Perioral dermatitis — what the heck is it?
Perioral dermatitis — or (not so) lovingly known as PD. It’s a very sore rash around your mouth, nose and sometimes eyes. Our founder Ash, pictured above, has dealt with it too.
The skin can appear scaly, flaky, and cause inflamed bumps which can burn. Ouch. If PD’s left untreated, it may turn into rosacea — AKA, red papules on the face. It can be super tricky to treat, coz it’s sometimes mistaken as acne to the naked eye.
The cause, you ask? How long is a piece of string? Some reasons include:
Toothpaste: Using a potent toothpaste might anger skin around the mouth.
Skincare: Trying products with potent ingredients that are too harsh for sensitive skin.
Steroid creams: ACD* says long term use of steroid creams on the face might do it to you.
Makeup: Maybe your concealer expired, or your face hates fragrance? Either way, a drainer. Check Ash's sensitive-friendly routine here.
Other factors include hormones, bacteria, candida, we could go on.
Ash’s experience
In peak 2020 lockdown, Ash started getting really cracked, sore lips, and the skin around her mouth was always itchy and painful. She was only using COAT + CLEAN in her skincare routine, so she knew it wasn’t that.
Instead:
- Her toothpaste was way too potent for her intolerances
- She was lathering on potent lip balm, full of harsh stuff
- The use of a face mask angered her sensitive skin
So she created BALM. A lip and body balm for super dry areas, lips, and cracks. She needed something that was allergy-friendly and NOT potent, coz her body wouldn’t be able to handle it. So like the whole range, it contains none of the common irritants that might flare sensitives up further.
Ash’s routine to help clear her perioral dermatitis:
- Wash the area with CLEAN and lukewarm water.
- Wait 10 mins, then apply COAT, to nourish the skin.
- Add BALM to lips, cracks, and any super dry areas.
We can’t stress enough that hot water might be aggravating the skin, tenfold. Switch to lukewarm when washing your face.
Jessica tried (literally) everything.
Jessica tried around 20 different skincare ranges before she stumbled across us. That’s a lotttt of time (and money) on things that don’t work. Three weeks with CLEAN, COAT and BALM, and she felt great.
Saskia broke up with hot water.
Saskia’s PD tried to play tricks on her. Although the YO range felt great, she wasn’t seeing the results she’d hoped for. She chatted to us and realised she was washing her face with hot water. She swapped to lukewarm, and her skin finally said thank you.
Keely researched and researched.
Keely called this routine ‘magic’, coz this was her result after 1.5 weeks. We wish we could wave a magic wand and rid everyone of their PD, but this one was all her. Keely did heaps of research and started with the Mini Bundle to see what would happen. Viola.
* Australasian College of Dermatologists
