My Peri Oral Dermatitis Journey Part 1

Peri oral dermatitis for me started as a couple of red marks/spots around the bottom of my nose. As you would expect with a few pimple lookalikes I treated them as spots and hit them with the AHAs and spot creams. Over a few months they spread and started to dry out, so I slathered them in oils/night creams before bed to help regain some moisture.

5/6 months later I had an outbreak of these on my chin and AHAs made it unbearable. So here I was with a spotty/dry/red/flaky rash on my chin and around my nose that just wouldn't shift.

The only option was a trip to the docs. 

Doctor appointment #1 

I will admit and point out straight away that going to the doctors barefaced is best. I didn't as I needed fuel so my doctor couldn't quiet see it to well despite me leaving a patch bare. 

P.s covering peri oral dermatitis just leaves it looking all dry and flaky and worse than before. 

As with all skin problems they take a while to find a solution that works explained my doctor. 

Not knowing what it was and not really accepting that it was along the lines of impetigo I was off to try Fucidin - a mix of steroid and anti fungal cream. I left the doctors with a prescription and to treat for 10 days morning, afternoon and night. 

Doctors appointment #2 

The Fucidin took away the redness but got worse after I stopped. 

Again no makeup whatsoever to docs appointments, even covering bits you think are just spots the doctor wants to see. 

This time I saw a different doctor and immediately she knew what we were dealing with. She suggested going onto antibiotics but me being me I wanted to try a cream first, even though these creams can be very drying I insisted on cream first. 

The cream I was prescribed was an anti-fungal cream called Caneston HC which I had to apply twice a day for 10 days and book another appointment with the same doctor again so she could see its progress. 

Luckily I never experienced any dryness from the cream. 

Doctors appointment #3 

The anti-fungal cream helped a fair bit around my nose and chin but it had spread to around my eyes and also I had a nice rash on my forehead. 

This time we tried a 2 week course of antibiotics called Flucloxacillin  to be taken 4 times a day. Also to treat the rash itself I was prescribed a cream called Daktarin to be applied to nose and chin only for 10-14 days morning and night. 

The Daktarin cream wasn't a great experience to begin with. The dermatitis broke out further, became extremely dry and wept. I read online by a derm that some creams need you to persevere so they can work and it's true. After giving it a few more days and a little moisturiser it began healing really well. I'm glad I didn't give up on it. 

Doctors appointment #4 

Antibiotics finished and cream stopped after 10 days. The rash around my nose is almost all gone except from a little flakiness and chin rash is gone. The forehead rash is barely noticeable. The only thing that remained was the rash below my eyes which was extremely itchy. My doctor was happy with the results and now focusing on the eyes. Because the eyes are so sensitive, not much can be used there. My doctor prescribed me the mildest half percent steroid there is, Hydrocortisone. The cream was to be applied very carefully to the rash under my eyes and continued morning and night for 7 days to see how it reacts first and follow up with a phone appointment. 

Doctors appointment #5
It wasn't good news. The rash around my nose had started to break out a bit after 4 days of being healed and my eyes were still red and lumpy. My doctor said it was time for pictures to be taken and sent to a dermatologist. Annoyingly the dermatitis found itself calming down at times and getting a picture was annoying. I got all the way to the doctors and I'm sure it was barely noticeable. However pictures taken and all I could do was wait for an appointment.

That was on the 14th of April, so far I've had a letter stating I could be up to 14 weeks before I get my appointment.

Since I was last seen by my doctor the dermatitis has worsened around my eyes, spread all over my forehead, reappeared on my chin and exploded on my chest and shoulders. Oddly I have had only a little bother around my nose. Covering it is impossible and some days are worse than the others. It's pretty soul destroying but I have found a few ways of easing it.  

Peri oral dermatitis is a long journey and requires time and patience to find a solution. My doctor was great and took my rash seriously and she knows it's not something you want on your face. I also know that if we hadn't found a solution after going through all the steps that I would be referred to a dermatologist which I have now.  

I'll be back with updates once I have my appointment at the dermatologists.  

I hope this helps anyone else suffering, if you've got this dreaded rash I would seriously skip the google and get to your doctor...x

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