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.
So I’ve self diagnosed myself with PD mostly bc I don’t want to go to the dermatologist and spend X amount of money for them to tell me that they can’t cure it, only hide it. My sister has struggled with it since she was 22-23 years old and she is now 27. I am 22, almost 23, and I’ve struggled with it for 4 months now. It’s got me really down, considering I used to be pretty comfortable with my natural skin and now I’m not. I work in a bank and feel like I always have to cover it up and now I’ve realized that I can’t do that. Always have taken really good care of my skin and now I get this. I’ve tried changing hair products, tooth pastes, make up, face lotions, all of it. Now for the past 2-3 weeks I’ve only been washing my face with black African soap and wearing my hair up at night and no real change. I am going to try this and hope it helps. Do you just put it on the effected areas or on your whole face?
Hey Katie – if you follow the suggestions I have in this article, they should help. Just wash your face with water and put jojoba oil on, then the oil/sugar mixture only on the affected areas.
Research Leaky Gut. The oil sugar method didn’t work well for me, and I first went the direction of elimanting outside triggers i.e. toothepaste, shampoo, etc. to no avail, but I’ve been taking steps to heal my gut and have seen major improvements in my PD.
Good point Elizabeth – I am sure leaky gut is a major major trigger for PD!
Carly, thank you thank you thank you for posting this. I started using this method a couple of days ago and I did see it get worse before it started to get better, even though it's only been a few days. I am getting married in just six weeks and was searching high and low for something to help my skin besides drugs. I am on birth control, but I think the biggest contribution was all of the steroid creams I have been applying like chapstick for years. I am so glad I found your page because now I feel like I can actually talk to people and open my mouth.
Hey Kaycee! I'm so glad this method is working out for you, and that you feel more confident around others as a result 🙂 Congrats on your wedding day!
My eight year old son is suffering from this. It is likely from lip balm, maybe food, but I initially tried hydrocortisone cream which definitely made it worse. Neosporin was recommended but probably made it worse. Then we used pure aloe vera which offered neutral results–nothing noteworthy. Finally I mixed oatmeal and olive oil which seemed to make it better in less than a hour. Tonight, I will add a bit of the powdered sugar and wrap the underlip area (where he has it worst though it did spread some to the top lip) to keep the treatment in contact overnight. I will report back. Thanks for the suggestions.
Hi Carly. Thank you so much for your post! I read Dawn Marie's post as well. Very informative.
I've been using the sugar and oil paste for about a month and a half now, and overall it has been the only thing that's provided consistent relief. I've been dealing with PD since about Nov of last year.
I stopped wearing any makeup for two full weeks and put the paste on 24/7, and it got about 80 percent better until I started pmsing, and then it majorly flared up again. So mine is definitely hormonal related. After Easter I finally cut out refined sugar, so I'm hoping that will help things along. Mine definitely seems to be stubborn and I'm pretty sure it's stress related as well. I had a ton of stress last year and am still trying to manage it.
Anyhow, that's my story so far. Hopefully I can update you in the future with an "all clear" update! It's frustrating and I wish it would heal quicker, but I am very thankful for the sugar/oil paste……it gives relief whenever it flares up, so that is something! These hormones I tell ya…?.
Oh totally, stress can be a maaaajor trigger for PD! And same with hormonal shifts – If you stay consistent with the paste, I'm sure it'll get better. Mine took awhile, but I also attribute a raw vegan diet to my success in clearing it up for good.
Hi Carly! I think I have PD as well, I am going to the dermatologist tomorrow. I've had this for 2 1/2 years! It started off as tiny little pustules on the sides of my chin (barely noticeable but still embarrassing) I have an olive skin tone which is very oily so it's not red or flaky just a bunch of tiny white pustules but a couple months ago I had a flare up and applied antifungal creams (Nizoral shampoo , Clotrimazole, ketoconazole) and it completely went away! I was so happy to have my beautiful soft skin back for 2 weeks and then I got sick and got a steroid shot and antibiotic shot at my doctors visit. 1 week later it came back and spread up by my nose and my brow area! If I am diagnosed with PD i will try the sugar and oil method before any other creams. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Cristal! Yes, please do try this mixture before steroid creams. Your skin becomes dependent on those creams, and once you go off, PD will come back fiercer than ever.
Hi Carly! Thankfully I happened upon your article last weekend as I was scouring the Internet in search of information and answers. I had a dermatologist diagnose me with PD one week ago, after an initial (incorrect) diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis a couple weeks earlier. I apologize in advance and say "thanks" for reading what is a somewhat long post. Mostly I'm relating my story here because I know what a HUGE blessing it was to read others' stories and know that I'm not alone or crazy. 🙂 My skin problem began almost three months ago, my main symptom being severe itching and a bumpy rash along (primarily) my forehead, at my temples, and between my eyebrows following down to beside my nose. I had a tiny bit of red bumps around my laugh lines, but not many. Being a believer and advocate of health through natural means (I already eat very clean, try to stay away from chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc.), I tried some things that a homeopathic friend recommended, but nothing helped. I also tried taking Claritin, wondering if maybe high seasonal pollen counts might be the culprit, and I quit putting anything at all on my face except gently cleaning with some Burt's Bees cleanser. Finally, in desperation I sought out a dermatologist in mid-March. There came the diagnosis of allergic contact derm, a recommendation to be 100% fragrance free, and a prescription for Trianex (steroid) cream for 5-7 days. I used the cream, and initially it was like a God-send! The itching went away, and I could sleep through the night for the first time in forever! But then as soon as I stopped the cream, the itching returned with a vengeance. A call to the dermatologist yielded the recommendation for another 5 days of Trianex, and also using Zyrtec during the day and Benadryl at night. Same thing happened – felt great on the cream, horrible as soon as I stopped. I tried some Cerave OTC cream they recommended, and it didn't even touch the itching problem. Then, as I said, I went back for a follow-up visit last week. I saw a different provider, with whom I was very impressed as she spent a lot of time talking to me, really up in my face, touching it, observing it, asking a lot of questions. Then came the PD diagnosis, coupled with prescriptions for Metrogel in the morning and Elidel at night, continue with no cosmetics, and go to Dove sensitive skin soap for my face. That night I used the Elidel cream, and within a couple hours I felt like someone had poured gasoline on my face and lit a match. I had never experienced pain and burning and itching like this before! I had read the warning labels before using it, which mentioned "some people experience slight warmth or burning which subsides over time," so I tried to tough it out for the night. The next day, even after washing my face to try to rid it of the Elidel, the burning persisted all the way into the night. I called the doctor's office, and they told me to stop the Elidel (shocker!) but to use the Metrogel still in the morning. Honestly though, it was like a light bulb had gone off, and I felt like my poor face was screaming, begging with me to please just STOP!! I had tried so many different things in the span of just a few weeks, and now it was time to stop and seek a different path of healing. That very next night I found your article. 🙂 I also found several other very helpful resources which have helped me formulate a plan that I've put in place for (at least) the next 30 days. Though (as I said) I already have a very healthy diet, I have removed gluten 100%, all dairy except for the yogurt and kefir that I culture myself (in limited quantities), and 90% of refined sugar (didn't do much wheat or sugar before, but am being more careful now). I have switched to a sulfate- and fluoride-free toothpaste and un-fluoridated water. I was already SLS free in my hair care. I'm using the sugar/oil mixture on my face 24/7. And probably most importantly, I am making my life as low-stress as possible. I am absolutely convinced that is the underlying cause and genesis of my PD. I am an accountant by trade, and the onset of my symptoms coincides exactly with when we started working 60+ hours a week for tax season. I had never taken or used steroid drugs (until the Trianex cream from the dermatologist, plus one steroid shot I got in a very painful joint in my hand a few years ago). I am neither pregnant nor menopausal. But the job stress has been absolutely overwhelming — good news is that tax season ended yesterday! What I found so interesting during my research is that the medical community itself will tell you (a) they don't really understand PD completely, (b) the drugs they prescribe have a varying rate of success, and (c) there is a high likelihood of recurrence even with the drugs. I figure 30 days of this "love and be gentle with myself" routine certainly cannot hurt or make things any worse, and it might actually work! I'm well aware that it will likely take a lot longer than that to get to where I hope to be, but believing I should at least see signs of improvement by then. Anyway … thank you for taking the time to share your PD journey and suggestions with others, and for taking the time to read my story. I'll come back again and share my progress! 🙂
Thanks for your testimonial and story! I'm sure it will help others out as well if you can report back with what you're finding! Stress is such a major trigger for PD! Mine was hormonal and detox (for sure – as it started around 8 months after going off birth control (when my period returned) and after my first water fast). And yes, even if you just wash your face with water, that will be good enough. Rub a little jojoba oil on after the fact, your skin will learn to love it! PD was actually the start of me no longer washing my face with soap! I'm so glad I no longer use soap, it really dries out the skin and makes it break out more often than not (in my experience). Anyway, please come back to share your progress! 🙂 <3
Thanks for the tip and the support! ?