★★★★☆
I've been battling Perioral Dermatitis for years=( It comes/goes but never completely gone; doesn't really itch (occasional but specific spots) area around my mouth, nose, eyebrows/between eyes is affected by redness w/bunches of tiny bumps, 1-2 will be raised & contain a clear liquid. I use a makeup remover wipe prior to washing, then I use Dr.Woods "Black Soap" am/pm it's a castile type liquid from health food store (NO sls) it helps a lot, NEED moisturizer after.
I use honey ALL over my face every morning (& night if it's really bad) after I wash; pat dry gently, smear honey all over & leave it anywhere from 5 min to an hour. It's so soothing & deeply moisturizing; rinses clean w/luke warm water- CAN'T LIVE W/OUT IT. I just use raw unfiltered local honey, one day will try Manuka but regular stuff works great. May sound crazy that I wear make up but my skin feels calmer w/it on & my Derm Dr. says it protects my skin. I use Tarte Amazon Clay BB cream (for normal/oily) the clay makes it somewhat water/sweat proof (need make up remover wipes to get it off) this stuff is great for my sensitive skin (NO Parabens, dyes, fragrance etc.. & SPF 20 is mineral based) & Neutrogena Longwear foundation (I NEED coverage) I'm very sensitive & this doesn't bother my skin.I take Biotin (very low levels). I was taking Max. dosage Biotin years ago & it was giving me HUGE CYSTS on my chin (never had that prob before) & I read that could happen in sensitive skin types, quit taking it & stopped having that problem. Maybe I have deficiency now?? Thanks for tips everyone, hope my info helps=)
Multiple Remedies
★★★★☆
I'm a guy that had perioral dermatitis for over 2 years, and it's been so bad that I chose to use my wife's foundation makeup. Several months ago it started itching badly, and not knowing it was PD at the time, I scratched my face like there was no tomorrow. Well, the PD spread horrifically all over my face. It wasn't until that point I started investigating what was wrong with me. Up until that point I just assumed I had poor skin genetics - dumb!
Thank god for earth clinic and all of you because it has started a wonderful journey of discovery and appreciation for nutrition. I wanted to share my experience and return the favor.
The first thing I discovered was that the commonly prescribed treatment for PD is tetracycline, which has dangerous long-term side effects, and the PD always returns. I never saw a dermatoligist for PD - I self-diagnosed myself by researching the problem, checking out photos and comparing my symptoms.
After much research and dealing with this problem I now believe I know the cause and what I need to do to CURE PD. I started my natural treatment a little more than 2 months ago. After 2 weeks my severe PD symptoms disappeared. Since then I've had to stick to a regimen, but I completely stopped using my wife's makeup, and I've lived without any embarrassing signs of PD for over 2 months now.
From my research and experience I have determined that the cause of PD is an overgrowth of Candida in the body. In order to CURE the disease you have to kill the candida overgrowth, but this is very hard to do. Here's what works for me to get rid of the symptoms.
Before you do the following, remove all toxic chemicals that contain sodium lauryl sulfate and flouride from your home. Buy a new toothpaste without flouride, remove all soap, shampoo, body wash, dish soap, household cleaner, and laundry detergent that contains sodium lauryl sulfate. Natural food stores have natural cleaners without these harmful chemicals that actually do a better job! You need to stop wearing makeup and using ANY creams on your face until your PD symptoms disapear. Once your PD clears up, you can experiment and see what makes the candida thrive and makes your PD flare up. Also, throw out any old makeup - this is filled with bad bacteria that feed candida, and for some of you it may have caused the candida overgrowth in the first place. After you've done this, you're ready to start fighting the candida overgrowth that causes PD by doing the following regimen.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar on Face - This must be organic and unfiltered with the mother (it will say "with the mother" on the label). Use cotton balls to liberally apply the ACV all over your face. No need to dilute it with water! It will sting, but that's a sign it is doing its job. The pain will reduce after a few days. Do this once in the morning and once at night.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar Ingested - Every morning and every night you need to drink a shot of ACV. This is very important because it attacks Candida in the body.
3. Apply an organic plain yogurt mask before bed. The yogurt needs to be organic with live cultures. Have at it, stick your whole hand in the yogurt and slop it on your face and leave overnight. I'm serious - the live cultures in the yogurt kill candida.
These 3 things alone had great effects on clearing up pretty much all of my PD symptoms in less than 2 weeks. This may not be enough to cure the PD, however, because it might not completely kill the Candida overgrowth in the body. Personally, if I stop this regimen the PD starts to come back. Also, your diet will determine how effective steps 1-3 are. To get even better results and work towards CURING your PD, add the following.
4. Make sure you maintain great oral health. Scrape all that white stuff off your tongue (which is candida) and gargle twice a day with 3% hydrogen peroxide.
5. Candida overgrowth is believed to begin in the intestinal tract. Acidophilus is a good bacteria that does a great job killing candida in the gut. Get an Acidophilus supplement and take 2x/day. This is also called a probiotic - just make sure it contains Acidophilus.
6. DIET! - What you eat will determine whether the candida is thriving or getting obliterated, which has a direct result on the quality of your skin. Stop eating sugar, all processed foods, alcohol and bread. Try to minimize meats and dairy products. I know, it's hard. The most important thing is sugar. My PD showed no symptoms, and then I ate 3 big bags of chips, a jar of nutella and a loaf of French bread. The PD started coming back even though I was on the regimen. Then, after eating a ton of vegetables and eliminating sugar, it cleared right up after 3 days and stays clear as long as I don't eat much sugar.
7. Amalgam fillings - Amalgam fillings release mercury (a serious toxic poison) into your body every time you grind your teeth.
Low level mercury toxicity suppresses the immune system, which allows candida to proliferate. It is also believed that candida thrives on mercury. Unfortunately I have A LOT of amalgam fillings in my mouth. I'm currently saving money to have them all taken out. If you do have them taken out, you need to have it done at a holistic dentists office, where they understand the dangers of mercury poisoning. After removing your amalgam fillings you need to detox your body of the metal poisoning. You can find natural products that remove heavy metals from your body at the local natural food store. Also, cilantro is great for removing mercury.
I strongly believe that once this mercury poisoning is out of my body, I will be able to starve and kill the candida overgrowth through a strict diet, and actually CURE my PD. My goal is to no longer need this regimen, and be able to eat very moderate levels of sugar, dairy, meat and bread without effecting my skin. If you are truly healthy, there shouldn't be symptoms like PD. Imagine going to bed and waking up without having to put anything on your face - that sounds awesome.
Good luck, and whenever I get the fillings removed, I'll give you an update.
Multiple Remedies
★★★★☆
First off, let me say that what I suffer from does not really appear as the bumpy, acne-like rash around but not directly touching the mouth like classic PD. Mine is just inflamed, red patches that border and even sometimes involve the lips. At one point a doctor diagnosed me with PD, but I am not sure if this is what I actually have.
The first time this flared up, over 5 years ago, I got rid of it with vaseline, as it was just above my top lip. The second time, I let it get way out of hand by hiding it with makeup and putting on perfume-y lotions and even using exfoliating facial scrubs. Yikes. I looked like a leper! It spread to under one eye and a patch on my forehead. The doctor didn't diagnose it but prescribed me a strong topical steroid. Of course, it went away but soon I noticed I needed to keep using it to keep the rash at bay. I went on using it for about 8 months. Then the rash flared up again. I finally broke down and put hydrocortisone on it, as I had done some reasearch by that point and knew steroid creams were just a vicious cycle. Well, I started that around October. A doctor gave me some Tetracycline, but it didn't really help at all. In May, I moved into a new apartment (not sure if there was a correlation, or maybe the weather?) and the patches gradually became smaller. By July I had actually managed to wean myself off the cream.
Fast forward a year and a half, and all of a sudden I woke up one morning with my top lip inflamed and the area above it as well. I thought I was done with pd, so I was pissed! This actually happened after I had been drinking ACV for a month or so for other reasons, (which seems opposite what many people on here are saying) but I'm not sure if it's related. I had also been brushing my teeth with baking soda which leads me to believe I may be allergic to it. Regardless, I wanted it gone and did not want to go the hydrocortisone route again just because I happened to get lucky last time.
Topical ACV and Grapefruit seed extract just made it much redder and worse. I bought some cardiospermum cream from a health food store because it said it was an alternative to hydrocortisone. It seemed to sooth the redness, but didn't diminish it. I started using Peelu toothpaste (no Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Fluoride) also. I then bought some zinc diaper rash cream. It definitely hid the redness, but didn't really take it away. I also got some calendula cream which helped the redness and chapping directly on my lip, and was very soothing.
Finally, I bought some rosacea gel called Prosacea from Walgreens. I put in on clean skin before bed, topped it off with some Calendula cream, and a little of the diaper rash cream. I woke up and it was much less red! I am hoping this continues. I have gone awhile with no hydrocortisone and it seems the worst is over. It is barely noticeable today. I will update if anything changes.
