| 5 star (51) | 64% | |
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| 1 star (7) | 9% | |
 (6) | 8% |
Elan (Canada) on 03/28/2015: 
Cara (Sydney, Australia) on 03/25/2015: 
I'm 29, have had clear and beautiful skin my entire life. Never had acne or pimples on my face prior to getting this lovely little rash.
First, I'll start with the background of my condition: In the past, I have been diagnosed with both eczema and psoriasis, and for the eczema I was given a steroid cream to apply for both my body and my face. Over the years, this worked fine, I had no issues and it worked well. However, in the last year, I seemed to have a weird little rash that kept popping up - mainly on the right side of my face Around my chin. It was red and had loads of tiny little bumps that contained a clear liquid. I tried a variety of old creams that I had used on my skin conditions in the past - Bactroban, advantan, novasone, kenacomb, DermAid most of which being steroid based and quite possibly the worst thing I could do. Anyway, the novosone seemed to do the trick and kept it at bay for a while, but only if I applied it every day. However, over the course of the year, this seemed to loose its effect and I was at my wits end.
I went back to see my Dr, who told me sometimes people react with a rash from steroid creams, and to discontinue use - which I did. And wow, did my trouble begin after that! My rash spread all over my chin, around my eyes, and on my cheeks near my nose. It was horrible. I bought a multitude of lotions and options to try and get rid of it, nothing really worked. Luckily, I came across this site within a week of going off the steroids. I noticed loads of people had tried to Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) with success but thought it might burn the hell out of my face and was reluctant to try. I ordered the grape seed extract and violet something (can't remember exactly, it is yet to come), but have not used them. I thought bugger it, I'll try the ACV until they arrive. Here is my experience so far.
Treatment: first I bought ACV from the supermarket, unfiltered BUT WITHOUT the mother. The mother enzyme is very important. I feel it could explain why some people had success, others not.
When I applied the one without the mother, it stung a little - but not as bad as I thought. It didn't really do much, there was no 'fizzing or bubbling' of the skin like others described, and it didn't seem to do much at all.
I then went to my local natural store and bought ACV with the mother enzyme - brand being 'Briggs'. I placed it undiluted on my skin with a cotton ball. It fizzed, it bubbled - I was amazed! It bloody burned too, like my face was on fire. It stopped burning after a minute or so though.
Anyway, that was around midday. I applied again at night, and it was becoming bright red, painful, and seemed to be bringing more of the stupid little bumps out. I was devastated, I thought it wasn't working for me. I applied some more anyway just in case before bed, followed by some calendula cream to aid the healing process. I did not rinse the ACV off prior to putting it on, I just placed it directly over the top. This was yesterday.
I woke up this morning absolutely amazed, my skin looked 50% better! The rash seemed to be drying out, reducing, and the bumps receding! I am amazed! My husband couldn't believe the difference, and nor could I!
I placed more ACV on it, it has turned red again and drawn the bumps out, but please do not be disheartened by this, I strongly believe it is similar to draining the bad stuff out and killing it. I will post an update in the next 3-4 days, fingers crossed this continues to work! I am gobsmacked! Thank you all for sharing, without your help I would have been taking Rozex and Doxycycline the Dr prescribed, which from what I've read makes little difference long term with very bad side effects. Will update soon!
Prettyninja15 (Crown Point, Indiana) on 02/16/2015:
Tesswlo (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) on 12/23/2014:
The dermatologist gave me metronidazole and clindamycin phospate lotions, which I used at night and in the morning, respectively. I was RELIGIOUS about applying these lotions, and the rash got the tiniest bit better and then began to get worse.
I was in tears one night and decided to look up other remedies and kept seeing apple cider vinegar as a treatment. After reading the posts on this website I decided to give it a shot. I used the regular ACV in my pantry, one part vinegar to one part water, and dabbed it on with a cotton pad to the affected area. I then waited about 15-20 minutes before washing my face.
It's been two nights of this application and my rash went from angry red, dry, pustules and papules, to a light pink almost smooth area. I was FLOORED. My family can't believe how quickly it worked.
Today I picked up the raw, organic ACV with "the mother" at my local superstore (I was shocked they had it) and some calendula cream from the baby aisle. I did a manuka honey mask today that helped to soothe the dryness.
When you first put this stuff on, it BURNS, and makes the area redder. It'll make the areas with broken skin turn white. Then the area got really dry and began flaking off, and when I put the honey mask on and washed it off, the dead skin came off with it revealing lovely, smooth, pink skin.
I'm 20 years old and this is the first time I've experienced POD, but I'm so glad there's an easy, NATURAL cure. Thanks Earth Clinic!
Penelope (New York, US) on 12/14/2014:
To begin, stress and sugar both caused my Perioral Dermatitis. My period was about a week late as always, which is a personal thing I guess, but I noticed that as I have to wait and wait and wait for it, my hormones get more and more and more out of wack til it finally comes. I was on a plane, almost back from europe when I noticed my face itching on one side. When I got home a few hours later, my stress kept mounting. It showed on my face immediately.
Did not know what the deal was.. it started around my mouth and crept up my cheeks to my eyes and my forehead in HOURS. immediately googled it and learned it was PD, but failed to take it seriously. Ran hot water on my chin cuz I couldn't take hot water on my cheeks and eyes. Days later my cheeks and eyes mostly cleared up because I never touched them, but my chin looked like a thousand flaky angry bee stings and it definitely felt like it.
i realized I had to do something basic while I figured stuff out. I put tea tree on it all the time. I used so much vitamin E oil. I made myself smile everytime my face itched so I could concentrate on releasing endorphins. everybody knows smiles heal. once I was less stressed about it I was able to read all the info I could, objectively.
Simple: first of all never ever ever ever touch your face except to dab diluted apple cider vinegar on it. Skin is a reflection of internal problems.. cut out anything that has sugar in it, cut out carbs. ingest zinc and diluted apple cider vinegar. all the recommended topical treatments seemed to just make my rash look really angry. after dabbing with vinegar, DONT use oil, use GLYCERIN. oil preserves things, dont preserve bacteria on your face. and always remember dont touch your face no matter what. I noticed enormous immediate changes day after day. two weeks after having pd, it was showing promise of resolving. two weeks for me sounds alot better than these dragged out 8month-2year horror stories I found everywhere.
regardless what you end up doing, IF YOU TOUCH YOUR FACE it takes longer to go away. I hope you guys find what works for you.
regimen:
diluted Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass 2x daily. dab face with diluted Apple Cider Vinegar 2x daily. after cleaning with acv, use glycerin on affected spots. drink so much water you cant stand it.
Noirgalactic (Indonesia) on 10/14/2014:
The POD starts flaring on February 2013. I went to a dermatologist and she thought that I was allergic to a toothpaste (I DID use a toothpaste that's not my usual brand, though) and she gave me some pills and stuff and bla bla bla but it wasn't working.
The POD was still flaring, and I am so sick of it, so I researched my condition. It was then I self-diagnosed myself that I have a condition called Perioral Dermatitis a.k.a POD. I am so glad that it was the right predicament, and I stumbled upon this helpful website.
From everything that I read, I did the following:
1) cut off fluoride toothpaste
2) stop using anything with SLS in it
It helped, but didn't stop the POD, until I found a God-sent miracle in a bottle: Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).
I apply undiluted ACV to the affected area on my face with cotton pad. It stings like cray cray, but I resisted. I know that the POD were burned, it left a white/greyish skin like it was burned from the ACV.
The POD are gone. But another problem arised: my skin is depressed. ACV is highly acidic, it preserves my skin natural acid condition if being used as toner (dilute one part of ACV to one part water) but if used undiluted (like I did to my POD) the acids left my skin red, scabby, dry and flaky.
I used plain yoghurt mask as advised, and it did soothe my skin for a while but didn't really heal my skin. So I tried another thing: California Baby's Calendula Cream. I don't live in the U.S., which means the expensive cream is getting even more expensive since I have to pay for the shipping cost as well.
But at this point, I don't care.... It's not as much as the money that I paid for the useless dermatologist anyway.
On April 2013, I clear all of the POD outta my face. And as of now, October 2014, I don't have any recurrence.
So thank you everyone! Thank you Earth Clinic! I hope I help someone somewhere out there who is trying to heal :)
Slvb (New York, US) on 04/04/2014:
My dermatologist recognized it right away and prescribed Oracea (antibiotic) and Elydel cream (non-steroid cream). I took Oracea for two months and the redness went away but my skin began to look dry and aged. I stopped taking Oracea and before long the redness was back and I began to break out. I also noticed my blemishes took a very long time to heal and the skin around my mouth was raw and peeling. To cover up when I did go out I relied on BB cream but it caused me to peel even more. Sometimes my faced peeled several times a day. Not wanting to go back to anti-booties
I began o search for answers when stumbled on to this site. I read accounts for hours and decided to try applying organic apple cider vinegar diluted 50% with sterilized water. I was nervous because the thought of applying something acidic to my raw irritated skin seemed so counter-intuitive but the accounts of all the people who found relief gave me the courage to try. It did sting. I applied it with a cotton pad twice a day and rinsed it off after a few minutes each time. I also consumed the apple cider vinegar in a homemade vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil and honey on my salads.
Each day I was 50% better than the day before. After a couple of days, the vinegar solution no longer stings when applied. I also relied on an oil-less face oil called squalane during the day and an omega-3 repair oil for face at night to create a protective healing barrier. I stopped using BB creams with sunscreen and switched to mineral make-up to cover redness and blemishes. I cleansed my skin with a face wash that gently exfoliated sensitive skin before using the vinegar solution. Two weeks later, My skin is not completely clear yet but it continues to improve. My on-line research got me to thinking that when this condition appears, it is likely a signal from our bodies to address systemic inflammation. My plan includes consuming more raw fruits and vegetables that are alkalizing for the body (just like apple cider vinegar is! ) and also to consume more probiotics. These posts got me to focus on improving my overall health and my skin is healing because of these small healthful changes. I vowed to return and write a post so that I might contribute my experience and try to help others like the posts I read here helped me.
Emma (Hamilton, New Zealand) on 06/19/2013:
So it started about 4 months ago, I thought originally it was windburn as I had gone for a walk on quite a windy day and taken my glasses off so the skin around my eyes (like two days after) looks raw burnt and peeling. I tried just moisterising the area which made it burn and then get worse. Eventually after a few weeks I went to my Doctor who told me I wasnt using the right moisteriser and I should try neutrogina (great advice doc!! ) went to my beatician in the end who gave me a natural skin repair liquid and oil which was great at first but then my skin just started flaring up majorly red, bumpy, itchy, scaly and finally puffy... So at the end of four months of this carry on I was at my wits end, so went to the health shop and picked up some natural dermatitis cream and starting reading up on other peoples experiences. Eventually came across a few sites that mentioned Apple Cider Vinegar (including this one) so thought well I might as well give that a go too. Well you would not believe the effects, for the past week I have used the ACV morning and night, the repair oils around my eyes (I'm not game enough for vinegar round my eyes) and the dermatitis cream during the day to keep my skin from going dry. I also soak my face and neck with a damp cloth and been drinking load of water. In a week my skin has cleaned up so much, its soft, moistened, not red or bumpy. I cannot believe it, I am now cutting back the ACV to a night only and will wait to see how this plays out. But currently very glad that I found this website and heard about ACV. Good luck to all and thanks for sharing your stories :)
Guinness (Bristol, Avon, Uk) on 12/19/2012:
I have had POD on and off for years since I was 19. It tends to occur in Autumn-Winter as the 'dry' version, and I have come to realise that I have had it in the Summer months too, albeit milder and 'greasier' looking, so I just assumed I had the odd acne pimple cropping up. Not so. I am now in my 40s. I firmly believe stress (which I always seem to have) and damp, cold weather play a key role. This makes me think the condition is yeast- or fungal-based. Anyway, as usual, this October I got a few bumps near the lower-right corner of my mouth. I thought nothing of it, that it was just a minor breakout of spots (how do I forget every year?! ). Unfortunately it spread like wildfire this time, faster than I ever recall before, even to the point I spotted one or two tiny pink blisters forming below my eyes, in between and above my eyebrows, and even under my middle jawline! The skin around my eyes felt as tight as a stretched elastic band, which is unusual for a long-term mild acne sufferer with supple skin.
I'll try and keep a long story short: I must have spent around £100-£150 in the last few weeks on either exact or similar products to what others have had success with - you name it - Baby Nappy Rash Cream, Calendula Ointment, Zinc Oxide Ointment, Violet Extract from the USA, Oregano Oil, Comfry Ointment (I figured why not?), Healing Calendula Cream, Calendula Cream, Dermatological Colostrum Cream (getting desperate by now), Manuka Honey, top quality probiotics, Biotin tablets, tubs of organic live greek yoghurt for face masks... You get the picture (and can no doubt relate)! All the while the rash was spreading angrily and forming a flaking, crusting, cracking, burning, itching, bright red, papular, eczematous mess in my entire muzzle area. It was like watching an ever-growing army forming; the small hard papules would group together defiantly, ganging up against whatever I applied to them. Whilst the rash was widely dispersed, the stronghold was evident in my chin crease - it started to hurt on opening my mouth to eat... In a matter of a few weeks I had a full on nose-chin beard of weeping, painful papules and sharp flaky shards of skin that I couldn't resist picking at in the evenings. I looked a mess. A few baking soda washes helped smooth the crusts out a bit, but it became so dry it was nigh impossible to cover up when I ventured out. Any of the above creams I tried out to soothe and moisturise the skin just brought out even more riotous bumps, and they were greasy so my cover-up makeup wouldn't 'sit' properly and broke apart in seconds. I could see shop assistants and passers-by looking at my lower face. Looped scarves became my best friend.
With Christmas looming I was getting desperate. I'm not vain, quite the opposite in fact, and just wanted to look and feel 'nice' over the holidays. I read up on ACV and caved in, vowing it to be the last £10 to spend before succumbing to the dreaded 1-2 month-long antibiotics route that would no doubt open up another can of worms health-wise. I managed to track down a local health food store that sold raw cloudy ACV 'with mother'. It had won a taste award, so I was sold. I absent-mindedly picked up some raw organic honey too (I'd read about its soothing benefits for skin wounds) and ventured over to the natural toiletry products section. I desperately needed to moisturise, but with what?! Then I spied a bottle proclaiming to be the best moisturiser for eczema and psoriasis sufferers. You don't even have to rub it in. Just spray and go. Bonus. POD is so similar to eczema that I shrugged and bought it, what was there to lose (except even more money)?
3 days later my muzzle rash was almost gone! It wasn't instant, I'll be honest and say that after the first use of all 3 new products above my skin flared up a bit. But I stuck with it figuring that if this is a yeast or fungal condition, it's just dying off or not accepting defeat and trying to fight back, briefly. Within 24 hours the angry redness was more of a dark pink, and I only got a few more papules trying to crop up on my chin and in my naso-labial folds. I could feel smooth bump-free areas forming in between. This was encouraging to say the least! I held my breath. Over the next 24 hours the papules didn't burst, weep or burn so much after applying the ACV and the itching bouts were starting to ease off. By the third day, without makeup I still had patchy discolouration where the (now dried-up) plaques and bumps had been, but once covered up, I started to look relatively normal with just a few discernible tiny bumps and dryness left. Now, in the second half of my trial week, with a few days to go until Christmas Day, I expect to be fully healed and skin-content. I must stress that the above healing still occurred despite eating a few sugary Christmas treats and drinking a couple of glasses of red wine at night (yes this previously made my rash flare and spread). So... if you want the details, here's what I did (morning and night):
1. Washed my face gently with raw honey, adding a little baking soda to help remove makeup at night and smooth down any crusts. Rinse well with lukewarm (not hot) water. Pat dry with a clean towel.
2. Soak cotton wool pads in 50:50 ACV/warm tapwater solution and apply and press firmly into the rash areas, sweep the pads over all the clear surrounding skin too, just to prevent the rash trying to crop up elsewhere (I discovered its nasty little migration trick after application #1! )
3. Let skin dry naturally and apply Dermaspray Intensive all over your face (use a spray-soaked cotton wool pad for around the eyes), saturating the rash area in particular. You will be in heaven. The peppermint is so cooling and soothing and you will be able to move your face afterwards - it'll be fully moisturised with no greasiness. In the evenings whilst watching TV, I applied it again within an hour or two if the tightness / dryness returned.
4. Cover rash and any redness with colour-tinted Night Treatment - lightly dust on and buff in a circular motion. I used the 'Medium' tinted version as it was a good match for my normal Winter skin tone. I'll use the 'Tan' one next Summer. This 'makeup that isn't makeup' contains zinc oxide and treats the skin whilst hiding imperfections. It is a gentle and natural solution to covering up the rash, and I highly recommend it for the daytime - nighttime is good if you are shy about baring your skin to your partner or family - you can even sleep with it on!
5. Add a tablespoon of ACV to a small cup of warm kettle water/fruit juice and a teaspoon of raw honey mixed in for flavour. Stir together and drink fast! It will go down a treat this way. Take this before your breakfast and evening meal. Remember to take your probiotics daily too, as instructed on the bottle.
6. Never go back to using products laden with nasty chemicals; stick to the above all year round - natural is best and your skin will thank you for it.
...and that's it! I sincerely hope that this experience goes a long way to helping someone else win the POD war! Merry Christmas! :)
Wendy (Middletown, De) on 10/18/2012:
Sheena (Melbourne, Vic, Australia) on 07/21/2012:
I then stopped using the cream and my skin completley flared up and spread to larger patches on both sides of my nose and chin. When I went back to my usual doctor she prescribed me with a weeks worth of cilex (oral antibiotic). It did help slightly, my PD wasnt as red but it didnt completley get rid of it. I went back a week later and she gave me another weeks worth. This did not get rid of it either, although it didnt make it worse thankgod. At the same time I was on the cilex I was using apple cider vinegar and calendula cream. The calendula cream must be doing something to stop the dryness and redness but the ACV hasnt helped at all. When I first read about ACV and how well it has worked for other people with PD I was so relieved because I thought it would work on me too, but unfortunately it didnt! I applied it topically and took it with water everyday.
Anyway, when I finished the second week of cilex, I went to another doctor and explained what I had taken, she prescribed me with rozex gel which is commonly used for rosacea. I am not sure why this was given to me given that my PD was not mild. I explained to her that I had read that it wasnt good to take topical gels but she said this had an antibiotic in it. I thought that it was ok, so gave it a go. I have been on the rozex for just over a week and have noticed that the redness is fading but I am now getting heaps of little pimples ALL OVER my face. I think the dermatitis is now spreading under my eyes. I have made an appointment with a Dermatologist and I am hoping that he prescribes me with either tetracycline or doxyclycline because nothing else is working and it is really effecting my self confidence. I cant even go with out wearing makeup in front of my good friends!
I will be sure to update everyone on how my dermi appointment went, fingers crossed I will be rid of PD in no time!
Also, I have stopped using all products that contain SLS and I now use a herbal toothpaste. I am not sure if it is helping but better to be safe then sorry.
Sheena
Tam (Corpus Christi, Texas) on 10/13/2011:
I began with the ACV diluted on a cotton ball twice a day, it initially burned and I had a tremendous amount of redness , but the burning subsided after a few days, I also followed up with tea tree oil at night, it didn't heal overnight or in a few days for me, it was several weeks before it cleared, which seemed like a lifetime, but don't give up and be consistent. I also gave up fluoride toothpaste which helped. I haven't had an outbreak in 6 months. I hope this works for someone else. Good luck because I know how devastating it is.
Sienna (San Diego, Ca) on 09/08/2011:
Now in retrospect I think the Vinegar DID WORK. Maybe for my very sensitive skin I went to aggressive and should have started with very diluted but anyway, now that it is all peeled I think it did work. The metrogel will keep it clean I hope but I will keep the washes with ACV too, just diluted. And I am also drinking very diluted ACV twice a day. PRetty much eating only fruits and yogurts and yesterday I had a bite of grilled chicken. Drinking loooots of water too.
Yesterday I was near a nervous breakdown and today I couldn't believe it.
The one thing I also did was listen to my relaxing tapes 2-3 times telling myself that my skin would clear soon, and trying to relax a lot. Maybe all together worked.
So hey if you feel like POD is hell, and you are miserable, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Just be VERY patient for me the ACV process took 2 weeks to the big peel today. I do have lots of redness but looks soooo much better.
THANK YOU ALL!!!! HEALTHY VIBES YOUR WAY EVERYBODY! I think I learned a lot from here, really, thank you!
Sienna (San Diego, Ca) on 09/08/2011:
When you apply the vinegar, you may want to do a test patch, and start only with diluted.
It turns out, because I didn't diluted initially I did have some skin breakage and that triggered an infection. It inflames the skin more. So probably seeing how many people have good results it helps as long as you don't make it bleed or, in sensitive skins, like mine, you have to be very, very careful and dilute it or may not even work. I don't know anymore.
My new dermatologist is a clinical dermatologist (not cosmetic one, gosh how much I hate my old one now.... ) and he says I have Perioral Dermatitis but in one spot it got infected with staph so I really have to be very careful with hygiene and I am on oral and topical antibiotics. If I thought that PoD was bad enough ....
So just as a word of caution, what might work for many might not work for all, be careful, do a patch test, and start maybe diluted.
I will keep you posted. Pretty depressed right now, but have to keep my "chin up" for my family. I wish I could hide for 3 weeks. That's how long this nasty thing can take to clear up.... Omgosh.... I am ready to get a facial mask and go around with it, seriously... Has anybody tried that? it would avoid the stares , maybe not... AAAAAHHH HELP! I need a miracle!
Sienna (San Diego, Ca) on 09/06/2011: 
This started 1 year ago when 2 little red bumps showed up in my face. I went to the dermatologist and I was prescribed Desonide for 3 weeks, and I was told to change my moisturizer. To repeat if it did come back. I did that, it went away but kept coming back. NOT knowing I was putting steroids on my face I kept reapplying the Desonide as instructed.... Maybe for about 3 or 4 times total. Well, I finally googled what I had and realized it is Perioral Dermatitis and the desonide IS THE CULPRIT and not the help. So I stop it 1 week ago, and.... It is been down hill since then.. OMG I am miserable. I was able to hide it with natural makeup or nothing the first few days, now my face is a big giant red mess. One side under my mouth and a bit around my nostrils. The ACV seems like it is irratiting it more. I did buy the one Organic with the Mother. I do put the yogurt mask. I do drink a cup with 1 little lid of vinegar with water. And I have been taking oral antibiotics now for 4 days with no improvement....
This morning I woke up with tons of white little bumps, so the pustules have pus now... Beautiful sight in my face... PLEASE HELP! What am I missing? Why is it soooo red? It looks like a wound not just red little bumps. Did I make it worse by putting the vinegar? Looks like it. Please help!
Sarah (Denver, Colorado) on 08/09/2011: 
I went to two dermatologists. The first presribed clindamycin (sp?) topical antibacterial and a topical steriod. The second told me the steroid was the worst idea EVER and to immediately stop using it, but to continue the antibacterial! I also had a random and unrelated rash on my upper chest and the dermatologist told me to soak a washcloth in 1 part distilled white vinegar to 10 parts water and let it sit on my chest for about 10 minutes to clear that one up.
The rash on my chest went away immediately, but my face was getting worse and spreading. I decided that since my face rash wasn't going away, what could it possibly hurt to try the vinegar trick?
I dipped a cotton ball in the 1:10 solution and wiped my PD gently with it. Let it dry for about 10 minutes, then rinsed my face (cleanser for the rest of my face, just the water for around my nose). I then used mosturizer on my face except for on my rash. (Cetaphil facewash and moisturizer)
The next morning I was ASTONISHED at how much the bumpiness had gone down. Did the same thing in the a.m and p.m. for 2 days and had about 60% improvement. Even the redness went down! My friends noticed an immediate difference.
I have read much about Apple Cider Vinegar, but I just used plain old distilled vinegar.
Lisa (Vancouver, Bc, Canada) on 07/06/2011:
Like several others, I was using corticosteroid cream to treat my perioral dermatitis, and it was working fine. But, every time I stopped using it, the rash-stache came back. Horrible!
When I learned that my treatment was probably also the biggest reason I had the problem in the first place, I stopped using the cream, cold turkey. (I have read other places that you should taper down, and that might have been less difficult. ) The rash-stache went berserk; it was red and bumpy and so so soooo itchy.
The first time I tried the ACV I was mesmerized by its effect. It actually kind of fizzed and bubbled on the rash spots. I don't know what this means, but I think it's a chemical reaction between whatever causes the rash-stache (yeast?) and the acid of the vinegar. It burns, it hurts. But it *works*.
I overused the ACV treatment, I think, because I felt so sure it was working. My rach-stache changed from being a red itchy bumpy thing to being a sore, crusty, dry thing. It still looked horrible but it was drying out, not itching, and feeling better.
A few days later the crust began to peel. And wonder of wonders, healthy skin underneath, no rash.
I'm so happy!
I am going to keep an eye on it to see if rash-stache shows signs of returning. If it does, I will use diluted vinegar 50/50 instead of straight out of the bottle. And I will resist the temptation to treat myself ten times in a day! But now that I know ACV works, I'm so relieved that I won't be spending my life with rash-stache.
Thanks to everyone who posted!
Jamie (San Jose, California) on 03/11/2011:
I have been suffering from perioral dermatitis for 4 years now, with unsuccessfull topical cream treatment from the dermatologist. I basically gave up and have been "living" with POD and keeping the inflammation down with otc 1% hydrocortisone cream, which I now know is really bad to use. One day I just became so frustrated & depressed that I resolved to continue the quest to find a sucessfull treatment. I have extremely sensitive skin and over the past few years have switched to all organic, natural personal care products with much improvement to my overall skin condition which tends to be very dry.
In additon my 10 yr. Old black labrador developed a horrible dermatitis all over his body... Inflammed, itchy, dry and flaky skin. I tried every medical treatment the Vet recommened from strong steroids to medicated shampoos, but nothing worked. My poor dog was miserable! It wasn't until (through my own research) swiched him to a grain free, organic, raw based diet w/high doses of fish oil supplements that his skin dramatically improved within a matter of weeks. Sorry to digress, but my point is that we are to a huge degree what we eat. That made me think there must be a natural treatment, or multitude of treatments that will work for my POD.
Based on other comments here I started with the ACV (organic, w/"the mother") 2x per day, applied undiluted to a cotton ball then directly onto my face on the POD areas, leaving it on 3-5 min. Then rinsing off with luke warm water (no soap afterwards). I also stopped using oral care products containing flouride and completely stopped using the hydrocort. The first day I applied the ACV to only 1/2 my face to experiment the effectiveness compared to the untreated 1/2. I used a yoghurt mask (plain, organic) on the non ACV side. The ACV burned and made my eyes water, but within 1 hour after rinsing off my skin was smoother and I did use a very small amount of jojoba oil to help with the dryness. The yoghurt mask did not work, it made my skin itchy and break out. So the next day I did the ACV treatment to my entire face. The first few days I noticed a slight improvement to the texture of my skin, which I attributed to the exfoliating effect of the ACV, but I still had overall redness and bumps. I was also taking into acount my skin was in withdrawl from the hydrocortisone. The end of the 1st week was the worst, it seemed my skin became worse and I was so tempted to apply hydrocort. , but I was determined to stick with it at least another week. by the middle of the 2nd week I stopped using the jojoba oil after the ACV as a mosturizer and tried a small amount of my organic body lotion (Alba Botianica - original, uncented). It contains no synthetic humiticants. A few hours later my face felt smooth and the redness slowly disappeared. Now into my 3rd week with the ACV 2x per day, rinse with only water (I use a gentle cream cleanser to wash off my eye make up only) then the Alba Botanica lotion to keep my face moisturized, my skin is starting to look better and 90% better than the first week. I also eliminated flouride containing products, and any make up on face (only eye make up). No lipstik either, I have POD on my lips so I use the ACV on my lips as well then use jojoba oil to moisturize them. I have also been eating at least 18 oz per day which contain various probiotics. I have also been taking fish oil supplements for anti-inflammitory/anitoxidant properties.
Now into my 4th week and the POD is 90% better, but not completely gone. I plan to stick with the regime and add oral probiotic capsules to my diet. I have also tried to cut down on my intake of refined sugars. ACV has helped a lot, but I also think the key to sucessfull POD treatment is a holistic approach (diet & topical treatment), there is not 1 single factor that will cure it. There are just as many things that can make it better, than can make it worse. So far I hope I'm on the right track to keep it getting better.
I dread summer, because most sunscreens make my skin break out, but I will have no choice but to start using some to protect my skin. Right now I'm just trying to let it breath and heal. Hope this helps someone else.
Heidi (Minneapolis, Mn - Usa) on 02/24/2011:
Jackson (Newcastle, New South Wales) on 02/22/2011:
Lynn (Los Angeles, Ca) on 12/28/2010:
I made an appt with a dermatologist and he said I have Rosacea. He tried to prescribe an antiobiotic and steroid cream but I refused to take it. I went home and cried. I was devastated by the diagnosis. I know that sounds like an exaggeration but I was full fledged depressed by the news. I felt hideous. After feeling sorry for myself for a good 2 days, I turned to earthclinic to see if ACV could help me. For 2 weeks I've been dabbing ACV on my face followed up by coconut oil (I'm also ingesting it 2x a day). Gradually, my face started to look better. The redness lightened and the bumps began to go away. I still have some bumps but it's nothing compared to how bad it was.
I saw a different dermatologist today for a second opinion. She diagnosed me with Perioral Dermatitis, prescribed me one month of antibiotics and a prescription cream. I don't want to get the prescription filled. I'm going to continue with the ACV and get one more opinion before I resort to any kind of rx. Good luck to you and give an update on your status when you get a chance.
Claartje (Utrecht, Nl) on 12/21/2010:
Last week on Monday - 8 days ago - I started the apple cider vinegar treatment. I have to say it stung like hell, my face felt tight the whole time and the flare up given the steroid withdrawal was horrendous. I drank it too. I started rubbing natural yogurt into the inflamed area at night which helped a little. I then started making a mask to apply twice a day last weekend which has really helped and I wanted to share. The ingredients are natural greek yogurt, organic honey and lots of turmeric. I put it on after the apple cider vinegar every evening and morning and leave for 20 mins till it has dried out. It is very sticky and I then rub it off gently with my fingers which I think has helped to remove gently all the dead skin that has got left behind, then rinse with warm water. I read that turmeric not only is very antibacterial, but is also a strong anti inflammatory, and for me it has worked just like that. At night I have rubbed a little st johns wort oil into the red areas which seems to have also helped.
In addition to this I have been taking probiotics, and a antioxidant supplement as well as the usual zinc and vitamin b and the like (although I have taken many of these for some time now). I really believe that there has been a strong bacterial infection deep in the skin and the mixture of the Apple Cider Vinegar and the tea tree oil and the turmeric has helped to kill it off. I cant believe how much better my skin looks. It is still not 100% scar free, but I have not had any new outbreaks and it is all drying up and flaking off revealing new healthuy skin underneath. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who posted their hints and tips on here. Without you all I would still be stuck in po hell - while I can now see a return to the clear skin I always had before...
Zsaqwe (Brownsville, Texas) on 09/10/2010:
Recently I found this site and people where using ACV for weight loss, I immediately went on my quest to find the "mother". I am having three tablespoons a day mix with orange juice and V8, before eating. I will post results when I am sure it worked for me. I don't dare to doubt ACV it has been a lifesaver for me.
Nissa (Corvallis, Or) on 08/28/2010:
Clare (London, Uk) on 01/12/2010:
Sally (Portland, Oregon) on 10/25/2009:
Cozette29 (Boston, Ma, Usa) on 10/23/2009:
Maleehah (Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan) on 08/24/2009:
I'd be so grateful if anyone could suggest additional remedial measures I could take or changes in my diet, we do consume alot of spices and I've never had a flawless skin, but never a condition of this severity, otherwise I'm quite a healthy 24 yr old.
Jj123 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 08/09/2009:
Bella (Sydney, NSW) on 05/30/2009:
Hey my names bella. After reading this site desperately 2 days ago, i decided to try using the apple cider vinegar on my face to reduce a breakout of dermatitis. I have recently been put of doxycycline for my dermatitis but found that i had a massive outbreak as soon as i started using the antibiotics and stopped using the steroid cream. I have also just moved in with my gorgeous boyfriend and was horrified and embarrassed when this happened. So i began desperately searching the net for home remedies and came across the 'apple cider viniger'.
I have been using this for roughly 2 days now and can already see a difference. I have used a face wipe that has been dampened with warm water and a splash of ACV. I have done this a couple of times a day and can already notice the bumps, and blisters/pimples reducing. I highly recommend you just GIVE IT A GO.
