Protopic & Elidel For Perioral Dermatitis: Good or bad?

First off, I of course must preface this post by saying that I am not a doctor, therefore what I’m sharing with you is simply my opinion. I am here to help educate and inspire you to make your own choices!

Okay, on with it then, shall we?

What Are Protopic and Elidel?

Due to the major lack of good science and studies out there on PD, Doctors and Dermatologists simply don’t understand this (actually very common) skin condition very well. If you visit your local health care professional, seeking help for your PD, one of the most common things you’ll likely be recommended are either Protopic (Tacrolimus) or Elidel (Pimcrolimus).

These are two very similar types of medications that suppress the immune system so that it can no longer create inflammation topically, therefore leading to a decrease in redness, itching, flaking etc. It does this by blocking calcineurin, a protein in our bodies that helps activate our immune system. By blocking our immune system response, it can stop the influx of inflammatory chemicals that cause all the symptoms of perioral dermatitis.

Now, at first glance this may sound ah-mazing! But what’s not talked about enough (I mean no where near enough) by doctors and derms to their patients, is that these topical medications are not actually healing anything, but rather suppressing symptoms until you come off of them. And what can happen then? A rebound effect. AKA, a come back of your PD, but worse. I’ve seen it so many times now, and not one of these women was warned. It’s truly heartbreaking…

A student of The PD Protocol who tried going off of Protopic and experienced a rebound

Not only this, but there is quite literally a black box warning on these topicals, stating they shouldn’t be used longer than 2 weeks, due to the negative effects it can have on the immune system. Studies are showing some links to cancer in longer term use, particularly lymphatic and skin cancer. This strongly shows that these creams don’t just affect the skin, but the body as a whole. They’re very powerful!

So Should we ever use them??

Okay, now I don’t want this to be all doom and gloom. Of course there can be upsides to Protopic and Elidel, if used correctly. If you’ve been considering trying one of these medications because you simply need a break from the constant flareups (because hey… I get it. PD can be so hard on our mental well-being!) then what I suggest is using them for special occasions only.

Think: your wedding, or a photo shoot or some other special event. This way we avoid the dangers of long term use. OR use it for the first 2 weeks or so of a PD healing program to get some relief AND achieve long term results.

Now I must say this, my love, that if you’re currently using one of these two topicals, please don’t be afraid! It’s just very important that you’re educated on what they’re really all about, and that if you’ve been using them for multiple months, or perhaps even years, that it’s important to consider getting proper support to truly heal your skin so that you no longer need to rely on bandaid medications with side effects.

And one other very important thing to consider: when we use medications to cover up something, in this case, a topical cream that hides the look of a rash, we’ve got to remember that even though we don’t see the PD anymore, that doesn’t mean that the internal inflammation that caused it in the first place isn’t still there, because it is.

And if we keep ignoring it, that internal inflammation can get even worse than a topical skin condition. This is a signal from our body that something isn’t quite right, and we don’t want to ignore it!

If you would like to do a deep dive into perioral dermatitis and how you can finally heal it for good, I have a completely free 30 minute masterclass for you! Click HERE to get access!

You got this!

All the love,

Zoe