Dry, Red skin around mouth, nose etc

Hi,

I have a dry flaky, red rash esq patches around my nose and bottom lip and is occasionally itchy, ive tried various creams such as sudocreme, rosex and e45 but nothing seems to be making it go away. I have been to the doctors twice and they tell me its dermatitis, but still there. Its incredibly upsetting and its the first time ive had anything like this so im at breaking point.

Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
One possibility is that it is due to seborrheic dermatitis. It is usually caused by overgrowth of Malassezia furfur. This skin disease commonly affects adolescents and young adults, especially in warm and humid climates and is aggravated by sweating and humidity.

Topical antifungals and mild steroids are the usual treatment and combination of the two can be used to treat stubborn patches. Oral antifungal drugs and immunomodulators such as tacrolimus and pimecrolimus are used in very severe cases.

If the rash is itchy then it can be due to eczema skin. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.