Charlie (Melbourne, Victoria) on 05/22/2016

Then I discovered something that has been hard for me to come to terms with. I work with tea and I love tea. Most days would start with a rich organic black tea, organic soy milk and organic honey (i now soy isn't great but I cant digest dairy and nut milks aren't as creamy). I would drink various other teas throughout the day. Then my day would usually end with a glass of red wine and a small piece of dark chocolate (again, almost always, both organic). Throughout the day I would snack on nuts, berries, grapes or apples and if I were cooking for myself my favourite spices and seasonings included cumin and cinnamon, miso and sesame to name a couple.

I went to stay with my sister and her palette and eating habits are completely opposite to mine. I like rich, dark, sour and dry flavours. She likes soft, light, sweet, acidic flavours.

Although I was drinking alcohol and eating foods that would usually upset my digestion and/or weren't my usual preference, my skin completely calmed down. As soon as I returned to my chosen habits it flared up again.

Finally, I realised all the things I was favouring were all extremely high in tannins.

Its a sad state of affairs because I've had to give up my most favourite but now that Ive recognised this and cut most tannin rich foods and drinks out my POD has almost disappeared. After a bit more research I found that the skin reaction was only the tip of the iceberg and that this issue was the reason for a few more ailments I was struggling with for example- headaches, joint pain, lethargy, brittle nails and hair, depression and more.

Anti oxidants are such a praised health benefit but they seem to go hand in hand with tannins. So although I thought I was doing really good things for my body, it was actually having a really hard time processing a huge part of what is otherwise nutrient rich and delicious food. I don't fully understand the science of how tannins react in my body but I'm still researching. I have discovered that heating or fermenting the tannin vehicle will unbind the tannins from the plant protein and thats when they become more difficult for my system to deal with. The tannins in tea are already oxidised and then you heat them to brew the tea. real chocolate is fermented. Wine is fermented. You obviously heat the spices to cook them. So I can have some raw tannins in moderation with out a flare up but mostly just try to avoid it altogether.

I am not suggesting that tannins are the culprit for all POD but I definitely think it needs to be addressed from your inside out. It took me a really long time to figure this one out and it was staring me in the face.

If you're a big tea drinker and love the odd glass of red or piece of dark chocolate and POD is an issue then cut out these for a few days and see if it makes a difference. I would've loved to have known about this sooner so I hope this can help out some others.

Replied By Monica (Texas) on 08/27/2016

That was GREAT information. I have the same eating habits as you had...I am going to give your suggestions a try!

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Replied By Jill (Ma) on 03/03/2017

Thank you Monica, I too love the tea, wine and chocolat but will give it up to get rid of a PD flare up. Thank you for sharing and I hope you are still PD free.

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Replied By Shelly (Cumming Ga) on 09/09/2017

Thanks so much Jill. I too enjoy a nice glass of pinot noir and our eating habits are much alike. I am going to follow what worked for you in hopes that it works for me too. Did you find a milder cocktail to enjoy without the breakout? :)

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Replied By Siobhan Feely (United Kingdom) on 12/29/2017

Thankyou for sharing what you have discovered. It could help so many sufferers of Perioral Dermatitis.

I eat such a wide variety of foods and drinks, some processed, some not but nonetheless difficult to go through a process of elimination. I've been diagnosed with dermatitis/ acne rosacea and more recently peri oral dermatitis. The doctor whose specialises in skin disorders ( I've seen about 4 GPs) has been able to determine that it is POD because my skin condition worsened with hydrocortisone applied externally. I have spent an obscene amount of money in the last year on facial treatments, eg. Galvanic facials and microdermabrasion and on natural products and others that could obtain aggravating chemicals in the attempt to resolve the issue.

I am currently on antibiotics applied topically and taken orally. I have tried metronidazole which helped but didn't completely eradicate it. There has been a slight improvement. I am still itching like crazy and now think I may have peri ocular dermatitis too because it's now in and around my eyes! However, I have been indulging in typical Christmas foods like plum pudding, cream trifle, mince pies, Christmas cake, red wine and sherry.

Before Christmas, for 3 months I was eating healthily, porridge, home made broths, lots of fruit and veg( including citrus fruits, avocados and strawberries which are supposed to be histamine containing foods and therefore off limits) 2/4 litres of water, caffeine free tea and coffee, very little processed food etc yet I still had problems.

I am going to see my doctor next month with a selection of skin products that I use ( half of Boots the chemist! ) and she's going to advise me further. I have also decided to pay privately for a food allergy test because I am reluctant to eliminate huge elements of my diet like dairy before getting the results. The doctor has advised me to use very little make up, if any, non oily moisturisers eg Nivea and to continue to use La Roche Posay cleanser for the time being.

In the meantime I shall try to avoid decaf tea, red wine etc to see if that helps. Any things worth a try!

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Replied By Rachel (Ma) on 01/09/2018

Thanks for your post, I seriously got choked up when I read it. I've never known what this is and never met anyone who was sensitive to these 3 foods. I've been trying to figure out what is going on with the sides of my mouth for 16 years. I also pinpointed it to black tea, red wine and spicy foods. 😩 so I gave them up 15 years ago, although I still eat spicy foods sometimes and it got better. But it's still flares up at times. I think too much tomato sauce and some flour also aggravates it. I'm wondering what else you have noticed and if you have had success in irradiation?

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Replied By Shelley (Glendale Calif) on 02/03/2018

Tannins in teas. I was diagnosed in Dec with Perioral Dermatitis. I came across this article and cut out my ice tea everyday and my green tea for 2 weeks then had an ice tea and had a flair up waited again and tried a green tea ice tea and had another Flaire up. I am using a antibiotic gel on my face because I didn't want to take the oral since I haven't taken antibiotics in all most 30 years. It seems to be working. Is there any teas I can drink

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Replied By Debra (Il) on 10/05/2018

I also suffer with rosacea, peri oral and periorbital dermititis. I had rosacea for years, but the dermititis started a few years ago, at age 65. Tomatoes and any type of alcohol worsen my condition. Oatmeal packs help ease the discomfort so I can sleep at night. I also use Apple Cider during breakouts as a cleanser and add it to my smoothies. Make up of any kind is off limits during breakout, but when it is a must, I use all nartural products. Absolutely, no hydrocortisone. Stress is often part of the problem so I try to use meditation techniques to help. Noxema also seems to help. It calms the redness down and I use it as a facial cream, meaning I don't wipe it off. Just a thin layer. I have not found any dermatologist with a good cure. It is so bad at times, I am unable to work. I often have it on my lips and inside my mouth. Very unpleasant. No flouride toothpaste or the SLS as mentioned in the above note. Not much luck with antibiotics either. I also wash with a mixture of borax, vegetable glycerin and distilled water. This is all the time. Tea tree soap is used with it, if I need to remove makeup. I am a different person during breakouts. Depressed and insecure. Normally, I am happy and outgoing, but when I have an outbreak, I am ashamed to be in public. I hate it.

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Replied By Lisa (MI) on 10/06/2021

Mine started when I sat in the hospital last December with a mask on while waiting for my husband to have a 8 hour procedure. Two days later I had a red rash and itching on the side of my mouth. A month later it was around my eyes. I thought it was from wearing a mask and glasses. That was not the cause, but it aggravated something I didn't know I had. I thought maybe it was fungus related, I think that aggravates it too so I did a Candida Cleanse diet for a month. When I was finally able to see a good dermatologist he told me I have POD and will likely have it for some time. I am trying to find things to avoid to, hopefully, stop this from flaring up. I don't drink wine or beer anymore, but had a shot of whisky the other night and my face was on fire. Then I had a couple sips of a marguerita a week or so later and the same thing happened. Alcohol is off the table now. That's ok! I think you're right that it is from the inside out. Thanks for your input!

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