Rosanne (Stouffville, On, Canada) on 01/24/2013

I started researching on my own, which led me here, and made me realize what a bad move it had been to start putting steroids on my face. I gradually weaned myself off that cream, but of course, as soon as I did, the rash exploded all down my chin.

I am writing this post, mostly to encourage others to be patient with the course of their treatment, whatever remedies they choose to try. I became discouraged when I read posts where someone tried some product for three days and suddenly they were all better, because after weeks, I was certainly not.

So...the first thing I tried, and what I believe did make the biggest difference was ACV. I would swab Organic Apple Cider Vinegar over the spots twice a day. It was not a miracle cure, and there were times I would despair because I did not seem to be getting any better, but I could see that it was changing. I kept going with it mostly because I couldn't find any GSE (more on that in a minute). But after 6 weeks, lo and behold, no more new spots... Much less flaking... And I could honestly say I was healing. 6 WEEKS... 6 weeks of patiently applying it twice a day. I also started drinking it a couple of times a day- 1 or 2 tbsp mixed in water with a bit of raw honey.

I would also apply some plain yogurt to the area after swabbing with the ACV. I figured that the ACV would kill off the nasties and the yogurt would put back what was good... That's just my theory, though. I left the yogurt on for about 10 or 15 minutes, then gently wiped it off with cold water. That always felt good.

After that, I would moisturize. For moisturizing, I did try coconut oil, but for me, it made things worse. What worked well was Calendula ointment. It's a little greasy-looking at first, but nice and gentle.

This routine helped after about 6 weeks, but I was still looking for something to get rid of it entirely. I had read the reviews about Grapefruit Seed Extract and wanted to try it, but I couldn't find the liquid. I bought some capsules and took them as directed on the package, but they honestly didn't seem to help. And then, I went to a health food store and asked them for GSE. It turns out, due to packaging regulations in Canada, that you won't find a product labelled GSE on the shelf. It is there, though. {the product that I bought is The Original Liquid with Vitamin A and Zinc, contains GSE }

Finally I had the elusive GSE. I started to take it in water, 3 times a day, 7 drops each time. That gave me heartburn, so I have cut back to 5 drops, 3 times a day. I made up a solution of 1 tbsp water, 10 drops of GSE for swabbing my face.

And now... Healing! I am still swiping my face (all of it) with diluted ACV twice a day. But I also dab the affected area with the GSE a couple of times a day, and also if I wake up in the night. I should say that I don't think I would do this if the rash were still really bad... I think that would be too painful and drying.

My best advice:

1. Be patient. :)

2. Be gentle. Don't make the mistake I did of using a commercial exfoliant, no matter how gentle, to try and get rid of the flakes. Trust me when I say that will make it much, much, worse! Yes, your skin will peel. I found that a very gentle scrub with a washcloth while removing the yogurt mask was the best time to get flakes off.

3. Treat the whole area from your nose to your chin and all around your mouth with whatever you are using (except the moisturizer, perhaps). Whatever this stuff is, it will jump around. If you are treating the rest of the area, any spots that do pop up will be small and quickly gone.

One more thought- I only recently started Oil Pulling and I can't help but wonder if that might be a helpful thing to add to the treatment routine of Perioral Dermatitis, especially using Coconut Oil. If it is, in fact some sort of yeast that causes this condition, then OP should help to correct that. Just a thought... I'll throw it out here in case someone more knowledgeable than me might like to consider that further.