Perioral Dermatitis

Perioral dermatitis is quite a common concern, especially in women, who seem to suffer it more than men. It presents as a red, rash-like irritation around the mouth and often around the nose and on the eyes, particularly the eyelids. If you have suffered this condition, then you might think that applying a topical steroid cream is the best remedy, however, to the contrary, it has now been proven that topical steroids can be the cause of perioral dermatitis. Read our article to find out more on this common skin condition and how you can treat it.

What is perioral dermatitis?

The word ‘peri’ means ‘around’ and the word ‘oral’ refers to the mouth. ‘Derma’, meaning skin, and ‘itis’ meaning inflammation. So perioral dermatitis literally means ‘around the mouth, skin inflammation’. Although, as aforementioned, this condition is also common on and around the nose and eyes. It might be something you have had for a long time but not recognised for what it is, as it can range from being very mild, to quite severe. In mild cases it presents as a slight discoloration around the mouth that looks a little drier than the rest of your skin. Moderate cases might look more rash-like and also contain small bumps, and in severe cases, pustules can form along with an irritating rash that can look angry and red. This rash can feel itchy, dry and have a burning sensation.

How do we get perioral dermatitis?

Although it is not entirely known how this condition comes about, there is some sound evidence that indicates that there are certainly a few causes that may be the culprit:

Use of topical steroid creams as well as steroids products that are inhaled. Steroid creams and inhalers can thin the skin, which causes the epidermal barrier to become impaired and inflamed
Candida overgrowth. This is a bacteria that forms in the gut and when it overpopulates, it can cause fungal infections to appear, especially on the face
Hormonal changes. Especially around the menopausal stage of a woman’s life
Chewing gum
Dental fillings
Heavy skin care or makeup products

How to treat perioral dermatitis

Firstly, avoiding steroid products, skincare that contains a lot of chemicals as well as heavy makeup is a must. Looking at your internal health and keeping a low inflammatory diet is also beneficial. Candida thrives with a diet that is high in sugars, carbs and preservatives. A clean diet that can starve off candida will make a big difference.

Using gentle skin care is important, as if too strong and active, your skin can become dry. When the skin is dry, it creates further inflammation to the epidermis and the skin cannot properly heal. Having said that, using thick heavy creams can also make perioral dermatitis worse, so it is a real balancing act between getting enough hydration and not covering the skin in too many heavy products.

Skin Care recommendations for perioral dermatitis:

Cleansers

Using a gentle cleanser that does not strip away natural oils and dry the skin further is a must. We love

Serums

Serums are the ‘prescriptive’ products that work to address a certain issue as well as offering anti-ageing benefits. For a perioral dermatitis, we recommend using less products but focussing on epidermal repair and hydration;

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Osmosis MD Rescue for complete epidermal repair, focussing on rebuilding the skin, calming inflammation and neutralising toxins and bacteria such as fungal infections.
PCA Redness Relief. This serum offers almost immediate relief from irritated skin by the use of calming and soothing ingredients.
Aspect Dr Hyaluronic Serum or PCA Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum. Hyaluronic Acid binds water molecules together, holding up to 1000 times its weight in water. When you suffer a condition like perioral dermatitis, adding moisture not just to the top layers of the skin but also the deeper layers, means that your skin is adequately hydrated and can heal. The PCA hyaluronic acid adds molecular weights to its formula. This means that the product can reach and stay in both the upper and lower layers of the skin.

Moisturisers

Finding a moisturiser that offers enough hydration without being too heavy is the key. You want to feel hydrated, but not add too many excess oils.

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SPF

You may not feel like you want to add in an SPF on irritated skin, but it is really important, and if you choose one that is zinc based, it has the added benefit of being a natural anti-inflammatory.

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Vitamins A, B and C

We recommend stopping highly active serums until your skin has had a chance to recover with the use of repairing serums as listed above. Once your skin begins to feel a little normal, slowly introduce your other serums, such as your A, B and C. It is best to ease into these by using them every few days, slowly increasing to daily/nightly.

When looking at vitamin A (or retinol) it is best to use one that offers calming effects as well as the anti-ageing benefits. For this, we recommend Osmosis MD Calm.

Supplements

Removing toxins and excess candida by the use of supplements might expedite the recovery of your skin.

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By using products that repair the skin and taking note of your diet, you will notice a great difference.

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If you need any help in choosing your skin care, you can email us at info@theskincareclinic.com.au.

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