Perioral dermatitis wont let go

[Ladnvar]

I've been on tetracyclines for 6 months now. They reduce my perioral dermatitis, but doesn't eliminate it completely. I've also tried every cream possible. Prior to the condition i did not use steroids. What can i do now?

[dvlbny]

(over the counter) Clometrazol, it's often caused by yeast. Seriously try it. Found solution here: http://www.xovain.com/skin/perioral-dermatitis

[jm5150]

im going to tell you exactly whats wrong with you, sadly some doctors dissagree because theyre stubborn and set in their ways.. you have candida overgrowth going on.Its when candida fungus overpopulates. to prove it, go to any store and buy some athletes foot cream. apply that to your dermatitis morning, afternoon and night. it will clear up quickly. it will dry up and flake off, no more red rash.
My story. I have been battling crippling anxiety lately.. It happened years ago then gradually got better. started again recently when i moved out, gt my own place, started eating crap based on budget and started drinking alcohol more.. candida THRIVES on this junk. I came to realize my anxiety/altered mental state/physical symptoms/difficulty breathing ALL happened when i over did it on three main things... sugar, breads/pasta/gluten and alcohol. spent years researching doctors all said "its just anxiety".. well soon came to also realize that whenever i had these episodes i would get massive cases of P.D on my face. I noticed that my face sort looked like my feet.. i also recently got athelets foot. Well i used the cream on my face and it worked!.. I never thought my anxiety and the PD was contected. doctors didnt either. So i started to experiment.. why was i having such bad anxiety and PD?.. I cut out all sugar/carbs/gluten and alcohol.. no PD, no anxiety.. Id go out and get drunk out night... high anxiety and PD!.. cut it all out again.. no more anxiety and PD..i kept trying it and it kept working like clockwork. The more i suffered from this anxiety after eating the things that feed candida, the worse my PD. turns out I have candida overgrowth which is causing everything. Bad part is, it takes a looooong time to get rid of it completely. I could go alcojol/sugar/gluten free for a month.. and a few slip ups bring it right back. Unfortunately youll need to go on a candida diet and buy some threelac or fivelac (probiotic) this kills candida. Could also see your doctor about Nystatins (antifungals) also look into herbal meds.. tree oil/coconut oil/ etc..youll need to clean yourself from the inside out to be full cured. athletes foot cream just takes care of the current PD but doesnt stop the underlying problem inside you. Its sort of like having an oil leak in your car  and just cleaning up the puddle of oil when it leaks. you have to fix it for it to stop coming back.... im 100% sure this is the case and suggest you look into it.

[Ladnvar]

Tried the cream for about three months without effect. Do you know if there's anyway to test for this? I've got money, time and will. So this PD is going away.

[Ladnvar]

As I understand antibiotics kill bacteria, and is itself a fungus. I don't disagree with your conclusion, that tetracyclines somehow creates a negativ cycle and contributes to the condition. But I can't really understand your premise. If antibiotics reduce PD, which personal experince confirms, then it somehow have to effect something related to the condition. I'm not saying it attacks the root cause, because that's pretty evident that the antibiotics don't, because then I would have been cured, at least temporarily. And actually for many people the antibiotics do cure. So the faulty logic as I see it goes like this: you swallow a pill, then get better as the days go by. And by your statement this increases the candida overgrowth, which is the root cause that created the condition to start with. Then we have to effects: the antibiotic worsen the root cause, and while doing so, decreases the condition?
If we treat this like a scientific theory, then a lot of dots (hypothesis) should be answered and connected by the candida explanation. But this is simply not true. What about those who get cured by the antibiotics, or even antibacterial cream or simply by stopping the use of cosmetics? Or even the opposite stands, what about those who eats raw eggs and carbs like an animal all life and never developing any PD symptoms? And why does spicy food, caffeine, artificial sweetneres and a lot of seemingly irrelevant foods worsen the condition? And why does it, in no relation to diet or treatment, become better and then worsen in cycles almost of its own will?
That being said, I've been more and more convinced this condition is in fact just a symptom with a lot of different causes, ranging from allergic reactions to fluoride, SLS to hormonal problems or steroid abuse. I think this condition needs a more holistic perspective to be treated properly. From this belief i also believe that it is not chronic, if the root cause is found. Thereby I've excluded SLS, fluoride, cosmetics, steroid abuse, milk and celiac disease and is maybe only left with hormonal disturbances or the candida theory. I tried to find the lotrimin cream at the pharmacy, but the only option available with the same active ingridient in my country is a cream called canesten. It's for the foot so I'm a bit sceptical, but I think I'll try it.
Also, wouldn't candida overgrowth weaken the immunesystem? Or cause metabolic disturbances? And if this really takes place in my intestines, how would a cream on my face cure the condition?

By the way, thanks for new treatment option. Take honor in that you've now given me more explanation and options than three dermatologists :)

[maatson]

'Demodex folliculorum' parasite has been found in some cases of perioral dermatitis. Perhaps Metronidazole would help you as a gel or internally.
Do consult your doc.
My best wishes.

[Ladnvar]

I've been to three different dermatologists. Maybe all of them are incompetent, but none of them have mentioned isoterinoin. I've read about it, but along side the usual warning. Although why this drug is so dangerous is somewhat a mystery to me. All drugs have side effects, but the real question is: is how likely is this drug to work? and what time rate are we talking here?

I've also read different types of treatment:
1. Using borax to wash the face while drinking a certain amount of H202 diluted in water over a certain period of time. This method also includes taking olive leaf oil and oregano oil extract several times a day. Is this likely to work? I tried for a while, but my face got so dry i had to stop.
2. I've also read som dermatologists recommend in some cases to use an antibacterial soap on the face while using strong steroids to reduce the inflammation. this seems crazy?

[Desrtdove]

Well, candida can be related to diet as we all have a small amount of it in our intestines....the amount in our gut can get out of balance due to a poor diet or the use of antibiotics and steroids (those kill off the good bacteria and allow the candida to take over). My diet is very good with no refined carbs or processed foods...but I was eating egg whites (I resorted to buying cheaper eggs that are loaded with antibiotics, but didn't know that at the time) and poof, that's how I got mine. Perioral dermatitis is first treated with tetracycline which tends to work, BUT that use of antibiotics can trigger candida overgrowth which is made worse which can cause perioral dermatitis....the cycle continues....make sense?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Tetracycline is the first line of treatment for perioral dermatitis. 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.

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.

[Ladnvar]

I will look into that! Try to find some alternative doctor who can do som tests. What bothers me about this theory is that I can't see how anti-biotics help reduce the rash and at the same time contribute to the problem. And since it helps, wouldn't that point to something bacterial? Or this logic may just be too simple. Anyways i thought candida overgrowth was related to diet? If i got it, then diet can't be the cause. I've probably eaten as many carbs as a regular person do in a week, the last two years.

[Desrtdove]

Hello, you might want to consider a candida overgrowth and do some research on that in relation to perioral dermatitis. Often one gets perioral dermatitis as a result of candida overgrowth and anti-biotics, steroid creams only make it worse or continue to perpetuate the problem. You can try an over the counter anitfungal cream like Lotrimin to see if it helps. I had terrible perioral dermatitis and the only thing that got rid of it was Lotrimin. I continue to use it whenever I have a flare up. Good luck!

[LibertySC]

How often did you use the Lotrimin each day?