Perioral dermatitis - is it a perimenopause thing?! Has anyone got rid of it?

[Greensleeves]

It started about two months ago with a sore patch on one side of my upper lip - not proper pimples, more like a cluster of little raised sores with no heads. It's since spread to both sides of upper lip/under nose, under my mouth and on the side of my chin. None of my go-to antiseptic products worked, nor did switching to a really simple skincare regime, no greasy products etc. It flares up and then goes scaly, then flares up again. It's itchy and it burns, and it's MOIST, so really hard to cover with concealer (which I only do if I'm going out and really need not to look like crap).

GP wasn't interested, just said it's my hormones and to try and sleep well, drink water etc. I read online that it really needs a topical antibiotic, ideally erythromycin or metronidazole gel, but UK GPs don't tend to be willing to prescribe it - so I used the Superdrug online service, fibbed that I had bacterial vaginosis and got some 0.75 metronidazole gel sent to me, which I have been applying nightly for about a month - it's the only thing that's produced a bit of improvement, but it hasn't got rid of it altogether.

Has anyone else had it/managed to get rid of it?

Cure: waleda all purpose balm. It calms it, soothes it, acts as a barrier to protect it while healing and rehydrate the skin. Cured in 48 hours...... Well I ve only been applying for about 36 hours, and mine is almost cured. Phew.

I think I’ve got this just now. The GP prescribed me hydrocortisone plus something else cream to use once every 2 days plus nizoral shampoo as a face wash once every 2 days. It’s not helped. My skin is worse now than before I went to the gp 😢

I’ve ordered some sulphur soap, I’m using a tea tree and witch hazel spray a couple of times a day and I’ve ordered some zinc and calendula cream. I’m hoping that sorts it out.

I had this for months and was given topical antibiotic lotion by GP which worked within 6 weeks.

I had this on and off since 18 so i dont think its menopause. I too use SLS free everything now. Its worse when im stressed. Id rather not takr anti biotics as my gut flora is already weak. Sulfur did nothing for me, just total sls removal and time.

The GP prescribed me hydrocortisone

Noooo! No cortisone on perioral.

Fucidin. From doc or buy online

I researched this in depth ! I washed my face with sulphur soap and used non -Fluoride toothpaste. I used a cream with Metronidazole antibiotic from the doctor and Avene cicalfate cream as a night moisturiser. Nothing else. No make up if you can (it's very tempting but does cause a flare-up the next day). It took a while but went completely after about 5 weeks. Now thank goodness I'm back to normal and can use anything on my skin. It's horrid though while you have it and you just don't know what to do as normal remedies like salicylic acid make it worse. I understand it may flare up in future but so far so good.

The other thing you could do is sign up to the trial of Skin+Me which doesn't cost very much and they may prescribe the antibiotic if you can't get a doctor's appointment. At least they may be able to tell you what you are dealing with.

I had this and the only thing that worked was a cream called acnecide you can get it on Amazon not expensive

I had it not associated with menopause.
Gp have me low dose antibiotics for 6 weeks. Zinc also helped a lot. Creams with zinc or make a paste from the powder.

I had this

one of the things i read was to avoid SLS Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is in anything foamy so toothpaste, shampoo, face wash etc

gave that up and my skin is much better, still get a tiny bit in the corners of my mouth but i just use a very basic cream for that and it doesn’t happen often

Whatever you do don't use hydrocortisone. I had to go through withdrawal and the rash temporarily spread over my entire face.
Second the suggestion for avene products, black tar soap and mineral based make up (occasionally).

It sounds like you’re not keen on medication so thought I would post as you may (or may not) find this helpful. I am peri menopausal and had an extreme itchy scalp where I tried lots of different medicated shampoos and ones for sensitive skin. I think quite a few skin conditions have been linked to menopause. I did quite a bit of research and started fasting. This is the only thing that has worked for me, I know it’s not for everyone. I have a daily 5 hour eating window and fast for 19 hours.

How did you get on with the zinc and calendula cream? I’ve heard it’s great!

It didn’t seem to help me. I saw no improvements while I was using it so I stopped using it after a couple of weeks.

I had it for years, nothing really worked then I had a really bad flare up whilst having chemo and finally got to see a dermatologist who put me on 3 months of oral antibiotics (lymecycline) which cleared it completely. I don’t recommend the cancer part though.

And definitely don’t use hydrocortisone that’s one of the worst things you can do

Another vote for ditching SLS, especially toothpaste, that's the only thing that worked for me!

There's a perioral dermatitis support group on Facebook that's fantastic. I used a routine from there as well as a course of doxycycline, and it cleared it up.

Thanks for replying. Gosh that’s disappointing. It’s crazy that what works for one doesn’t for another… this is going to be an expensive journey

Thank you! It’s great to hear you managed to get rid of it. I hope your recovery is going well

joining the group now, thanks :)