HOW I MANAGE MY PERIORAL DERMATITIS

I’ve always had sensitive, dry skin but about 18 months ago I filmed a project for a job we were doing. It involved putting on a moisturiser, washing it off, putting it on, washing it off (about 7 times) just to get the shot/transition right. The moisturiser in question was heavily fragranced and had an ingredient in it which was too much for my skin and triggered perioral dermatitis. Yay for me!

Before I carry on this is a reminder than I am not a skincare expert, I’m just sharing what has worked for me, based on things I’ve tried and advice I’ve received.

PD is quite a common skin problem, which causes an inflammatory skin rash. It looks like lots of red, itchy, dry skin around the mouth area. It can be caused by quite a few things (using steroid creams, certain toothpastes, hormone changes, bacteria and even stress.) For me, it comes out above my lip and around my nose the most.

L: During flare up // R: After flare up

When I had my first flare up of it I did loads of research and spoke to a few different dermatologists (perk of the job!) Some recommended antibiotics, and some told me that it was possible to get rid of it by stripping it all right back to basics and eliminating certain things so I did this, and luckily it worked. I now know exactly what will cause a reaction, and I get flare ups every so often. PD can be with you for months, or even years. Sometimes mine disappears completely for a couple of months, then reappears (I can usually work out what the trigger is when it happens.) But the same formula works each time to clear it up.

These are 6 things that seems to help keep my skin at bay:

1. I only use toothpaste that has no Sodium Laurel Sulphate in it. I use THIS from Sensodyne.
2. Avoid shampoo & conditioners with SLS in them. I don’t do this all the time, I’ve noticed if hold my head back then it doesn’t cause me any redness but everyone is different, and I’ve heard that it can be a trigger for some people so best avoid if it you are trying to eliminate what is causing it.
3. Only use a mineral SPF, never a chemical SPF. Mineral sun cream sits on the skin surface, whereas chemical sun cream absorbs into the skin so can cause a reaction. Mineral has zinc oxide & titanium dioxide as the main ingredients, which are less likely to cause a reaction compared to chemical filters like avobenzone or oxybenzone.
4. Only use a gentle cleanser. I only use water to clean my face in the morning (I found it dried it out too much using product AM & PM) and for the evening I only ever use a super gentle cleanser. My favourites are this from Cetaphil (that my 9 year old daughter also uses), Beauty Pie Happy Face or Skinceuticals Gentle Cleanser.
5. Stripping it all back. When I have a flare up, I completely strip back my skincare regime. After cleansing, I use a spray mist so that it’s damp for when I add step 2, which is a hyaluronic acid. HA needs to be applied to damp skin because it draws moisture from its nearest source, so if your skin is dry it will dehydrate it more, whereas if it’s damp it’ll act like a magnet to the moisture. And finally, a mineral SPF. In the evening I do the same – gentle cleanser, hyaluronic on damp skin, then a moisturiser. I’m currently loving Drunk Elephant LaLa Retro Whipped, and Clinique Dramatically Different.
6. I use a Current Body LED mask 3 times a week, for 10 minutes each time. Yes it’s pricey, yes it’s absolutely worth it. It calms down the redness like nothing else can. I have tried a few different masks, and if budget allows, then this one is worth splashing out on. It’s most comfortable to wear because of it’s silicone mould, it has little inserts over your eyes so you can scroll IG, empty the dishwasher or read while wearing it, an extra chin strap, and has new deep near-infrared light which penetrates the skin deeper. I feel like it’s more worth buying one of these, rather than going for a facial once a month.

I’ve linked every product that I’ve mentioned HERE so it’s all in one place.

When I get my skin back to a good place, I gradually introduce other products, like a niacinamide (SuperDrops from Beauty Pie is a firm fave) which is good for reinforcing the skins barrier, and smoothing it out. Or a facial fake tan (which I love so much, and get upset that I can’t use it all the time!) THIS from St Tropez has hyaluronic acid in it, as well as Green Mandarin Water which is said to be soothing. I also even managed to get to a place where I could use Retinal which I couldn’t believe! I started on Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1, and have so far worked up to number 3. If I have a PD breakout I just pause, strip it back, use barrier repair creams (THIS from Cerave is great) and then it clears it up. I’ve also found that THIS anti-redness cream from Uriage is great.

Below are some products I use for my morning skincare regime, at all different points. Hope this helps, if you have any questions just send us a DM on Instagram, or email.

AM 3-STEP SKINCARE REGIME FOR ALL BUDGETS

All products linked HERE

**As a side note, please seek your own medical advice if you are concerned. I’m just sharing here what works for me.**