irritated skin around mouth/chin

Here is a picture of what i'm talking about: http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/1195/50544795.jpg

Skin in that area becomes red/dry/itchy and then eventually fades away into a darker color than the rest of my skin but never completely disappears. It probably returns to full irritation/color about every 2 months. I'm wondering what I can do to get rid of this. Thanks.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It looks like perioral dermatitis. Perioral dermatitis is a chronic eczematous facial dermatitis. 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.

If the symptoms are not controlled by topical antibiotics, then oral antibiotics may be needed. Please consult your dermatologist and discuss this with him.
Hope it helps .Take care and please do keep us posted in case you have any additional queries. Kind regards.