Multiple Remedies for Perioral Dermatitis

I am in my early 30's, and have had basal cell carcinoma on my face (on my temple and my forhead both along the hairline). Both times the dermatologist said "oh it doesn't look like anything to be concerned about but we can biopsy it if you want", both times it was something that needed removal. The third time I went in for a suspicious spot, she froze it and then said, oh and let's treat your dermatitis. My what?!!!

I knew I was having some crazy redness that seemed to be worse in the cold and was spreading with some flaky/dry skin and my pores had become insanely HUGE on my nose and it was spreading to my cheeks and forhead. She said that was just age, but then pointed out these flat slightly raised bumps sprinkled in the redness that was along the laugh lines lip and side of my nose and cheeks right next to the nose. I hadn't really noticed them, they didn't hurt or itch or burn. At this point if I could get the redness to go away, and the bumps that were now glaring at me in the mirror as I sat there I was all for it.

She prescribed antibiotics and a cream, I filled them and almost cried when it was $134. 00 after insurance for just a 30 day supply of both, since she said it would take possibly 3-4 months to clear! I started them that night and the cream was burning as in my face just felt incredibly hot. I used it again the next morning with the same result and decided to really read the side effects sheet as opposed to just scanning it. I was shocked to see it say that it has the possibility to cause skin cancer and lymphoma!! No way was I going to continue using this, on my face where I have had skin cancer and right next to a spot I had frozen because of being possible skin cancer!!! I knew there had to be a better, healthier way to combate this, and that is how I found this site.

I have to say that over the last year I have been under incredible stress and my body is telling me that through the skin cancer, this PD, and a myriad of other health issues that have sprung up in the last few months. Apparently my body cannot handle the stress any longer. I have lost about 20 pounds and a bajillion hours of slept due to horrific anxiety, and when I do eat it isn't always the healthiest and I can't function even slightly without a cup of coffee in the morning.

I decided if I can spend ridiculous amounts on meds from a doctor who couldn't even diagnose my skin cancer correctly and I had to point it out to her and insist it was serious, that why should I follow her on this PD aspect. Which also had me researching other things such as rosecea and discoid lupus (my mother has been told she may have lupus, but refuses to follow up with that) as well as other types of dermatitis and even frost bite ( I say this because after a night out in negative temps two years ago I woke up with a crazy deep red/purple triangle on my nose, the skin peeled multiple layers and ever since the redness has been there when exposed to the cold for any length of time and has spread from that little triagle section to the rest of my face). At this point I am not confident this is the right diagnosis, but many of the remedies cross translate, so I will stick with it for now and figure out what works.

I started out with straight hydrogen peroxide. I put it on a cotton pad and swooped it along my face and then used a cotten tip and put it directly on the round raised bumps. Within seconds while I watched the bumbs were gone, it was insane! I continued to coat my face and let it dry which is why my face became angry red on my nose and it stung incredibly badly bringing tears to my eyes. I stuck it out thinking it must be cleaning something and went to bed. Woke up the next morning and the redness was practically gone, all the bumps were still gone, and my pores had shrunk back to almost normal! (I should add I have never had more than a pimple here or there and never a visable pore on my body prior to the last few months). I decided to use it again, but it didn't seem to have the same effect; however, I figure if this was working I would go to my local organic store and pick up a few things.

I currently have zinc oxide tabs 5mg, as I noticed that pretty much everything with zinc I'm not eating lately. I don't plan to be on this for long as I have read it could have some negative affects and in the past zinc used for colds has made me very ill. I also am using a 40% zinc diaper cream as a topical as I speak to hopefully tone down some of the angry red that seems to be spreading even more since I started with the peroxide and is even darker since I started with the apple cider vinegar! I also added a probiotic, am taking APV orally, and coconut oil orally (it's a nice replacement for sugar in my coffee).

My questions are these:

1. How long before the redness goes away?

2. Is it normal for the redness to spread when using these topical treatments? (it has followed my cheek bones on both sides and moving up my temples and has also moved up my nose to between my eyebrows and right above one eye brow where I put some peroxide hoping to shrink some pores)

3. I feel like yeast may be a culprit here and am curious if things such as, change in breath or foamy mucus are a reaction of the yeast being eliminated from the body (ie the internal things like probiotic and ACV doing their job)

4. When does the stinging and burning stop from the ACV topical treatment, and what is the best kind of soap to use to rinse after? I have stopped using all my "harsher" scrubs and face washes and am using a gentle cleanser and very little lotion, my face is actually less flakey and dry and feels pretty good except for right after the ACV so I follow it with the gentle cleanser and the hydrogen peroxide, and tonight with the zinc diaper cream (in hopes of lessening the redness since I Know as soon as I go outside in the morning my nose is going to shine like rudolf anyways it would be nice to see how much the cold effects it, by having a nice clear non-red or simply pink nose to start with)

Any thoughts, opinions, answers on any aspect of this whole thing are greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

Since taking the ACV I have begun to be unbelievably exhausted. My body feels heavy and all I want to do is sleep. It was an extreme effort to even get up to use the computer to post this. I haven't felt this tired since pregnancy and honestly this is even worse (and no I am not pregnant currently). Is this something others have experienced? Is there a solution to resolve this? I am still seeing some improvement on my skin with the redness (although I have not put ACV topically other than one time), and don't want to stop, but goodness I'm exhausted, and almost feel as if my blood pressure is incredibly low (I naturally have blood pressure that is on the low side of normal).

You asked in your original post if it was normal for the redness to spread, and yes, for me, that was very normal. (my story is posted in a thread entitled Apple Cider Vingear, Yogurt, Grapefruit Seed Extract)

If you do use the ACV topically, the stinging goes away when the POD is healed. I now use diluted ACV as a toner every morning, and it is not painful at all.

Hang in there- you can beat this!

Wash face with Dr. Bonners mild baby soap.

50/50 ACV applied with a cotton swab-- let dry for 10 min. or so.

Apply the topical Clindamycin.

Do this every morning and evening.

I bought some apple cider vinegar and some natural organic yoghurt and tried this approach. The first few days the area became more red and sore and looked awful but I carried on with the ACV. After a week it was still red and sore. I read somewhere that perioral dermatitis has also been linked to a candida infection of the bowel - I had been suffering with stomach problems for as long as this rash was at its worst.

I went and bought some Canestan (Clitrimazole) cream that is generally used for the treatment of thrush and hey presto two weeks later all of the small fluid filled blisters have gone and I am now just left with a very light pink patch where the rash was so bad. I noticed with the ACV that it made the sore skin go dry and once it started peeling and with the application of clotrimazole it started getting less sore, less itchy and started to show healthy patches of skin within the area that was affected. I am convinced that at its peak the ACV started to work on the bad skin and then the clotrimazole helped get rid of what was causing it.

I am also taking probiotics now as I am sure that this skin condition started inside the body. I hope this helps sufferers of perioral dermatitis - I became really down about it and was prepared to try anything as it looked awful. I have also bought some Zinc tablets to promote healthy skin..... Anything is worth a try.

Went to a dermatologist and was told I had a severe case of PD. Derma told me to quit using the steriods and that my face would get worse before it got better. Was put on minocycline 100 mg daily. I do not like taking meds but was desperate so I took them. Ithe next day I was so dizzy and shot of breath I could not get out of bed. Called the derma and she put me on metro cream. This helped some but burn like fire every time I used it.

That's when I started researching it and found this amazing site. So this is what I do, I take acidophilus daily, also eat at least one yogurt daily, I drink 1/4 cup of ACV daily. At night I apply organic yogurt all over my face and let it stay on for 20 to 30 min then wash it off. I then apply diluted ACV to my whole face let it dry and then smother my face in calendula cream and go to bed. The next morning I wash my face with water only and apply a small amount of calendula cream. I am so pleased with the results I still have slight redness but makeup covers it up. I hope this helps someone else because, I am very happy with the results. I am so happy I found this site.

Well, it's been ONE week and I can assure you that the following combination so far is helping me A TON:

-- Do NOT use any make-up, moisturizers, face creams, ANYTHING that is synthetic. Leave your skin free of any soaps, washes, solutions, topical creams, etc. Trust me!!!

-- Start out by gently cleaning your face with ORGANIC honey... I know, it sounds weird, but just start by washing it with warm water and the honey (trust me, it cleans your makeup off too! )... it leaves your skin super-soft and moisturized.

-- When you are ready, start adding a plain yogurt mask to your cleaning regimen, preferably after gently washing your face with the honey. Try mixing the yogurt with the honey--it makes for a great, soothing, deliciously-smelling mask. Do that once in the morning and once at night.

-- After a day or so of the honey and yogurt, add some ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) to your regimen. For the last 4 days, I have used it as a toner, as well as taking it internally. As a toner, use a dab of it on cotton or soft tissue over the affected area for about a minute, and let it dry, It WILL burn as all hell, but just let it be. The burning wears off as the effect of the naturally-acidic properties dry off. Then...

-- Take a swig!!! The properties in the ACV are VERY helpful with balancing the properties of your skin. I don't claim to know much about that part or the ACV regimen, but I can tell you, my skin has NEVER felt this happy. Nor my tummy's digestion. It's done something to my body that I can't explain... just read up on it.

-- Finally, I have been taking vitamin E and calcium supplements since last week. I have also been using the oil of the vitamin E to dab upon the affected area overnight. It feels funny because it's an oil, but eventually it dissolves into the skin and it makes it feel supple and happy :)

Don't forget to drink tons of water and to also stay away from spicy foods and sulfites... these are killer for PD.

So far like I said it's been 6.5 days since the worst of my symptoms and I feel 95% back to the normal way I felt before. I will stress to try the natural way before you try the prescription creams/medicine. Best of luck :) I know it's frustrating as hell.

The PD resurfaced ten fold after a trip we took to Thailand in the winter, where I was applying sunscreen and using facial wipes every day.

Shortly after, I discovered I was expecting and couldn't take any of the antiobiotics prescribed for PD. I tried so many of the natural remedies listed on this site (including ACV & probiotics) plus all- natural creams, pure aloe (from the plant), but nothing seemed to work for me.

I started using a mild tea tree oil bar soap to wash my face in the am and pm. At the same time I started using yogurt masks at night, and this seemed to help start clearing up the problem (I have since stopped applying the yogurt).

I now follow with an aloe gel (99% pure from a health food store, like Fiddleheads) on the affected areas, allowed it to dry, and then apply a very mild moisturizer, like Spectro. I also had to resist the urge to pick at the flakes and to gently wash the affected areas, making sure not to scrub. I also try to avoid applying makeup on any affected areas.

It hasn't completely disappeared, but it has been a significant improvement, to where it is just slightly visible around my nostrils, and not nearly as itchy and uncomfortable.

I don't know if this will work for other people, but knowing what it's like to walk around with the PD on your face, I just wanted to add my two cents and hopefully help someone else out!

It has been almost 3 weeks now since I discontinued the steroid cream. 2 weeks after discontinuation, I had a horrible breakout. I was dead set on taking the Minocycline prescibed to me, although I was soooo against it. I held off. I cut out coffee and alcohol as much as possible. Starting drinking green tea. Cut out the steroid cream. Starting taking strong probiotics. I have to make note that I do have IBS which has been really bad lately, and I noticed a HUGE difference in my stomach problems within ONE day of taking this probiotic. ITS AMAZING! I was recommended this probiotic by my cousin who cured his horrible acne with this, as well as a very strict diet. From his experience & determination, I have alot of faith in curing these things naturally.

I believe the cause of my POD is a combination of steroid cream, stress, and liquor intake. My horrible rebound breakout 2 weeks after the steroid cream discontinuation was last Monday. The week since, my POD has gone down DRAMATICALLY. I do have Minocycline antibiotic on hand if I become too distressed with another horrible breakout, but if I can keep the POD tame with a few lifestyle changes and supplement additions, I will be so greatful. I am terrified of antibiotics, and will do anything I can to avoid them.

These are the following things by list that I have done to help my POD:

1) Stopped coffee, I now drink green tea every morning (for the past 3 weeks)

2) Limiting alcohol intake & sugar.

3) Started a probiotic which has already fixed my stomach problems, which may be an additional cause to my POD.

4) Yogurt mask every night for 30 min, plain organic yogurt with live cultures.

5) Following the yogurt mask, I apply a mix of pure calendula oil and coconut oil to the rash. By morning, the inflammation is greatly reduced.

6) I am taking oil of oregano every day internally and sometimes applying it with the calendula and coconut oil topically. It does burn a bit, so I don't use it topically all the time as the eye area is so sensative. However it is antibacterial so it believe it may help.

7) I take Omega 3, 6, 9 supplements along with Primrose oil supplements.. all of which are supposed to improve skin health.

8) For my eyelid eczema, which I also needed to cure in order to cut out the steroid cream.. I have found a miracle lotion via my Dermatologist --> La roche pose toleriane intense smoothing lotion. It does not work instantly but I have been applying it numerous times a day along with pure calendula oil (to reduce itching) and it has been a miracle. I will continue to apply it through the days as long as I have to. It is also very gentle, and not loaded with nasty ingredients. NO MORE STEROID CREAMS FOR ME!

Those are my tips, and they have helped keep my rash calm. And I hope with my new routine and determination to fix up my internal health and digestion system, that my skin will heal itself. Antibiotics are my last resort and I pray that I don't have to use them, but I do feel lucky that they are at least an option.

1. Gently Exfoliate. I used ProActive at first, for the small exfoliating grains. Gently massage the affected area in a circular motion and wash away. Repeat until the flakiness is gone.

2. Use Neosporin or Hydrochloric Acid (not recommended because this burns) on the affected area, with a sterile Q-Tip. Work in until the product is no longer visible.

3. Apply a hot compress. Place clean washcloth under hot running water, wring and place over the exfoliated/neosporin/affected area. Apply pressure for 15-25 seconds. Repeat if you'd like.

4. (Optional) But this reeeally helped me. Use an essential oil (I like Kukui Nut Oil), apply a thin layer and let sit.

5. Take Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen Pills on the regular. This may be the most important step.

6. Drink tons of water and anti-oxidant juices.

At first I thought my Perioral Dermatitis was a small patch of acne around my mouth, while at the doctor I asked about the patch and she prescribed a steroid cream (one of the worst things to do). Unknowingly I applied as directed and long story short the PD SPREAD! What was once a small patch by my mouth soon enircled my entire mouth, went up around my nose, started patches on my forehead and at the outsides of my eyes. My doctor had said to apply the cream and see results in about 3 weeks, after 5 weeks I had full blown PD for the first time in my life. Didnt want to leave the house. Got very depressed. Started researching.

While waiting for my dermatologist referral I got to work on a solution. First thing I heard and did was try to rid fluoride and sodium laurel sulfate from my toothpaste, soap and shampoo. Second, I started taking acidophilus pills at least once a day. Third I started taking a pill which helps to balance womens hormones (since plastics and a horrrible environment are making our hormones go out of whack). Fourth, I searched for and eventually found a decent Calendula cream and started applying to my face.

Since I did a lot of these things at the same time, it was initially a bit hard to tell what was working. But its been about 6 months since my PD exploded, and I think the biggest help came from the Calendula cream. When I went to the dermatologist I had very little PD left to show, and I asked the doctor about Calendula cream. In a nutshell, this doc was an idiot. I was told that there was no medical evidence that calendula did anything, then I was prescribed yet another steroid cream which I was informed that I would probably have to apply FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! This dermatologist was WRONG. I did not fill the prescription, and have since cleared my PD within a few months with my own research and trials.

CALENDULA CREAM: may also be called Marigold, or calendula officianalis.

ESTROGEN BALANCING PILLS: the brand I took is called _______, it is very natural, mostly natural extracts inside the pill. It is also supposed to help with mood swings and other side effects of wacky hormones.

In addition I read a lot of other threads about this subject since the whole ordeal was really upsetting, so thanks to everyone who has posted, there are so many people who suffer from this for years, so keep posting remedies and hopefully they can find something that works for them. I hope mine can help someone too. Just remember that its your body, your doctor may not know best, (for me, I didnt want to have to apply a cream for the rest of my life, or take a pill that was made up of chemicals) make your own decision and pick and choose from other people's remedies to find a formula that will work for you. Keep thinking that it will get better, just find the root of your problem. :]

Overall:

1. Stop using steroid creams on the face

2. Remove SLS from cleansing process (includes shampoo and toothpaste

3. Stop using makeup (although I used bare escentuals when I felt really embarassed and it didn't seem to irritate)

Face

1. Put tea tree oil on a cotton ball and dabbed on affected areas.

Note: I think tea tree gets rid of the pustules so if it does work the areas will be red and probably sting. You can mix with an essential oil as well.

2. Follow up creams:

I used Calendula cream which seemed to work relatively well. (Not available for sale in Canada)

I also mixed the tea tree with it as well.

Calendula Baby Face Cream (Easily available in Canada)

Calendula Salve

Any of these around the affected areas seemed to have helped with the condition

An intense dryness occurs around the affected areas and I found Weleda to help with the moisturization.

I recently discovered Cera Ve and I wonder if it would have helped as well as it seems to be effective for eczema.

Result

Since February (now April) there are no pustules and only faint redness that probably only I see.

My skin is still a little dry but I have been using Advanced Moisture Night Cream (important because ingredients are different from day cream) and slowly but surely my skin is improving.

My perioral was not as severe as some cases but my eczema flared at the same time so I was extremely uncomfortable. Since you may be using more natural products, you need to be patient as the improvement won't happen overnight.

I spent my first pregnancy unaware that I had a gluten intolerance so my PD was horrific and had spread around my entire mouth. It was so painful! My second pregnancy I steered clear of gluten and had that happy glowing skin! :) NOW im pregnant for the third time and its back ( probably from a trip pre pregnancy to italy where I couldnt resist some real pasta - haha - and the PD returned. )

Determined not to have this painful rash anymore I sought this website (thank you!! ) and took the advice I read here. One week later of eliminating a bunch of products and seeking the advice of a functional nutritionist I trust, I am now almost completely RASH FREE!! I am thrilled!!

Here is what I did:1) switched to floride free toothpaste. 2) switched to SLS free shampoo 3) switched to calendula cream for my skin 4)bought Dr Burts herbal blemish stick( burts bees brand )and.. Am doing a 2 week regimine of oral supplements of Standard Process brand "organically bound minerals" 9 pills in the am and pm with meals. My functional nutrtionist swore this would do the trick and I have to say im 4 days into the minerals and ive seen the greatest change in just the last two days!! Sooo happy! I believe there is something to the minerals that are helping immensely.

I hope this helps someone- particularly if youre pregnant and your immune system is temporarily out of whack! Good luck!!

We have been waiting 5 months just to see the dermatologist and today we finally got into see him, and his face was so clear he didn't want to prescribe him anything, just told me to keep up the go work. I only wish I had taken pictures of his face in december, the poor little fellow wouldn't leave the house he was so embarassed, and today he just has a very small patch around his nose. I seriously hope this helps someone else!