Perioral dermatitis

[emmah84]

I think I have perioral dermatitis caused by prolonged use of a steroid cream, Hydrocortisone Valerate. This was not proscribed to me, it was my sister's, she has severe eczema. I was using the cream for a patch of eczema by my mouth, so when the rash appeared I thought it was the eczema and continued to apply the cream to the spreading rash. I continued to use the cream daily for 5 months because it was the only thing that kept what I thought to be eczema at bay.
After realizing what I was doing to my skin I stopped using the steroid cream and I am not using make up or face wash, just warm water. I was wondering if I can use a moisterizer or not? Should I get on antibiotics? How long will this take to clear up? I feel so ugly!!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
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.

In case the symptoms persist then topical antibiotics like tetracycline may be needed. 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 doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[emmah84]

Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isosteartate, Polyacrylamide, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sucrose Polycottonseedate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Dimethiconol, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylparaben, Laureth-7, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Oleth 3-Phosphate, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Vitamin B3, Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E.

These are the ingredients in my moisturizer, not sure if they will make it worse, but my skin feels very dry without using something