida Diet on December 30th 2013. This Diet is very restrictive. Basically yeast thrives on sugar. Carbohydrates once ingested turn into sugar so you can't have those. No dairy, No Fruit. You can google the diet and it will give you all the details. Because it is so restrictive I decided to do the diet Monday through Friday. I would then treat myself on the weekends. During the week, I would eat chicken, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables and that was pretty much it. On the weekend, I would eat whatever I pleased.

My facial routine is quite specific but I believe that it played a huge part in the recovery of my skin. I wash my face twice a day with a soy facial cleanser. I then pat it dry and I would use a q-tip to apply tea tree oil to the entire rash. I would let the tea tree oil rest on my face for one minute and then pat the excess off. I would then spray thermal spring water on my face and let sit for one minute. I would then pat dry again and follow with a pea size amount of creme ancienne moisturizer patted into my skin. The moisturizer is expensive but worth every penny. You need a moisturizer like this to repair the skin especially because you will be drying it out with the tea tree oil. If you don't get hydration locked into your skin a couple minutes after using the tea tree oil you will only cause damage. The moisturizer is $280 but will last you a year so it boils down to about $23 a month. I did this facial regimen twice a day. When I wake up, I also chug two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar everyday and I take a supplement called yeast cleanse (six capsules a day). I'm sure I could have cleared up my face a lot faster had I not had cheated on weekends but I needed them for my sanity.

It took 7 weeks for my face to completely clear up 100%. Now it is the best it's looked in years. It wasn't easy at all though. Some days I would really want to break the diet but I never did because each week I could see improvement. So, I held out till the weekends and never cheated during the week. I am so Thankful that this is what cured me. I am a different person now. Even though I am not on the diet anymore I eat a ton of vegetables and get my sugar mostly from a little fruit here and there. I do not eat like I used to nor do I desire to. I really feel like it was a message from God that I needed to cleanse my body from the inside out. If you go on a strict Candida Diet, I am certain that you can cure your rash. Hang in there. There's light at the end of the tunnel.

I have had POD for nearly a year now... And it all started when I started University. After a lot of research I now strongly believe that POD is caused by a yeast overgrowth. My rubbish student diet, coupled with a lot of alcohol, hardly any sleep and exam stress resulted in a yeast imbalance in my system. For other people this can show up as rashes on arms/legs, or oral thrush, but for me it showed up as this horrendous rash which nobody knows enough about!

It started as a tiny bit of redness around one side of my nose, and spread to the other side of my nose. Thankfully, mine never got as bad as some of the pictures I have seen on the internet. When I was in University the rash remained as the tiniest bits of redness with no obvious papules/pustules around my nose, which I could easily cover with makeup. However, whenever I returned home the rash would spread. The first time I returned home the rash spread to the corner of my mouth, then when I returned to University it retreated back to my nose without me changing anything. The second time I returned home for 3 months at summer, the rash spread further from my nose down my naso-labial folds, some pustules and papules again on my chin and at the corner of my mouth, and this time I started seeing flaky skin on my eyes! At first I thought it must be a fluoride issue and a difference in fluoride content in the water supply between home and University. So I bought fluoride-free toothpaste, didn't use mouthwash etc... And nothing changed. I then checked the fluoride content of both of my homes and realised that at University my water was artifically fluoridated as was moderately hard... And at home my water was soft with naturally low fluoride. Surely if this is a fluoride problem then it should get worse at University????

Then I started looking deeper into earth clinic and did some research. And BINGO! What are the most popular cures on Earth clinic for POD? ACV (Apple cider vinegar), Grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil, genetian violet. Some people have even used Vicks vaporub, acidophilus etc. ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE USED TO TREAT YEAST/FUNGAL INFECTIONS! Apple cider vinegar, GSE and oregano oil are popular treatments for candida. Genetian violet has been used historically to treat fungal infections from babies wearing diapers. Vicks vaporub contains thyme and camphor - know antifungal ingredients and further research has shown people using Vaporub to treat toenail fungal infection and athlete's foot. That's when I began to realise that this was most likely what causes POD if fluoride/changing to SLS-free products hasn't worked for you.

After coming to the conclusion of yeast causing this my theory between my rash spreading at home and University is partly to do with water. Soft water (home) is acidic, hard water (University) is alkaline. Yeast thrives in an acidic environment, so thrives in my home water. Also, I believe that when I was at home with a healthier diet and no alcohol, the yeast was beginning to die. When yeast dies it releases toxins, often making symptoms appear worse - called "die off". I interpreted this as just my POD getting worse. POD is a symptom - not the CAUSE. There is something bigger going on with our bodies!

The reason why mostly women get this? We have naturally more yeast in our body compared to men due to yeast naturally inhabiting the vagina.

I then found a very helpful post on earth clinic by Nolan (link here: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/perioral-dermatitis6.html#GF) which has confirmed all of my suspicions and I highly recommend anyone suffering from POD reads it.

So now I am treating myself for yeast. I am on a low sugar diet (but nothing as extreme as the anti-candida diet which says no sugar in any form), I am just not eating anything processed or high-carb, eating lots of veg, taking probiotics. I am also drinking ACV and oregano oil, eating garlic and applying oregano oil topically. When I am back in University and cooking for myself I will be going on a paleo diet - no grains, which I hope can help to heal my gut further after the abuse I have put my body through with a poor diet and alcohol consumption. My theory is that your skin is your body's largest organ and so your body is trying to rid itself of yeast through the skin - in the form of POD.

After only trying this regime for the past week (and my ACV has only just arrived today) my POD seems to be clearing - it is definitely less red, papules are getting flaky and drying up, no longer anything on my chin and no sign of anything spreading anywhere further. I am going to do an update after following the regime for a while, but please, if ridding youself of fluoride and SLS products hasn't done anything- - take a look at your lifestyle and see if you are a candidate for yeast overgrowth.

I am here to tell you all it is caused by an overgrowth of Candida in your intestines! That means yes.. You need to change your diets if you really want to get rid of this. You also need to do a Candida cleanse. All foods containing sugar or carbs. (YEAST) Even fruit and juices. That means no pasta, potatoes, bread, sweets, chips, milk, cheese. Yes cheese because it has lactose which is sugar. NO alcohol or beer! The yeast thrives on all these things. You will be eating a lot of meat for protein. Preferably organic without pestisides or hormones (these will also aggrevate your condition). You will also be eating a lot of green vegetables and your body is going to love you for it! Nothing out of a can or box people! This takes dedication and work but you will see results! I promise you! Didn't anyone wonder why they suddenly have become allergic to the SLS, fluoride, creams and lotions that you've been using for years??? Why suddenly is your body reacting to them in this way? Well it's because your intestines have an overload of yeast in them and its poking holes in them and going into your bloodstream which in turn is coming out as perioral dermatitis on your face. That's why the condition is somewhat itchy and buring. You know like a yeast infection.

The cleanse consists of 4 major things. You need to take in a glass of 8oz of water everyday... bentonite, psyllium fiber, capryllic acid. Down it! Drink water all day... At least 1 to 2 litres to flush out your system. Then at night take 2 Acidophilus pro biotic capsules. I like one that has 25 billion per entric coated capsule. Entric coated means it will get through your stomach into your intestines where you need the good bacteria to take over the bad(Candida yeast)!

I am telling you people I've taken the doxycycline! Which made my condition terribly worse! This is because antibiotics kill whatever good bacteria your body has left in it and then the yeast takes over. Or if you condition isnt too bad for some reason it helps a bit but always comes back. This is because the drugs are not fixing the root to the problem. I am hoping that you will google Candida cleanse and diet and try it out! I will tell you... You follow this for 2 weeks strictly... You will see amazing results!!! I also put a little tea tree oil on the clusters if any appear (which they dont anymore! ) This helps a ton to dry them out. It has incredible antibacterial qualities! Amazing stuff! It burns but it works. Also I put some 100 % vit e oil all over my face night and morning. I splash water on after and then towel dry. Vit E is fantastic for healing and you will notice a huge difference in the bumps and scars if you have any, just in one night. It will not clog your pores at all. Google natural oil versus creams, You'll be surprised.

Take this for what you will people! I hope this helps someone as much as it did me! :)

Sarah M

I have cut out all fast food, processed food and continued eating as many natural/organic food as I can. I have slowly switched over to as many natural household products along with using natural makeup. I feel like the product switch may have been beneficial but I am certain the real key component in clearing my face was the omitting fast food from my diet and eating liver cleansing foods such as beets. My face is clear! I have since eaten fast food a few times and have seen no setbacks until I ate it 3 times back to back. Two times one week and once the following week. It hasnt broken back out but it was sensitive to the touch with that "hot" feeling it gives and there was a small bump. I went back to avoiding fast food and my face went back to clear. I still have that slightly pink under my nose, but I have always had it and it doesnt bother me and isnt noticable to other people. Good luck to all of you out there! Be careful of what you put into your body. Our bodies reject it for a reason.

To start out with back ground I'm a guy age 21, and I was one of the lucky 10% to get this crappy thing, and I've got to say I'm really sorry for everyone who gets it because if you don't know why it happens it is VERY hard to get rid of. I had this disease for 1 month which made me not go to classes, completely avoid my friends, and not go home on weekends for the humility of it. I felt terrible and because of that, I did research every day, for around 4 hours each day and here Is what I've discovered.

Perioral Dermatitis,

WHAT IS IT

1.The causes are many times different but the symptoms are always the same with the redness around your mouth and tiny bumps filled with fluid is cause by an immune system reaction to something. If you'll notice it is somewhat similar to a poison ivy rash in the fact that some foreign body is cause your skin to inflame and create those bumps.

CAUSE: the reason why this is so hard to treat and there are so many different things that seem to work is because there are different causes to it, but there are 2 main ones and 1 suspected cause.
1. Yeast infection in the superficial parts of the skin but ALSO in the deeper tissues.
2. Allergic reaction to common substances, the main culprits: Lauryl sulfate, Flouride, and some waters (the trace minerals in some people's water). Just think of what comes in contact with the inside or outside of your mouth.
3. Demodex mites - Not as common as the first 2
4. a fungus, similar to foot fungus. But more often is yeast specifically which is #1 above.

WHO/WHY YOU GOT THIS:
1. Immuno compromised people- Many people who get this, get this just after chemo therapy because Chemotherapy kills your immune system allowing the yeast or fungus to thrive and infect the tissue around your mouth. I however am and extremelly healthy athletic college engineering student yet I got it, so why? Well the symptoms first began when I had 4 exams over 2 day and when I had 4 homework assignments and 1 project due on those days as well. For 2 days I did'nt sleep at all, did work constantly and ate a whole 3 lb bag of Skittles. So I was stressed out, no sleep, and ate a load of sugar.

ANSWERS TO REOCURRING PROBLEMS AND PINPOINTING WHICH CAUSE IS YOURS
STEROID CREME- Do not take these, If you use steroid creme on it, it should clear up for a little while because steroids supress your immune system which would take away redness, but if yours is an infection: yeast or fungus after a few days it will come back worse because the yeast had time to grow unempeded by your immune system for however long you used the creme. Steroids only treat symptoms and will make infections worse.

ANTIBIOTICS- Do not take these, If you do, it may clear up some, have no effect, or make it worse. But what will happen is, this will kill all the bacteria in your stomach and within your body. If yeast is cause-ing yours then you just eliminated all competition of the yeast and they will grow even faster within your GI track.

EATING SUGAR- Do not eat sugar, If you eat sugar you not only does sugar tend to make illness's worse, but if yeast is causing yours, this is the root of your problem. Yeast can only live by eating sugar. Their sugar comes from what sugar we eat. Eating soft drinks, and candies are the worst, Carbohydrates are also forms of sugar but they metabolize slower.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR- By applying this to your face, yeast have been known to die through many studies in the presence of apple cider vinegar. By putting it on your face, it will kill bacteria, and fungus's that are present on the outer layers. This will kill off a large growth of whatever is there cause our skin to become inflammed but get better shortly afterwards because you killed off most of whatever was growing there.

WHY APPLE CIDER VINEGAR WORKS FOR A WHILE BUT THEN IT COMES BACK- The reason why it comes back is because when you kill off whatevers on the outside of your skin it not only kills the fungus/yeast but also your good bacteria floura which lives there. So it will kills off the bad stuff but also the good stuff. And both will grow back after a period of a few days. But for most, the reason is because the dermatitis also has yeast growing in the lower levels of your skin where apple cider vinegar does not reach. This is why when you first got it you had a weak immune system/ ate a lot of sugar, The immune system doesn't directly affect the outside of your skin meaning it must be deeper as well. Similar to a deep tissue infection around a cut. When you get a cut the skin around it turns red if theres an infection, which looks irrely similar to the red ring that stays around your mouth even though you get rid of the bumps.

WHY DO MAINLY GIRLS GET THIS- There are a few reason for this. One is that many times it caused by yeast, and the natural ph of a girls body is more inclined for groth of yeast. Another is because of makeup and steroid cremes typically applied to the face can either cause allergic reactions to the ingredients in them or interfere in general with the skin's functioning making it more inclined to become infected. But a very large overlooked one is that the one thing most guys do which girls to not is shave their faces. Many shaving creme's contain over 2 types of alcohol alone, and many other substances which kill off bacteria and yeast never allowing either of them to become overcrowded creating an infection. So in essence guys sterilize their faces around 3 times a week without ever knowing it.

WHY THIS ONLY OCCURS AROUND YOUR MOUTH- This is the first question I asked myself when I began to try to figure out why this disease happens. And the answer dawned on me one day after talking to my mom. As when I first got this disease it started out looking like one pimple and soon spread around my mouth, but why did'nt it keep traveling and go to the skin above my cheek bones and down my chin where I also get acne. This is because if yours is caused by an allergic reaction to something, you must mainly come in contact with it around your mouth. But if yours is caused by some kind of an infection (Yeast), it must need to be in an environment that has moisture. Which explains why this many times spreads and becomes periocullar dermatitis (around the eyes). Because that is another place which has constant moisture near the skin. And for girls who have this, most likely they are also having a larger number of yeast infections in the other area of the body (You know what I'm talking about)

HOW TO GET RID OF THIS IN 1 WEEK

FOR THOSE CAUSE BY ALLERGIC REACTION:
If the cause of yours is from exposure to your tap water, Lauryl sulfate, sodium benzoate, some time of food, makeup, soap, detergent, etc. Then your treatment is very easy. If you can find out which substance you are using that causes is, simply discontinue its use. If not then I would recommend changing all you are using to all natural, free and Clear type of products. If this does not correct it, then began to try to notice anything you do unusual which causes it to flare up, or what you did over the span of a day before it flared up.

FOR THOSE CAUSED BY YEAST/FUNGUS/REOCCURING INFECTION:
This is what I had.... And I'm a guy -_- By now when you are reading this you have most likely tried EVERYTHING under the sun and are thinking "Here we go again with something that worked for someone else but probably won't work for me" But I promise you this will work because the treatment is up to you identifying what makes it better, and adapting.

First thing is that yeast can only live by metabolizing sugars. So we are going to want to starve them out, which does not take too long. So for a week (I cheated and it only took 2-3 days but mine maybe wasn't as bad as many of yours) do not eat any simply sugar: soft drinks, gatorade, Milk (has lactose) etc. Look at the nutritious facts of what you are about to eat and look at the grams of sugar. You want 0 but you can get away with low amounts like 1-2 grams.
Second do not eat carbohydrates- they get converted straight to sugar by yeast (this will be hard to do as carbs are in almost everything). your diet will manly be fats, and vegetables, and some dairy like eggs but not milk, and cheese is alright in low ammounts.
third I ate about a half a spoonfull of ground cinammon with each meal. If you add cinnammon to bread with yeast, that bread does not rise when you cook it as I found out through research that cinnammon completely inhibits yeast growth. The cinnammon you will have to mix with something like yogurt to eat, which the beauty of it is that yogurt has sugar but it doesnt matter because the cinnammon is inhibiting the yeast from growing with it.
fourth drink a lot of water. This will lower your blood sugar. Look up articles on how to reduce blood sugar in general if you want help. cinnammon convieniently and coincidentally also is used by those with diabetes to lower blood sugar.

Ok this is to kill the yeast in your stomach/intestines and to lower you blood sugar. You also want to reintroduce good bacteria back or give them time to grow back before you start eating sugar again. While you are doing this you should raise your immune system

fifth- I accomplished this by eating about 4 cloves of garlic a day, and drinking a lot of water, along with vitamin C. You should have to pee a lot from doing this.

Now to get rid of the bulk of Yeast/fungus around your mouth.

sixth- I used an antifungal creme around my mouth about twice a day. As well one day I made a cinnammon paste and but it around my mouth and It burnt but not sure if it did anything.

seventh- now the only reason the fungus is around your mouth is because of the moisture inside your mouth, so that made me think the inside of your mouth must be a part of the problem as well. This is why it is so hard to get rid of completely. But to solve this when I chewed up the garlic I made sure I rubbed them around the inside of my mouth where the perorial dermatitis was. As well I took ACV and rubbed it around the inside of my mouth about twice a day

NOTES: If you have trouble getting the diet down just search the internet for Candida diet. Their diet is extremelly strict and I got rid of mine with hitting just the major points of the candida diet and for not near as long as they want you to do it. As well common substances which kill fungus's if antifugal creme's dont are: garlic, Tea tree oil, ACV, and VIOLET EXTRACT. I've never seen anything bad about violet extract but I ran across it in one forum and My mom is a nurse and after I mentioned it to her she told me that they use something similar with violet in the name. And I was like hmmmm and looked and found out that some compound in violet flowers just beats the s### out of yeasts. =)

Now after about 4 days your skin on the outside will start peeling, and then for those next few days you'll notice the red fade out completely. And then you can start eating sugary drinks again and living your life. Just never eat to much sugar again for long periods of time allowing yeast the time to overcrowd your good bacteria and you'll never get this again. Unless you get diabetes, AIDS, or something which causes your blood sugar to be high all the time. But good luck and if you have any questions feel free to contact me on here because I know how crappy this stuff it. And Thanks to every one of you who helped teach me through your experiences. I'm PD free and eating soft drinks again, love yall.