If you’ve ever experienced a rash around the mouth or eyes that simply won’t go away, it could be perioral dermatitis.
Perioral dermatitis is an inflammatory rash that accompanies small white pustules. It can be incredibly irritating and sore to touch – it can also make you feel very self-conscious and embarrassed in public. The skin can also become very flaky and dried out.
At least, this was my experience with the rash. I always wanted to hide my face and never wanted to go anywhere because I felt like everyone would just stare at the huge red marks on my face. I got tired of explaining myself everywhere I went. I felt like I was not a good image of what the raw vegan diet was supposed to give you – beautiful, glowing skin. I felt like I was a failure of sorts.
My Experience With Perioral Dermatitis
I got the skin rash just months after quitting birth control. Now, perioral dermatitis is sort of a mystery to the medical community. Not many people know how its caused or why its caused, but what they do know is that it can be brought on by the following (1):
– Topical steroids, either when they are applied to the face on purpose or by accident
– Nasal steroids, steroid inhalers, and oral steroids
– Cosmetic creams, make-ups and sunscreens
– Fluorinated toothpaste
– Not washing the face
– Hormonal changes or oral contraceptives
– Stress (which can cause hormonal changes)
The only thing that I could really relate to was hormonal changes – I figured that because I went off birth control my hormones were freaking out and I got the rash. The only reason I attributed it to this was because I had never used topical steroids or nasal steroids, never used make-up, sunscreen or cosmetic creams, ditched fluorinated toothpaste many years before and my face washing regime was on point.
The rash also coincided with a water fast I completed and ended a little bit too early. The rash showed up on my face around the last day of my water fast – day 5 or 6. I figured my body was detoxing a bunch of junk from my past, which included nasal steroids, fluorinated toothpaste, make-up, sunscreen, and cosmetic creams. My body was simply trying to detox these substances that had been lodged into my fat cells for so long, but it never really got a chance to fully eliminate itself.
This is where the problem began. As much as I wanted to water fast again to end the problem once and for all, I decided to just stick to making plenty of green juices, and stick to the raw food diet (which is incredibly cleansing in itself). My face was very inflamed. I didn’t take any pictures at the time (which I regret, because I’d love to show you all the major improvement my face has made over the years), but the pustules and redness mostly showed up around both sides of my nose (following the smile creases), as well as below my bottom lip around the chin, and next to my eyes (which is a spot where perioral dermatitis can sometimes pop up as well).
For me, I thought the pustules were just little pimples and so I began popping them. Bad idea. Do not pop the pustules. The best thing you can do is leave it alone and don’t touch it. Of course, I didn’t know this is what I had in the beginning, so I just popped the little pustules and put tea tree oil on them.
I did my research on the internet and eventually discovered what I had. I spent an endless amount of hours and time researching and trying to find ways to cure the issue. It had been a month and my problem only got worse. I tried tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar (which stung like a b*tch and made it 10x worse), and basically everything under the sun. Nothing worked.
I was determined to not use prescription medication or prescription creams on my face because I know from experience and research that these things just make conditions worse, and also make you dependent on them. I also know that skin conditions occur because something is off inside the body. Our skin is a direct reflection of what’s going on inside, and so I figured if I just stuck to raw foods and gave my body some time off birth control that it’s eventually clear itself.
As much as I knew that diet and lifestyle had to remain clean and clear of any irritants and stress, I still felt like I had to put something on the skin condition to help it heal. After many late nights and hours of researching more into this very confusing skin condition, I finally stumbled across this blog by pharmacist Dawn Marie. Her explanations of the condition, and how bacterial skin conditions work made so much sense – and finally a light bulb went off.
A Little Bit of Sugar for Perioral Dermatitis?
As the title suggests, sugar kills perioral dermatitis. As explained by Dawn Marie in her blog:
“In premodern times, the idea that sugar can facilitate the healing of wounds has been documented. Mesopotamians were known to wash wounds with water or milk and subsequently dress them with honey or resin. Mesopotamians also documented the severity of wounds and which conditions were optimal for facilitating the rate at which the wounds would heal. Other substances, in conjunction with sugar, such as plant derivatives, wine, and vinegar were explored and implemented to determine their efficacy in wound healing.
In 1679, Scultetus made use of finely powdered sugar to clean wounds. Zoinin, in 1714, promoted the value of sugar for promoting wound and ulcer healing. In modern times, the use of sugar as a general treatment for the healing of wounds has received much attention in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Currently, Brazil is the world’s leading producer of sugar, with 566 million tons cultivated in the 2008–2009 market year. Brazil is projected to increase production to 605 million tons for the 2009–2010 market year. This vast production makes sugar readily available and cheap. These attributes make the use of sugar an attractive candidate for the healing of wounds, especially in economically challenged areas. Moreover, certain types of wounds such as chronic wounds may benefit from a more cost-effective method of wound healing.”
She later goes on to explain the mixture that she used to cure her perioral dermatitis, which was cyclical for her and incredibly sore, irritating, burning and made it difficult for her to talk and smile. She combined powdered icing sugar with olive oil and applied this mixture to her face every day, 24/7. She made sure the mixture was on her face every minute, every second of the day, even while sleeping.
The reason she combined sugar and oil is simple. As she states, “Sugar has an antimicrobial effect because it deprives bugs of water (osmotic effect). The little critters shrivel up and die (bactericidal). Like salt on a snail. Sugar also lowers wound pH (makes it more acidic) which stops the bacteria from multiplying (bacteriostatic). Oil also functions in a physical way. Oil coats the bacterial cell wall (outer membrane). This apparently interferes with the ability of the cell to bring in food and water while preventing the elimination of garbage from the cell. In addition to the above, sugar helps skin to regenerate its barrier to a normal state.”
I started using the mixture rigorously, and never missed a day, or second for that matter, where the mixture was not on my face. It blended really nicely with my skin and you couldn’t really see it when it was on. The mixture treated and prevented the bacterial infection, sped up healing and decreased scarring.
I used the mixture for about 5 months until my skin was finally in tip-top shape. I still had an underlying redness that lingered about for around a year, but nothing too embarrassing. It would usually only come up if I rubbed that part of my face or scratched it.
The Mixture That Cured Perioral Dermatitis
To make the mixture combine 1 tbsp. powdered icing sugar and 1 tbsp. olive oil or hemp oil (Manitoba Harvest is the brand I used). Mix together and apply to the problematic areas – don’t ever take it off, always re-apply throughout the day as you need.
When you apply it at first your skin may get a little more red at first (for the first week or so), but it will not feel irritated. This may be the best relief you have felt the entire time you’ve suffered with perioral dermatitis. So keep in mind that it will look worse but it will feel better. It may also look as though it is growing – but don’t worry! Once your skin starts to calm down, you can use the mixture as often as needed. For safety precautions I left the mixture on for weeks after everything was gone, just to ensure that nothing came back.
It should also be noted that my diet remained relatively clean throughout this whole period. My hormones were also figuring themselves out after having been on birth control for 7 years. I slept plenty, drank 4 litres of water a day, got lots of sun and eliminated all chemical products from my life. I didn’t use face creams (only jojoba oil for moisturizing), and strictly washed my face with only water.
If you’re dealing with major hormonal problems, look to things in your diet or lifestyle that you could change. Eating a meat and dairy-heavy diet will automatically make you susceptible to absorbing excess hormones from these animal products (even if they’re free-range and organic). Menopause and other hormonal changes may also just take time for things to balance out again. If you’re experiencing menopause, consume foods like almonds, flaxseed, wild yams and take some evening primrose oil. Stress is another big factor that causes major hormonal fluctuations. I like to de-stress by making time for myself, creating music, making art, stretching, focusing on my breath, going out in nature, exercising, or reading a book.
Inspiration For Writing This?
I wanted to write my experience with perioral dermatitis because knowledge is power. I was also inspired to write about it because my mother came to me with the exact same condition on her face. She wanted to try other methods of getting rid of it, and she tried, but nothing worked better than the sugar and oil method. Her face is now clear of the dermatitis, except for one little spot that popped up between her eyebrows just recently. So she is sticking to the oil/sugar method, while at the same time finding ways to reduce stress and eat clean.
Best of luck to all of you! Please let me know in the comments below if you’ve decided to try this mixture, and if it works. Don’t give up! Be gentle on yourself. Be patient. This recipe does work you just need to give it time.
M. Carter says
Hi I am so thankful I found this! Thank you for posting. I have been dealing with this for almost a year, it never going away, nothing working and not wanting to take oral antibiotics again. I did diet elimination and nothing made a difference. I’m a pretty clean organic vegetarian eater already. I found your article while in Hawaii where the flare up was the worst I’d had. When I got home I started the oil/sugar every night while sleeping. Second night I woke up and it was almost gone (except for redness). I have continued to do it every night and it was gone for almost two weeks. I woke up this morning and both original spots are trying to come back. So disappointed, is this normal or am I just not using it enough (only sleeping with it on) or should I switch to hemp oil? I’ve been using olive oil. Did you have a problem with it going completely away & coming trying to back??
Carly Fraser says
I personally had success with hemp oil, but olive oil should also technically work. Mine came back a tiiiiiny bit like 6-7 months after, but after using the paste again, it went away. You have to make sure you consistently use the paste for at least 2-3 weeks AFTER the spots and dryness disappear to ensure the bacteria is gone!
M. Carter says
Hi just to give you an update. I bought the exact same hemp oil as you and started putting the mixture on once or twice during the day. Not leaving it on while sleeping like I was with the olive oil. Within one week its almost all disappeared, the best it’s looked it since it started. It’s now almost completely gone except redness on one small area. So the hemp oil definitely makes a huge difference.
I was about to do another round of antibiotics because I was desperate for it to go away before my daughters graduation. A million thanks to you!!!
Carly Fraser says
Amazing! Hemp oil is super healing, so maybe it does work better than olive? I’ve never had the chance to try out the difference between the two, but I do know others have had much success with olive oil as well! I guess we’re all different. Super glad your PD is on the mend <3
Rose says
I’m going in! Thank you for sharing this. I am writing to you with a face full of Bragg’s organic olive oil and organic powdered sugar. I read your article and then asked my hubby to go to the store for me. He was so sweet to help me out because otherwise I would have to put on makeup to go out because the PD is so embarrassing for me. He came back with powdered sugar and jojoba oil. I am already doing all the healthy stuff; vegan, gluten free, no coffee, alcohol, etc. life an organic lifestyle and all that jazz. I’ve tried everything natural and never an antibiotic or steroid. I hope this helps. Thank you.
Carly Fraser says
Hey Rose! Hoping it works out. It should! Just stay persistent, and keep it on 24/7. Some people don’t even start seeing results for a couple weeks. But it could take a few months for the formula to work 100%.
Rossi says
This post is inspiring! Sugar to cure perioral dermatitis – who’d have thought it. And so simple to boot. I struggled with pd since my early twenties (hormonal due to the birth control pill) and for the past ten years nothing has helped. Recently my PD was sooo bad it was like ten times worse than the photo in your post. I would have tried your magic formula but I found this eczema cream on the internet with calendula and east cape manuka (could that be sweet?) and it has worked like magic. The pd has quite literally fallen off and been replaced with lovely new skin. I will still keep your magic formula in mind though and will tell others about it.
Carly Fraser says
Awesome! Glad you hear you found a cure. Thanks Rossi!
Brit says
Excited to try this as I am desperate once again! My Perioral Dermatitis flares up postpartum:( All I’ve put on it the last 4 months is breastmilk because it helps keep the inflammation down but it won’t make it completely go away! Diet, supplements and ONLY washing my face with water and keeping it bare helped after my first two pregnancies but its not working the third time around and I am frustrated. UGH!! This rash is the WORST! Its on both sides of my nose and started spreading to inside my nostrils.. At least its not as bad this time as I’ve somewhat figured out over the years how to keep it under control and my diet and lifestyle is much better these days.. I am so freakin hopeful for this sugar and oil method–I just hopped out of bed and whipped some up to put on before going to sleep. The oil part makes me nervous because oils usually exacerbate it but I’m hoping the combo with the sugar is the magic ticket…fingers crossed!
Carly Fraser says
It can get so frustrating! This mixture should work out for you, just remember to keep it on 24/7 and to stay persistent!
Meg says
I deal with the same symptoms postpartum and oil usually bothers mine also. Has this worked for you?
Brit says
A year late here but yes, it worked! It started getting better after only a week and within a month it was completely gone. I legit wore it 24/7 and kept applying it even after it was better for about a month (mostly at night at that point). I wore it to church, town, events..I did not care–I was desperate. It helped that it slightly covered up the redness and made it less noticeable. This will be my go to treatment for any future outbreaks! Next time I’d probably use hemp oil or tamanu oil instead of olive oil just because it has more healing properties.
Carly Fraser says
So glad to hear it was also successful for you, Brit! 🙂
Ruthie Maher says
Thank you Carly for your blog and telling us your experiences. I have battled with PD for nearly 50 years since i was 13yo and yes i believe hormones aggravate it PLUS getting older and our gut not being as good as when we’re younger. I am about to try the hemp oil/powdered sugar (which in Australia we call Icing Sugar) as i have a few small spots of PD (again lol). One of the best things I have found in the last 5 years is alcohol wipes (the little squares diabetics use to clean needles) which can be bought in boxes of them quite cheaply at any pharmacy really help – I use them a few times a day and wipe maybe 10 times over the rash. I think the alcohol kills the yeast/bacteria/fungus. BUT when I eat some SUGAR it flares up….I am finding i now really cannot eat any at all (no no cakes/jam/sweet biscuits/choc etc). I know my gut is compromised from endless antibiotics for tonsillitis as a child plus I was bottle fed. It is such a frustrating thing to have as you & others already know! I use the alcohol wipes straight after a meal so nothing i’ve eaten can ‘feed’ whatever bugs are in my PD area. I carry heaps in my handbag for use straight after I feel PD is coming.
I have found also that apple cider vinegar taken internally eg 1-2 tablespoons in 1 cup water each day helps a bit plus 50/50 ACV and water on my PD too. BUT it is doesn’t seem totally preventative. I am really hopeful for the olive/hemp oil/powdered sugar although I realise I need to stay OFF SWEET stuff possibly nearly all the time, even though my diet is incredibly healthy with lots of Vegies, minimal gluten & meats. Good luck to everyone on your PD journey. Thanks again Carly.
Carly Fraser says
PD is so odd, because so many different things trigger it for different people. I’m glad you found what works for you! Let’s hope it stays away 🙂
Annie says
Hi I know I’m late but I strongly suggest you get a food intolerance test. Not a food allergy test. Then rebuilt the gut with probiotics and L glutamine (this amino acid heals the gut fast). Make sure you find ways to de-stress such as doing meditation or deep breathing. If you suspect candida I highly recommend the probiotic Threelac and the enzyme Candizolv by Global Health Trax.
Sudharani Vasudevan says
Hi Carly,
Last year around july..I started the sugar n olive oil treatment then couple of months ago switched to hemp seed oil.. it has been almost a year.. the redness (small pimples) comes n goes on & off.. but my skin around my mouth is slightly inflamated & there is a discoloration of the skin too.. is there anyway I can send u picture.. last few weeks i am starting to see the red bumps near my nose that’s spreading towards my eyes.. I dont use make up or toothpaste or shampoo or soap.. and I am a vegetarian in terms of diet.. pls advise what to do next..thanks a lot
Carly Fraser says
Hello! All I can really advise about is the same method I used, which was remaining on my 100% raw vegan diet (rich in fruit & veggies and seeds), and sticking to what I have described above! You really need to be persistent!
Annie says
Another thing to look into is your tap water. It may contain fluoride. Try washing/ rinsing your face with distilled water (go to the drug store and get a gallon for $1). Just pour it in a bowl, heat it up in the microwave until warm and rinse your face. It also may be hormonal as well. Is your skin oily? You can look into the medication spironolactone to reduce the amount of sebum your skin is producing. Stress definitely makes this condition much worse. You can also do a food intolerance test. I’m VERY sensitive to gluten and dairy. I have given up gluten completely and only do dairy (heavy whipping cream) in coffee once a week (2 tbs approximately). I’ve been told that PD is a deep rooted problem meaning it can take a while for all of it to come to the surface. The oil and sugar may be pulling out toxins. I apply a topical antibiotic (Mupirocin) and noticed that I’ll get a few new spots where I didn’t have any but that they disappear in a day or 2. It’s sorta like doing a facial mask… sometimes you get more pimples after because it’s brining junk to the surface.
Carly Fraser says
I’d probably avoid getting your skin dependent on topical antibiotics, because the bumps will still come up. If you stick to this mixture for long enough, the condition should subside.