Irritated skin on chin and face

Hi,

I'm not really sure what's causing this, but I have a lot of red irritated skin on my chin area. It frequently itches, and there are little puss filled bumps that come up from time to time. It's really frustrating, because I also have unwanted facial hair that's pretty visible on my chin area, and I can't get the salon to do anything about it because my skin is already so irritated. This leaves me to have to treat it at home or go with unsightly black facial hair on my chin red with puss-filled sores. My chin also doesn't seem to heal. The sores go away, but the redness and irritation stays until I break out again.

More on these sores:

I also get them on my face from time to time as well as on other parts of my body. They have a unique odor and tend to leave scars after they're gone. I feel like they've seriously messed up my appearance. Even makeup won't cover the imprint of the scars they leave behind. I feel like they are making me look old and ugly. I'm only 24 year old woman, though.

Also, I'm a college student with limited financial means. I would go to a dermatologist, but I don't really feel like I can afford it. If possible, I need to take care of most of my health and beauty concerns by myself for now. I'm afraid that the dermatologist would probably charge me thousands of dollars.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These bumps can be due to perioral dermatitis or acne. Perioral dermatitis like acne is a chronic papulopustular and eczematous facial dermatitis. It mostly effects women and appear around the nose, mouth and eyes. Treatment consists of oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. A mild soap or soap substitute, such as Dove or Cetaphil should be used for washing. Scrubbing should be avoided.
Doxycycline is the preferred antibiotic for perioral dermatitis but minocycline can also be used. In unresponsive and granulomatous forms, oral isoterinoin may also be considered. Pimecrolimus cream can also be used. I suggest you to consult a dermatologist and discuss these treatment options with your dermatologist.

I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and regards.