I Started Getting Perioral Dermatitis: Here's How I am Treating It
What is the quickest way to describe Perioral Dermatitis if you’ve never heard of it? My basic understanding is that it is a hybrid of eczema and acne. Trust me, it’s just as unappealing as it sounds, and has been FAR more difficult to get rid of than acne, that’s for sure. PD is unfortunately something that is very common in women, and can be a a sign of digestive issues (hello candida/SIBO!), as well as other things. Although that is not the only cause of Perioral Dermatitis, I believe it is the cause of mine. As I’ve gotten older, my skin has become more and more temperamental and sensitive, as has my GI system. I think the two are often related.
Perioral Dermatitis is described as occurring mostly around the mouth and nose, but can migrate up to the eye areas as well. I’ve actually gotten a small patch around my mouth before, but chalked it up as dry skin. Upon doing further research, I determined it was PD. As you can see in the images above, most of my PD occurs around my nostrils. Perioral Dermatitis looks like small red bumps, that can sometimes have a tiny whitehead (but mine usually didn’t). It is easily confused with acne because of this. It can burn or itch, adding to the frustration.
I have significant reason to believe my PD has persisted because of imbalances in my GI system. I have been battling gut issues for several years now, and I am fairly certain that 90% of my skin issues can be traced back to the gut. When I am better about caring for my gut health, my skin always seems to improve. Please remember that everyone’s situations are different. These remedies are helping me but HAVE NOT fully gotten rid of my PD. It is an ongoing battle, but these remedies have HELPED more than doing nothing at all.
I will say, when Googling how to treat PD, the overall theme I read was that PD should not be treated with topical steroids. Many accounts claimed that they can help initially, but often results in the PD coming back worse than before shortly after use. I’ve also learned that products that contain essential oils are a no go for my skin. Just something to keep in mind. My skin is just super sensitive these days, so I find products with little to no fragrance to be best in general.
There are many online remedies for healing PD, but these are the things I tried and found useful for me. If you deal with Perioral Dermatitis, what has helped yours go away fast? I’ll take both holistic and conventional remedies! Please leave them in the comments!
*Always consult your physician before starting a new health practice or regime.
Remedy 1: Try an antifungal cream
Upon doing some preliminary research on PD, several articles stated that PD can be caused by fungal or bacterial overgrowth. Since I know I have issues with candida, I figured mine might be related to digestive fungal overgrowth (yeast). There are always certain things I keep on hand in our medicine cabinet. Some of those are hydrocortisone cream, anti-itch bug bite cream, antibacterial cream, and antifungal cream. Sounds odd I know, but you never know when you may need to treat those various issues! Thankfully, I had a generic form of Lotramin on hand, and applied it to the spot on my face immediately. I would say this is the best thing for me in terms of healing PD. It isn’t holistic, but when things are on my face I want them off, fast.
Since, my dermatologist has prescribed me Ketoconazole cream (a prescription antifungal cream) to apply to my affected areas. I do find it is helpful, but does not address the root cause. I always try to keep this in mind with skin issues, since they are usually a symptom of something larger going on internally. Consult your physician for any prescription-related questions.
Similarly, I’ve heard of people having luck with Colloidal Silver, as it contains many natural antibacterial and antifungal properties. I always keep this in our medicine cabinet, so will be giving it a try next! I would also be willing to give manuka honey a try, as it can be useful in the treatment of eczema (atopic dermatitis).
Remedy 2: Moisturize (do not treat the area like acne)
I’ve dealt with mild eczema my entire life, and since PD is similar to eczema, I treated it similarly. Although, I must admit, when the bumps first appeared above my mouth, I thought it was a strange acne breakout. I applied salicylic acid to them which I later learned is a bad idea. I’ve learned moisturization is better than drying it out, so definitely treat it gently. This is my favorite moisturizer. I have SUPER sensitive skin, and have never had an issue with it. It isn’t 100% clean, but it is free from most major skin irritants. I’ve also been using this product on my really dry patches. Other’s have recommended this for PD which I want to try next.
Remedy 3: Switch your beauty and hygiene products
I will start off by saying many people suggested the Osmia Organics Black Clay Facial Soap to help clear PD, and the jury is still out for me on whether it has helped mine. I used the product for a few weeks but wasn’t sure it made a huge difference for me personally. Will continue to try. Osmia Organics line is created with sensitive skin in mind, so definitely may be worth checking out for all of your sensitive skincare needs.
Upon doing some research, I learned that toothpaste and other products that contain SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate, a foaming agent found in many beauty and hygiene products) and sometimes fluoride can aggravate PD. I have swapped out my toothpaste over the past few weeks. Honestly, jury is still out as to whether or not that was a contributing factor in my PD, since it is located by my nose and not around my mouth. Nonetheless, if you’re looking to make the switch, here are some SLS-free toothpaste options to try.
*Please note, some natural toothpastes contain Xylitol, which is HIGHLY toxic to dogs. Be extremely careful with these products and keep them away from your pets for their safety.
Remedy 4: Red Light Therapy
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen or heard me talk about my Joovv red light therapy device. I have been using this device for a few months to reduce inflammation in my skin, in my muscles/joints, for anti-aging and more. I have truly loved having it as part of my weekly personal care routine. Experimentally, I have been using red light to treat my PD, and I do think it is making a difference. Perhaps it is the combined efforts of all of the changes above, but I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!
Remedy 5: Address Internal Health Issues
As I mentioned at the start of this post, I am pretty sure that my PD is caused by some gut inflammation, candida, SIBO or something of the sort. Please see my other gut and candida-related posts here. As always, please work with a medical professional prior to starting any new health protocols or treatment plans. I also took Organic Olivia’s Parapro Formula which I do think continued to help my gut-healing process.
I hope these tips were helpful. Do you deal with perioral dermatitis? If so what have I left out? Or what has helped you that I didn’t share? I’d love to hear your tips!
x, Allie
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links
