My Healing Journey With Perioral Dermatitis
Oh Perioral Dermatitis…I do not miss you, but I can say now, with confidence, that I am indeed grateful for you. I climbed the mountain and at one point thought I’d never get to the other side, but I did. And I learned SO much about myself and gained invaluable knowledge that I use to this day to continue to keep my skin happy and clear. This is my healing journey with Perioral Dermatitis, I hope it helps you to find your way to the other side of the mountain, too. And please don’t forget, you are so not alone! Even if it might feel that way some days.
My Healing Journey
One morning in early September I woke up with a few little red and fluid filled bumps around my mouth and nose area. I had initially assumed they were pimples, but within a few days the bumps only became larger in number, and had also begun to pop up on my chin near my mouth. I can remember thinking “what the heck is going on?!”, I had never seen acne like this on my face before.
Around the same time the bumps emerged, I also started to get intense night sweats, and would wake up feeling downright awful. I had dealt with some adrenal burnout not long before this (like sleep all day yet never feel rested sort-of-thing) after a few very stressful months and had wondered if they may be somehow connected.
Within a week the little red bumps had become a full blown red, inflamed rash around my mouth, nose and chin. It burned, itched and flaked, and whenever I was stressed or ate spicy foods (and occasionally out of no where), I broke out into a full face rosacea like rash (which I later realized was a histamine intolerance!). I was devastated!
After a month or so of hoping this would go away on its own, I finally went to the doctor to try and get some answers. She told me it was a skin condition called perioral dermatitis, and that the only way to get rid of it was with antibiotics. I was in my last year of college to become a Nutritionist, and knew the implications being on antibiotics can have on the gut. I decided to decline them and went on my way, but within a week the rash got even worse…
Yes, I did a lot of crying myself to sleep in those early months. My partner at the time (who is now my husband!) was such a supportive angel, but I could tell all the deprecating self-talk was starting to get to him. I started isolating myself and didn’t want to visit friends. I swear for a bit during that time, I was confused about who I even was or what I liked to do. It was a very tough time, those first few months with PD.
So as time went on, I continued to search through my text books and scoured the internet to try and find a way to heal this skin condition naturally, but there was hardly any information whatsoever. “Use tea tree oil, use baby bum rash cream, switch your toothpaste out”. Yup tried that, didn’t work… It seemed to be a mystery condition that no one really knew much about. So, I finally decided to give the antibiotics a shot.
I was amazed to see my skin almost completely clear up within a week, with all the redness and inflammation barely visible. I felt a bit ashamed that I went the medication route because I so deeply had wanted to heal naturally, but was also so so grateful to have the rash gone.
Sadly, within a few weeks of finishing my prescription the rash was back, and with a vengeance. It was just devastating. I was right back to where I had started. But I had made a promise to myself that I would NOT go on antibiotics long term, and knew in my heart that I could heal this without harsh bandaid medications. My body needed deep healing and I was ready to dive into it…
Fast forward a few months later and I was dermatitis free!!! YES. It took hard work, determination and lots and lots of trial and error, but I had finally done it.
Not only did I come out the other end with clear skin, I also felt amazing. I had more energy than I could ever remember, my PMS symptoms were close to nothing, and my bowel movements were on point (always a plus!). Since then I have become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Perioral Dermatitis Specialist, and have now helped 100’s of women all over the world heal their skin. Heres what I’ve learned…
What Is Perioral Dermatitis?
Perioral dermatitis is an inflammatory skin condition, showing up more often in woman than in men. It typically presents itself as tiny red papules or pustules and a red, dry rash around the mouth, nose and chin (and sometimes the eyes) and often gets misdiagnosed as rosacea or acne.
What Causes Perioral Dermatitis?
Unfortunately there isn’t really a lot of information out there on what causes this skin condition, likely due to the minimal amount of studies done on it (which sadly only focus on medications that can make companies money).
It seems as though there can be numerous ways that it can get triggered. There is a link to the use of topical steroid creams and nasal sprays and the onset of perioral dermatitis. Now, in my case I never ever used steroid products, so I knew mine had nothing to do with that. But after doing months of research, and with all that trial and error, it ended up seeming obvious to me that there was one main factor: our immune system.
This is an inflammatory skin condition, and it is our immune system that creates inflammation. When our immune system is in a state of imbalance, inflammation can get out of control.
From my experience healing my own PD and also working as a Holistic PD Specialist, I know that perioral dermatitis is a condition that often occurs from multiple root causes that together creates a perfect storm of inflammation and impairs our immune system. This inflammation then shows up on our skin.
Did you know our skin has its own immune system? YES, our skin has it’s own microbiome and immune system! And the rest of our immune system is always in conversation with it. It’s all very much connected. What does this tell us? That PD is much more an internal imbalance than just a topical one. Your PD may have been triggered by that chemical peel or that high strength retinol your Derm prescribed you, but it was actually just the “straw that broke the camels back”, with the internal imbalances brewing beneath the surface many months or even years previously.
From the research there currently is on perioral dermatitis, and from my personal experience and experience with my clients, it would appear that the main Root Causes are:
Stress
Dysbiosis of the gut and leaky gut (which leads to food sensitivities and allergies)
An overburdened liver (from things like environmental toxins, chemicals from fragranced beauty products, the Birth Control Pill, alcohol consumption etc)
Hormonal imbalances (particularly estrogen dominance)
Use of topical or nasal steroids
Impaired skin barrier from overuse of harsh skincare products
And what do all of these have in common? They all TAX our immune system!
And typically it’s a combination of some or all of these that can trigger PD!
How Can We Heal?
With the right tools you can absolutely heal. I promise, I’ve now seen it over and over and over again in practice. Identifying your top triggers and getting to the root cause of your PD is crucial in finding long term relief!
Looking for more information on how to heal your perioral dermatitis for good, and get off the hamster wheel of harsh medications like Doxy and Protopic or Elidel?
I’ve created a completely FREE Masterclass called “How To Heal Perioral Dermatitis (and regain your confidence!)” that you can receive instant access to by clicking here.
During this free training you’ll learn about things like:
The proven method that I use in practice that has now helped 100's of women heal their skin (without harsh bandaid medications!)
The top triggers that I’ve seen in practice, after years of experience as a perioral dermatitis specialist
About the "Three Pillars" of triggers for PD
The HOW + WHY behind the manifestation of PD
and so much more…
I hope to see you there!!
With love,
Zoe, RHN
