Multiple Remedies for Perioral Dermatitis

I have had POD during the last few winters (told by dermatologist this is normal for a woman in her 40's) The first time it was diagnosed; I refused oral antibiotics but used topical antibiotic cream. It took MONTHS for the POD to look any different; and I truly think when I stopped wearing make up during the summer is when it finally went away.

After the first outbreak, I stopped using fluoride toothpaste, any shampoo/conditioner or lotion with SLS/parabens/petroleum. I did continue to wear my expensive department store make up.

This winter it reappeared with a vengeance, the worst it's ever been. Dermatologist prescribed oral antibiotics as well as topical. I really balked at the oral antibiotics as they frequently cause digestive issues and yeast infections. The doctor said my face was so swollen it was deforming my lower lip and that I really needed to go on the antibiotics. (The area most affected was left lower chin from corner of mouth down to chin).

So after 5 days of oral/topical antibiotics my rash was still spreading (outward and upward). My digestive system started reacting negatively to the antibiotics, and a yeast infection was setting in. I spent hours researching online and came across your website. What a blessing!

Here is what I used after reading and re-reading most of your posts regarding POD:

Stopped antibiotics both oral and topical.

Washed face with African black soap morn and eve. Used diluted Apple Cider Vinegar (raw unfiltered - diluted 50% with spring water) to tone my entire face; paying attention to the rash area.

The ACV burned like crazy! After the first 3 days I was using straight ACV only once a day with much less burning.

I let the ACV dry, then put Manuka honey over the rash for several hours. Gently wiped it off when I had to go out in public. Put calendula ointment over it at night. No make up. Skin would flake/peel and I GENTLY exfoliated with a wash cloth.

As others have reported; rash appeared to be getting worse - more red/angry looking the first 3-4 days then woke up on 5th day and it really was 2/3 gone. Now it's the 7th day and you have to look hard to see it.

I only used the honey the first 3 days; then due to traveling was just using ACV followed by calendula; which is what I am continuing to do at this time.

Went to a local health food store and invested in some natural makeup. Threw out the $100's of dollars worth of my department store brand makeup.

I truly appreciate everyone sharing their experience; and hope that my post will help someone as the others have helped me.

First of all, lemme say that I know how difficult perioral dermatitis can be. BUT it can be managed and eventually cured! So here's my story... Like many others, my rash started from using steroid cream on what I thought was eczema on my face. After a week of the rash getting worse I finally looked it up and found out what it was and the cause...well part of it. I looked into ACV, it burned my skin and made it worse. I tried aloe vera gel, dried my skin up. Tried manuka honey and turmeric mask, that soothed it but didn't seem to be working. Lastly, I tried two different brands of calendula cream and one soothed it somewhat and the other didn't soothe it all.

So reading through the remedies on here I found that there is not just one "cure" for perioral dermatitis - definitely depending on the cause of it. In my case, steroid cream irritated what was FUNGUS on my face. If you look through the Multiple Remedies tab on here you can see that quite a few (but not many) people talked about approaching it as a fungus. It's exactly what I did though. I went to my local health food store and talked to a guy about perioral dermatitis. He basically said that I could treat it topically, but if I really wanted it gone I had to work from the inside out. He suggested that I get a yeast cleanse to clean out the overgrowth of yeast in my body. An overgrowth of yeast in the gut leads to leaky gut syndrome, which will have yeast in your bloodstream, which ultimately turns to fungal acne, perioral dermatitis, and other skin conditions. In the last month before breakout, I was eating every carb under the sun, drinking lots of sugary alcoholic drinks, and other things that would produce yeast in my body.

Here's what I did to get rid of my PD in 10 DAYS! No, seriously. TEN DAYS!

Yeast Cleanse Supplement (Caprylic Acid, Pau D'Arco, Grapefruit Seed Extract, and Tea Tree Oil) - six pills a day as directed.

Grapefruit Seed Extract - anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. I took ten drops in water three times a day. You can break up or combine the servings how you like. You can apply this to the affected area but it's potent so dilute with a carrier oil.

Black Seed Oil - anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. I applied this to the affected area. In the first few days I washed my face and then I would apply the oil and sleep with it on. As it healed, I would apply it for awhile then rinse it off before bed. After that I would apply vitamin e oil and jojoba oil mixed to heal the scars that it would leave behind. In the morning I would apply the mask (listed below), rinse and then apply a bit of black seed oil and then my vitamin e and jojoba oil mixed throughout the day.

Antifungal Mask (from someone else under the Multiple Remedies tab; Thanks btw! )

full fat yogurt (the more cultures/bacteria in it, the better)

manuka honey

clotrimazole antifungal cream (make sure that's the only active ingredient; no steroids)

acidophilus (3-4 capsules cracked open)

black seed oil (4-5 drops; 1/2 teaspoon)

Mix it all together to make a paste. The thicker, the better it will stay in place on your face. I slept in this the first few days. As it healed, I would put it on for a few before bed and then rinse off and follow with black seed oil. Wear this as much as you can. It really soothed my PD and when you take it off in the morning you'll notice that some pustules you may have had will have busted or popped open. Make this mixture every two days, don't use the same one more than twice. Make small batches. The fresher the batch, the better.

EAT CLEAN! Drink as much water as possible. As many leafy, dark greens as you can. Stay away from processed sugar, grains like wheat and corn. Anything that causes yeast in the body, stay away from it. If you can, stick to the Candida diet as much as possible.

I KNOW how frustrating and humiliating this can be, but you CAN get it under control. Don't think of any of this as a quick fix or something that will magically go away. It took time to come, it will take some time to go away. Just because one single cure worked for others, doesn't mean it will work for you. But don't let it get you down. Just wanted to share my experience in hopes that it will work for others! You got this!

Warning: I am the Queen of this horrible, disgusting, and ugly disease, POD. What I mean by this is that I have tried everything under the moon, and still am trying everything to get rid of this. To give you a brief idea of when this all began for me may help you understand how I put the clues together & solved (FINALLY) what was causing these flare ups & outbreaks in a sense.

I moved to LA back in 2011 from Michigan. My diet changed due to stress, turning 21, and experiencing living on my own for the first time! At this time, I would pop the occasional (SO bad, I know) Accutane pills that I had left over from my treatment to rid me of my cystic acne (yes people, I had it all). I was out there modeling & couldn't deal with these outbreaks. Unknowingly to me, my cystic acne was probably caused by my lack of water intake, large alcohol intake, eating SO much processed food, high amounts of sugars, birth control, and also the fact that my Dad passed it down to me, awesome! I stopped taking the Accutane (due to the EXTREME side affects) & maybe a month later I thought I had a acne outbreak on my chin & mouth. SICK. I tried to pop it, NOPE, that made it worse. Tried my acne cream samples on it, HELL NAH, that made it so angry! Finally, after booking a new gig that wouldn't allow me to just cover up this mess, I made a dermatologist appt. He sampled it & told me what it was, I was flabergasted, I had never heard of this disgusting thing in my life! He gave me the 3 month supply of Antibiotics & some topical cream, as well as told me to get rid of all soaps containing fragrances, sulfates, ect. Me, being horrible at taking just a 3 week dose of antibiotics for a cold, I sure as hell knew I wouldn't be able to finish a 3 stinking month supply, wow! Needless to say, I couldn't even do the first day. I couldn't eat 2 hours before the pill or 2 hours after & I usually eat every 2 hours. I was throwing up every-time I tried to take the antibiotics because I would eat. Stopped taking those, and just used the topical cream (which now I know is a big no-no), removed all crappy makeup, cleaned my brushes, bought Dr.Bronners Tea Tree (this is magic, all Bronners is, helped clear up my acne as well as my brothers) and I believe I bought Sulfate Free hair products as well. My PD didn't clear up until I started traveling a lot for work, drinking more water, exercising, swimming in the pool, and getting sun when I could. There wasn't, at this time, something exact that rid me of it during this time. It was a combo of this. Stress I think feeds it as well, and when I started de-stressing, it went away. Mind you, I was traveling ALL the time for work, staying at nice hotels, which have clean sheets/pillow cases daily (I think this is huge with PD) & always on the go.

Flash forward to 2015-2016. I moved home in 2013, and my PD was still at bay. I was still traveling a lot for work at this time, and know that helped a lot. I do remember having a flare up when I returned home from a Vegas trip in May of 2014 or 15. We had went to this Adore anti-aging shop & they put all kinds of crap on my face to try & fix my "smile lines" that they couldn't stop saying looked so bad for me age (nice, thanks). I warned them of my sensitive skin, but they insisted this was "all organic, and has no harsh chemicals". Well, my face called BS after $500 products later, my PD flared up within 2 days. Horrible! I knew it was the lotions & immediately cut them out. It took a while for my face to readjust, because as you know, as soon as you've flared up, make-up really only makes it worse even if it's organic.

During this, we had moved to a new place in MI & the water was well water instead of city water (keep reading on, THIS PART IS HUGE!) & it was such a nice change. My PD always was at bay, slightly noticeable only to me, around the creases of my nostrils, which I was okay with. I rarely ever had outbreaks in this home, and lived here for 3 years (other than the vegas thing). If I did, I used ACV topically, 2 tablespoons orally, Physicians Formula pressed powder on my face, and tried to use makeups with least amount of allergy prone chemicals, organic shampoos, Dr.Bronners face wash, Coconut Oil only for face lotion, natural bug sprays, and Dessert Essence Natural Tea tree toothpaste. STAY away from- Clarisonic scrubber (makes it worse), exfoliating washes, scrubbs, cancelers withOUT high allergy chemicals in them (http://www.ewg.org/ check your makeup here, you want all 1's, and nothing in the Allergies & immunotoxicity setions. Another bummer is lipsticks, they tend to really make my PD react, so invest in some natural lipsticks, lip stains and pencils.

SO, here is the part I told you to all read on about. I recently moved too an new house in the suburbs, back to the old nasty city water like in LA. Since I have moved here, my PD is at it's absolute WORST it's ever been since I was diagnosed with it in 2011! I have only been here almost 3 months, and it's so bad that it bleeds sometimes, ACV no longer even affects it, and now I have to use rubbing alcohol to even somewhat dry it out. I turned to here & learned that this could be due to Candida Overgrowth, since PD is an affect of this possibly happening. I was consuming the same things I had been in LA, same amounts, and same lifestyle. It made sense, because nothing else was working. I tried the Candida Diet, & it did help a little bit. My PD was still not all gone though. I am no longer on the diet but take Grape Fruit Extract, Probiotics, & Candida Cleanse tablets 2x daily. I wash my face now with an organic Oatmeal Soap to help with the itching & redness. I have traveled less due to my busy season with my job & haven't exercised much unless on vacation. When on Vacation, I notice the next day I wake up, it looks better, doesn't itch, and I don't even notice it. It was right under my nose THE WHOLE TIME! FLUORIDE, how did I not realize this to begin with! The city water contains high amount of FLUORIDE to "help with tooth wellness" so they add it to the water as well as chlorine. My Well water never had this, but LA does & so does here. We all know this is HUGE NO for us, and just great, there's nothing I can do about it other than move or install an outrageously expensive house filtering system, which I am in a rental home, not going to happen.

All I can say is wash your face with filtered water, don't let the water run down your face in the shower (if city), exercise, get some sun, don't consume too much processed crap (if you're, try the Candida Diet then limit sugar intake daily after you've rid it), don't overdo the daily use of ACV topically or you'll become use to it like my PD did, use sulfate free everything, no facial products with added fragrances, check your makeup products online, clean your brushes weekly, change your pillow cases every other day or sleep on a fresh towel nightly, don't drink city water, take daily vitamins, sweat it out, watch alcohol intake, cut back on daily yeast intake, use nothing with Fluoride, double your daily intake in filtered water, and let it breath as much as possible.

I hope my many trial & errors help you & I hope it clears up. Nothing sucks more than this crap & I know you all hate it too. I know once I move it will clear up but I will let you know how not washing my face with the water anymore & not allowing it on my face in the shower holds up.

I have suffered horribly with Perioral dermatitis over the past year.It really really affects your self esteem, such that I have wept uncontrollably so many times that I have lost count. I had tried all kinds of medicine and had almost given up hope on it. Then by sheer stroke of luck, I bumped upon this website. I read about all the natural remedies and God, for the first time I found treatment that worked. All from the stuffs from your kitchen, that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.

First up, you must be prepared to make a hell lot of lifestyle changes. So throw away all your chemical make ups, eye liners, shampoos etc.

Second, buy a fluoride free toothpaste and a tongue cleaner.

Third, stop using all the expensive so called "natural" shampoos. Bottomline is, chemicals shouldn't touch your face. I found an amazing alternative to shampoo. I wash my hair with 1 tbp of baking soda with water, followed by conditioning it with a cap of Apple Cider vinegar mixed with water. Works perfect.

Fourth, I apply a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar daily mixed with mineral water followed by yoghurt, turmeric and honey paste. I applied it 5-6 times when I have the flare ups. Otherwise 2 times daily is just fine.

Fifth, do not drink the tap water. I drink mineral water and also bought a spray bottle that I fill with mineral water to wipe my face. I also wash my hair with mineral water.

Sixth, initially I stopped eating any kind of food that might cause allergy. Gluten, lactose, soy, no processed food, no spices, no red meat, no sauces (talking about the bottled ones in Supermarkets like Red chilli sauce, etc). I prepared everything at home and ate mainly veggies, chicken and eggs (3 times a week). I noticed a big difference and then I started introducing each item slowly to see if it reacts. Luckily for me, I found that Mexican food and KFC reacted to my skin. I think they use some kind of spices that didn't agree with me. So now I know what to avoid and have started eating the others without any fear. I know how frustrating it can be to find out what exactly is causing it. My dermatologist referred me to an allergist who said I have no allergy, whatsoever and declined to do a food allergy although I wanted it. Hence I strongly suggest to have patience and do trial and error.

Last but not the least, no matter what, do not give up hope. This is not fully curable as every once in a while, I still have flare ups but it does go away with my home remedy in about 5-6 days time.

Also stop using all make up. I have decided to try using mineral make ups and see how my skin reacts. Make up is not high on my priority but sometimes I do miss it when I have to go to a social event (like hubby's office party or my office party or a date night).

I sincerely hope that no one has to suffer from this and all those who suffered, may find these remedies helpful :)

I have been experiencing what I came to find out is dry perioral dermatitis. I got the antibiotic prescription from the doctor and decided that this treatment course was not for me. Instead I have been using a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio mixture of raw ACV (must have "the mother") and organic raw coconut oil as a salve 3 times a day. I whip it together with a egg beater and re-mix as necessary. In addition I added 3 ml of liquid colloidal silver to 1 cup of organic aloe vera gel which I apply 3 times a day to the affected area. After 2 weeks my rash no longer itches or develops scales and the healing has begun. I already was using organic coconut oil mixed with raw ACV (among other things) as a daily immune booster tonic and to "oil pull" once a day. I drink Kefir for breakfast and I drink kombucha teas as a treat. I hope this might help someone else who develops this miserable affliction to the most visible part of the body.

I self diagnosed myself with Perorial dermatitis after having bumps around my eyes and mouth that did not go away. My dr gave me hydrocortisone cream which would clear it up then make it worse. After finding this page I wanted to share what worked for me because it is so awful to deal with. I started taking acidophilus and a grapefruit seed extract pill I purchased at whole foods, and zinc everyday. I also purchased some neem oil along with some neem and coconut face soap. This combination cleared me up really quickly. I also started using pure African Shea butter as a moisturizer. I hope this helps someone else.

I have suffered from perioral dermatitis for 1.5 years – when I was 22 it seemed to spring out of nowhere. Now after gaining more knowledge on the condition, I believe it was caused by being on antibiotics for 4 UTIs in the span of 6 months, which majorly threw my body out of whack AS WELL AS poor diet (LOTS of sugar/processed foods = yeast infections) and lack of exercise. At first I thought it was just a bad breakout – I've been blessed with pretty great skin my whole life, never had acne or anything as a teen, just a few mild hormonal pimples now and then. But, as it continued to spread, I knew it wasn't just acne. After self-diagnosing, I tried MANY natural remedies listed on this site – ACV (internally and externally), grapeseed oil, diaper rash cream, zinc supplements, coconut oil, probiotics… my rash continued to spread from my nose all down my chin and around my mouth – I even got some up near my eyes. This was my first large breakout of PD, and it lasted for about 4 months. It got better, then it got worse, on and off during those 4 months. Then, I went on a 5 month backpacking trip to Southeast Asia. During my trip, it cleared up completely. I truly believe that lack of stress, lots of water intake, little-to-no dairy/processed foods/limited sugar intake (dairy isn't very common in Asian foods), LOTS of vegetables, limited gluten (mostly rice/rice-based noodles), ample vitamin D/ocean swimming, and sweating daily contributed to my PD clearing (though, I do admit, I did drink a fair amount of alcohol throughout my trip). When I came back, I tried to maintain the same diet, but it come back within 3 months – again, I was at a loss at how to get rid of it. Tried ACV again, didn't work. I'm very avoidant of antibiotics unless absolutely necessary…Finally, I sucked it up and went to the doctor, who prescribed me daily minocycline for 3 months. Side effects were crappy for the first month (headaches, very tired, heavy feeling) but after that, my PD cleared up completely in about 2.5 months. It has been 3 months since I stopped taking minocycline, and my PD has not returned – fingers crossed! In the meantime, I TRULY believe that diet is the KEY to keeping PD away – whenever I binge on dairy/chocolate/candy, I can definitely see my skin getting a little bumpy again in the chin area. WHEN this happens, I do a face mask of Manuka honey with matcha green tea mixed in, and leave it on for 30 mins- smells great, and REALLY evens skin tone/texture, and moisturizes. The bumpiness is then gone the next day.

SO – my recommendations for keeping PD down that have worked FOR ME:

1. I do the Manuka/matcha mask daily, after cleansing ONLY with water (sometimes twice a day – once in the morning, once before bed) FYI – it's goopy to take off, make sure you're thorough and use a wash cloth (a clean one every time) and follow with a good moisturizer. Find moisturizers that don't contain scents, irritants, parabens/sulphates. Being on minocycline dried my skin a lot, and this moisturizer works wonders.

2. LIMIT dairy/sugar/alcohol/fried foods intake (only black coffee!! Better yet, switch to green tea) and eat lots of leafy green veg (duh). Personally, I cut out most bread products, never have dairy anymore, and drink matcha tea daily

3. I use mineral makeup, when I need it (honestly don't need much these days – skin is pretty clear! )

4. Drink LOTS of water

5. Try to sweat 2-3 times a week. I find it overall makes me feel healthier, regardless of what ailment I'm dealing with.

6. Try to get outside, get some daily vitamin D

7. Honestly, if you've given natural remedies a fair shot, and it hasn't worked – see a doctor. Get a prescription. The medication will help and after you've gotten your PD down, you can continue to keep your body healthy with the steps above and stop it from coming back. If you choose to take antibiotics, ensure you're following it with a daily probiotic (3-4 hours after) to keep your gut flora in check.

After 1.5 years, at 24, I am PD clear! It gets better. But keeping it away, in my opinion, is truly a lifestyle shift that takes diligence to maintain. Worth it though.

Perioral dermatitis is a skin affliction that is both painful and emotionally very upsetting. I have recently had a very bad case of it and I wanted to share what finally helped me THIS time. I think the key is figuring out what your "flare" was, stop that immediately and then focus on building back your immune system and healing your pustules and papules (and dry skin) Usually when I have a "reaction" as soon as I can pinpoint what the reason was, as soon as I eliminate that it takes about 3-4 weeks to heal. Its forever! But if you can't figure it out, it will just keep on rearing its ugly head... sometimes for months and months. These are some of my "flares", in order of most severe

1. Wheat

2. Soy sauce (not Tamari- that has no wheat)

3. Witch Hazel

4. SLS

5. Tea Tree

6. Almost all essential oils. Even ones that are said to be good for dermatitis

7. Cinnamon flavor/oil

There are a number of theories out there why PD occurs, one of them being that its a fungal infection. Many people have success with using an OTC anti fugal cream to heal their rash. They alone did not work for me. My onset of PD this last time happened because I used a new toothpaste that although did not have SLS, it did have cinnamon essential oil. I flared horribly. Then I proceeded to try and heal it with Navan acne supplements which then gave me the worst flare of my life. My whole face was inflamed and my chin was double the size it normally was. I had 4 blisters that turned into one huge inflamed one and became cystic. Then 3 more cystic ones showed up. Unbeknownst to me, the pills had witch hazel leaf in it which I thought would be fine orally. Apparently not. I then went to the derm and she gave me a script for DOXY and clindomycin gel (both which I have yet to use because I am hoping to heal it myself through elimination). She also gave me samples of PLEXION cleanser and Lotion. At this point my skin was starting to heal on its own but once I got home and applied the lotion I started getting blisters and pustules within 15 minutes!!! I googled it and yup-- SLS. It was very negligent of the derm synchs knew it was one of my flares. Plus, one would a pharm company make a product for PD that contains SLS when it is widely known that SLS is one of the ingredients that makes almost everyone with it break out?! So please... dont ever try it. I dont think its worth it for anyone.

What helped me to finally start making the rash and P and P's subside was

1. Drinking tons of lemon water and ACV water to alkalize my body and help it to fight the inflammation.

2. Wash my face with warm water and cleanser (purple label) LOVE this stuff! I also like to mix in zinc powder for added benefit.

3. Use a Sensitive skin serum (green bottle)

4. Use a mask on my break out a few times a day that contained the following:

Kefir (unsweetened), ACV diluted with filtered water, anti fungal OTC cream, bentonite clay and raw honey. Mix this in a glass jar with a non-metal spoon and keep in the fridge. Its cooling and helps the itch and burn and reduces the blisters.

5. I am also taking 1 tsp of food grade diatomaceous earth 1 time a day. I do this for 10 days on, 10 days off. After the 10 days off you can up your dosage a little. There are many health benefits to this stuff... google it.

6. When my skin is flaring I also get off all sugar, wheat, alcohol and coffee. Sounds drastic but to me nothing is worse than this crap on my face so I go into detox mode in order to help my body help fight this B.S. of a situation.

7. Multivitamin with zinc!

I hope this helps!!! I know its so so hard, embarrassing and painful. But I think we all need to remember that we can kick its ugly ass. We just have to do our own investigation of the case... because we are all different. But dont give up! There is a reason for it and it wont last forever. I also suggest creating a daily diary of what you used, ate and did as well as what your skin looks like that day so that you can better track whats going on.

XXXXX

First I want to express my appreciation for everyone who posts here. It has helped me get a handle on my POD. Over the holidays, I indulged in alcohol, sugar, espresso, and some wheat and cow dairy products, and had a terrible flare up - to the extent that I did not want to go out. So it motivated me to take some drastic measures. Here is what has helped:

1) Drink lemon water throughout the day. This will help to reduce the acidity in your body. Seems counter intuitive, but it works.

2) No alcohol.

3) No sugar. (I had one relapse and immediately paid for my sin by getting one huge blistery bump in the middle of my chin.)

4) No coffee.

5) No creams, lotions, oils of any kind

6) Apply diluted ACV by blotting on several times a day

7) Apply goat yogurt mask as often as possible during the day (I'm allergic to cow products). Tip: the yogurt that is a bit dehydrated and thick on the sides of the container will stick to your face better.

I am experimenting with applying the foot fungal cream to one part of my face at night time to see if this has an effect. So far it's difficult to say. Will let you know if it seems to help over time.

I am a 66 year old woman and have read that this is considered a problem that affects children and young hormonal women. A friend who is my age has had a milder attack of this recently but hers just cleared up on its own (lucky girl). This would have been so very much more upsetting and aggravating if not for this site. THANKS so very much.

Thanks to everyone on here for all the great tips. I am 15 months pregnant for the 1st time. About a month into my pregnancy this horrible rash started appearing on my face, 2 big splotches, one under each corner of my mouth on my chin. I assumed for a while since I was newly pregnant that it was some kind of pregnancy rash or pregnancy acne. I asked my midwife what she thought, she said acne, even though the rash went from extremely bumpy and inflamed to severely dry and peeling. After another week I went to my dermatologist. She diagnosed me as having perioral dermatitis and prescribed me some erythromycin gel to apply 2x/day, since for me an oral antibiotic is out of the question. I tried it for about 5 days, and then stopped. It was making everything seem so much worse, and I couldn't take all the dryness and peeling it was creating! Along with the fact that I'm not comfortable taking unnecessary meds while pregnant. So I went online and started my adventures with natural remedies. EVERYTHING I HAD TRIED TO DATE THAT DIDN'T WORK:

-organic plain yogurt (washing with and masks)
-grapefruit seed extract (washing with and taking internally)
-violet extract (topical)
-organic apple cider vinegar
-non toxic diaper rash cream with calendula
-calendula cream
-internal probiotics (which I take every day anyway)

I did all of these things at different times, sometimes one at a time, sometimes some of them together, sometimes while going back to the antibiotic gel. No matter what, nothing was working, I was getting more and more impatient, and concerned. I am a bit ocd when it comes to things looking out of place on me, and thinking that I might have to contend with this rash till I was able to take oral antibiotics (roughly 2 years due to pregnancy and breastfeeding) was becoming unbearable. I was definitely getting depressed and not wanting to go out and do things. Then I got a lovely yeast infection (woohoo). I told my doctor I was afraid I might have an overgrowth of yeast in my body, considering some people believe the rash can be due to yeast. She said I should get some antifungal cream (one that you would use for a yeast infection) and apply to rash to see if it works. Also, for this yeast infection my acupuncturist gave me a product called 'yin care herbal wash'. After looking online I read it's good for all sorts of things (yeast, bacteria, fungus, dermatitis, etc). For the past few days I have incorporated both these things into a new routine, and one that is actually working!! NEW ROUTINE THAT IS FINALLY WORKING! :

-wash with warm water or with grapefruit seed extract (if I need to wash off makeup)
-apply the e-mycin antibiotic gel (at night only) and let it sit for 1/2-1 hour
-rinse off e-mycin with warm water and rub on some hydrogen peroxide with cotton ball
-after a couple minutes rub on some yin care herbal wash (50/50 dilution product and water) with cotton ball
-after sometime (not a science here) I apply some terconazole 0. 4% cream (a prescription yeast infection 7 day suppository cream). I would think any type of antifungal cream made for that purpose would work, over the counter included. -last step in the mornings I actually put on some mineral makeup (not the mass marketed ones), some really nice organic makeup that doesn't include the harsh ingredients. I just make sure to wash it off when I get home. I've been following this routine since friday night, and it's now monday night. I cannot cannot cannot believe it but I am watching this beast disappear every time I look in the mirror! Every time I would read on this site about someone finding the thing that would actually cure their dermatitis, rather than feeling hope I would feel more and more like I must be the exception and that nothing would ever work for me.. But trust me, there IS hope! You just need to keep an open mind and continue to try different things, no matter how weird these things might seem. For me, I think it's either the yin care herbal wash, or the terconazole prescription cream (or both). But I'm not gonna stop my trusty routine just in case there's some magic in it. The rash on the right side is almost totally gone, just a couple bumps left but pretty much all smooth skin! It's still quite pink, I guess a bit scarred. The left side is the worse side, it's healing but not nearly to the extent as the right side. I think once it is all completely gone I will dab on some vitamin e oil to heal the pink scarring. I will update once this monster is totally gone! Good luck everyone, and hang in there..

It's so good to find I'm not alone on this!! I have battled for 5 months to get rid of my ugly facial rash as for the first few months I thought it was candida... And have only just finally been properly diagnosed with perioral dermatitis. After just a couple of days have finally noticed a massive improvement after using raw organic honey on my face at night, then reapplying raw organic coconut oil throughout the day. I have stopped wearing makeup on my face as this made it much worse and I realised i'd been spreading it with my concealer (which I've now thrown away! ). I'm also taking grapeseed oil capsules 3x per day, liquid organic echinacea in my drinks several times per day and 3 drops of organic oregano and olive oil 3x per day.

I'm mainly eating organic salad and vegetables, organic eggs and organic chicken. Have just started having 2 pieces of organic fruit per day now too. Have given up my morning coffee as this seemed to aggravate and now only drinking organic herb teas. No soap on my face, only non flouride toothpaste (kingfisher or sarakan) and no other make up or products on my face. Finally after months of depression and frustration (as I've always had really clear skin)... My scabs are basically gone, no more leaking liquid from my bumps, my bright red rash has faded to a light pink and my skin is healing nicely. It's been a long journey but I am so happy now that my skin is finally starting to get back to normal! I really feel for all you who are going through what I did... And I pray you will be healed very soon. I hope this will help you xxx

Thank you so much to earthclinic and everyone who has contributed to this website. You saved my sanity. This is long but like most people, it's been a journey of what's worked and it's never been quite straight forward!

Scenario: No prior history although I suspect it had been under the surface; for years, I would have 3 'little stress spots' around my eyes that would crop up but be gone in a day or two. Medication: 25mg prednisolone / prednisone orally a day to suppress an elevated level of natural killer cells in pregnancy. Unfortunately the wee bub didn't make it (unrelated chromosome issues) so half way through slowly reducing the steroids was the start. The pregnancy hormones wouldn't have helped but text book steroid withdrawal trigger. So quick - all round my nose, chin, perfect muzzle, spreading out to my cheeks and with increasing spots round the eyes. I said no to antibiotics. Thank you to the person who said you can't change it over night. Improvements occurred quickly once I got on track but it took about 9 weeks before I believed I could say 'YEA':

Week 1 & 2: Lightly diluted tea tree oil, and second week followed it with Lavender to sooth. Result: not good. Slowed the spread. Still very red, sore and cracked.

Week 3: Changed tooth paste to non fluoride and non SLS and stopped my face creams although all products did not contain SLS and were already natural and organic. Powdered sugar and oil - fantastic! Within 24 hours healed the cracks and skin felt so much better, although was redder and looked worse for 1-2 days. It was itchy after 3-4 hours, so was nigh on impossible to have a good nights sleep but wow, what an improvement. If I had been able to do this for the recommended 7-10 days and nights, I would have got to where I am now a lot quicker but I had challenges highlighted below. Result: Great, distinct improvement. Took away a large number of the deep red spots and left with lighter red patches and fewer red spots where it was most effected.

Challenges: I run my own business - client facing (white collar) and I entertain a lot! Very hard not to drink or wear makeup.

Week 3: In Hong Kong for work, limited time for the sugar pack (apart from flight and at night), so I used calendula cream and bought an organic tinted moisturiser with SPF 30 which was ok, very light coverage but didn't aggravate (I still use now). I don't work for them -Juice Beauty by the Organic Solution. Result: No real improvement as very difficult to do anything consistently. Still good but still very present.

Week 4: Thailand - hot and humid. No suncream on the face in fear of reacting badly and kept face out of the sun. After a few days in the sea, I changed my routine to washing /padding with salt water, moisturising with coconut oil and aloe vera (both from a local Thai organic shop). 1 day after very red then another improvement. At this point it had reduced to just six distinct points with accompanying redness around my mouth. Returning to Oz, realised I wouldn't be able to do much with the routine for 24 hours, had read about Shea Butter and used this for the flights. Result: Good, another positive change getting better! Perhaps 75% - 85% there.

Week 5: In Sydney - dry, winter conditions. Kept with the same Thai routine: washed with salt water (don't rub! ), moisturise with coconut and aloe vera. Slather with shea butter in the day whilst at work - great protector for under make up too, although I would wash the make up off straight after a meeting. Result: Still very good, slow improvements, reduced to four areas.....85 - 90%

Week 6 & 7: To the UK, change of air again!! Sounds very extravagant but it's not the norm and I didn't travel anywhere last year! By now, I had nearly absorbed all of the earth clinic reviews and tweaked to the following treating inside and out:

• Drank Aloe Vera (without the potassium preservative) approx. third of a glass on an empty stomach every morning
• Added approx. 2x table spoons of ACV to my norm morning drink of wheatgrass and apple juice
• Cleanse face with Grapefruit seed extract 4-6 drops diluted in a quarter of a glass of water (lasts for approx. 3 days), let it dry followed with aloe vera and coconut oil
• At night, same routine, also drinking ACV diluted with water, followed by more aloe vera juice
• Also take: fish oil high grade, b vitamin and probiotic

Then my Mum (retired nurse) who had experienced a strange fungal rash on her leg, suggested this cream, which had worked for her - again I do not work for this company - Skinfix, organic herbal cream ironically made in Australia. I replaced the coconut oil with this only on the effected areas. I thought it was worse the next day, was frustrated but again, with the above routine it visibly improved. Result: 99.9% gone. This was the first time I would look in a mirror, leave the room and realise I hadn't immediately stared at 'the' area. All gone on both sides of the chin, left hand side of round my mouth up to my nose and right hand side. I'm aware of the 0.01% because as you all know, this type of reaction / condition makes you scrutinise your face - well with the routine, you get a good chance to see yourself first and last thing.

Week 8 & 9: Returned to Oz, back in the dry and in a few days, I could see a few red spots. I also went to the snowy mountains -very dry and minus 7. I slathered the areas with shea butter, which was a great thick protector. After a few days of climate adjustment, I believe, I had stuck with the routine and the red spots disappeared again.

Diet: I have an alkaline IC diet anyway but was definitely stricter while trying to treat this: no tomatoes, no citrus, sugar, nothing processed, no dairy. I did drink wine but not a lot!! And only either organic, biodynamic or European (French, Spanish or Italian as they contain, by law, very low levels of acid).

Hang in there! - sometimes it does get worse for 1-2 days before it gets better! That happened to me 3x and my mum gave me good advice- whatever you try - try for at least 1-2 weeks before changing.

I also took photos (wish I had taken them at the beginning or for the first 4 weeks) as I was finding it hard at times to see any improvement. I recommend this as it helped me stick with it when I felt like turning everything on its head and there actually had been an improvement when I compared the photos!! Don't do what I did though - be consistent I.e. always after you've cleansed or woken up.

Good Luck!! And Thank You again. This really got me incredibly down at one point and the journey would have been horrible without this amazing website and the people who have shared.

I have been doing TONS of research. While Perioral Dermatitus might be caused by Steroids, chemicals, etc. a good portion why it comes is Parasites inside the small intestine. We all carry, 99.9% of people (according to research) at least 1 parasite. Well guess what, some of them are in our bodies for the rest of lives, or until we get rid of them. Why women are more likely to get Perioral Dermatitus. Well first Pregnant women might get PD because of their estregen level is much higher when pregnant, I think it might cause to produce a lot more stomach acid, that in turn causes PD. So for pregnant women the best control for it is ALOE VERA JUICE, A LOT OF IT. Do you own research, but it has some amazing benefits. For the rest of women, PD is an Yeast Overgrowth, but guess what causes the east to go crazy in the intestine, its acid level, and guess what causes more acid production: Parasites. Parasites also deplete the body of B Vitamins, thats why some mention that they have Vitamin Deficiencies.

Before spending tons of money, this is what you need to do. First RESEARCH. Then you need to kill the parasite in the stomach: Black Walnut Hull, Woodworm, and Clove (all three combined will do anti-ceptic/anti-fungul/kill the bad bacteria, kill parasites and anything that is very bad in your stomach. Research before you use Black Walnut for longer than 1. 5 months, since it might overload the liver, so you have to be careful, but this remedy has been used since the ancient times. Then you NEED STRONG PRE-BIOTICS, while people mention Yogurt is good, its not enough, you might get about 1 million good bacteria in a big yogurt jug, but you really need more like 50-100 billion good bacteria, usually those PRE-BIOTIC pills run at a healthfood store $20-$40 for like a 30 day supply, but you this. Then as dealing with the face, while your body is being healed and cured of this crap. You need APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, you can also take it internally, make sure its an hour apart from other things you are ingesting to kill parasites. Dont mix them, and put them in your stomach at the same time, each needs space to work. Apple Cider Vinegar, while deluted in water and taken orally, helps control yeast (which is given free reign because of the parasite that is causing the whole entire thing). Apple Cider Vinegar should also be deluted and applied to the dermatitus. It will help a lot After about 1-2 hours after applying Apple Cider Vinegar, you need to apply a yogurt mast to your face, to introduce good bacteria, since Apple Cider Vinegar just killed the bad fungus bacteria, you need to introduce good bacteria. A lot of things on this forum are right on track. But none of them mentioned that ITS A PARASITE IN THE STOMACH THAT IS CAUSING THE YEAST TO GO CRAZY (NOT IN ALL CASES, BUT FROM A GUESS, IN ABOUT 50% OR MORE). So if you tried remedies and you think that something is not right, please do a parasite cleanse, it might do the trick. A person should be able to eat varieties, and not eating fructose such as fruit is rediculous, at least after you killed the parasites. I surely hope this info is usefull. I think dermatologists are useless in this. People do your research, much love!.

This is what I did and it cured it in 3 days. Mixed melted 1 tablespoon coconut oil with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar; then I added 3 drops of lavender oil, 3 drops of tea tree oil, 3 drops of oregano oil, and a teaspoon of manuka honey. Once it hardens I had a nice cream. Before applying I put hydrodren peroxide on the affected area; once dry I applied the cream. I did this every night before going to bed. It was the weekend when I started so I applied it in the morning on non-work days. By the 3rd day, I had no visible signs. Hope this helps, Steve

I posted a few days ago and said I'd report back. Happy to say that the POD is almost gone!! Really worked. To summarize:

QUIT (and I mean ALL)

• alcohol
• coffee
• lotions, creams
• sugar

DO:

(a few times a day or as often as you can)

• apply diluted ACV
• apply yogurt mask
• rinse off yogurt and
• apply coconut oil (food grade)
• drink water with lemon juice throughout the day

This combination has worked miracles for my face. Originally I was trying to not use any moisturizer but my skin became so dry I tried the coconut oil and it does not add to the problem like other creams/lotions.

I sincerely hope this helps someone! I'm convinced it's a systemic thing and you simply have to get your body out of an acidic condition that hosts the outbreaks.

For Perioral dermatitis a calendular cream for face really works plus raw garlic applied externally. I hope this post helps someone.

I had POD and tried ACV but it did not work and although the POD burnt and dried up, it came back.

What worked: raw garlic applied topically, no tap water ever, calendula cream, do not exfoliate.

I suggest:

Do not ever use tap water to wash your face. Use bottled water or better still spray water. Do not use soap. Do not exfoliate. Treat your skin like baby skin.

Ladies stop applying a million products to your skin. Try to use minimal cosmetics and only organic ones. All these chemical make-ups and products are very damaging.

We need to baby our skin, love it, not bombard it with harsh petrochemicals.

The reason I had POD was my skin barrier got broken from using too many harsh products and I believe a fungus or something got in that caused the POD. I tried antibiotics, they only worked for a while and then POD came back. Instead of trying to use harsh chemicals, I started using very gentle products to wash my face. I would rub the worst POD spots with raw garlic, 1-5 times a day (as many times as I could and especially for bed). Yes it smells, yes it stings and gets red but slowly it would dry up from the garlic. I would leave it without touching those parts again. Then I would apply calendula lotion to the healed parts of my skin.

It took a very long time to heal and I still occasionally get a few flare ups when I use non-organic or lots of make up or harsh skin care products but with perseverance POD can be eliminated.

I also changed my diet to no sugars, no grains, no starches and now follow the SCD diet. Most skin conditions link to gut health. I am trying to heal my gut to get my skin perfect. I have heard that the skintervention guide, SCD diet people and paleo communities believe most skin and health issues can be resolved by returning to the diet our ancestors had and eliminating chemicals and artificial items in our diets and lifestyle. No doubt they are right.

Multiple Remedies:

Do not use tap water or soap to wash your face. Instead use Avene Micellar lotion followed by spring water mixed at a ratio of 3:1 with pure powdered vitamin C crystals (I used Now brand), then spritz face with avene spring water spray. Do not exfoliate or ever get face wet in shower or bath with tap water as this is full of chlorine and will unbalance ph of your skin.

Follow the Avene routine with Weleda Calendula Baby Face cream.

Do not use any products that contain SLS, whether it is in shampoo, hair dye, toothpaste. Avoid hair dyes that contain bleach, dye hair with natural methods like henna or herbal dyes.

If you must use make up use only organic brands that contain no oil, do not use any mineral make up that contains bismuth. I use primal life make up that is only pure powdered herbs and clays. Do not use commercial brands of make up or anything that contains coconut or other oils.

Reduce sugars and especially refined carbs in your diet. Stick to a paleo diet and you will clog up your skin far less. Avoid histamines in foods, like processed, smoked, fermented, pickled foods, like wine, cheese etc. Look up the low histamine diet. Avoid beans, pulses and minimize lentils which are hard to digest and cause bloating and blotchy skin for those with weak digestion.

This is a strict regime which basically involves living very clean inside and outside but it really works! If you follow these instructions you should have beautiful, clear skin.

I had my first attack of PD about 10 years ago and treated it with a 2 month course of anti-biotics. It came back about 9 months ago and was using a hydro cortizone cream. This worked okay for a while but then became ineffective. I researched and found out the cream was not a good option. I stopped using it and Oh MY goodness, my skin went crazy. Then I found this site. I did afew things to help. I applied Teatree oil during the day and then a 40% zinc oxide cream (diper rash cream) at night. With in about three days I saw a bit of a difference. I also decided to treat my toe fungas by swallowing 1tbs 2x/day of ACV (with mother). Then my skin really improved. Oh one more thing, I started taking a good quality mulitiple vitamin. I was thinking that if the zinc cream was helping externally, than maybe internally would help too.

Thank you. I am at wits end. I just want to curl up in a corner in my room until my days end. At least now I can try something else. Thank you for your post.