What are these little sore patches of red, flaky skin on my face?

[EmGee]

I sometimes get small, red, flaky patches of skin around my hairline, nostrils, side of mouth.

It is itchy but then gets sore very quickly. I did see my GP about it but he said he thought it was fungal and gave me ketaderm.

Problem is, it goes away but always comes back. I have had the patches around my hairline for years now, and problems around my nostrils, mouth over the last few years.

It comes and goes. I usually slather on moisturiser (something white and bland like Aveeno or an E45 type cream). This does help but it doesn't stop it coming back.....

I wondered if it was something like dermatitis. Can anyone help?

Could it be peri-oral dermatitis? I have this and it's a bitch unless I follow a super strict regime - wash only with plain soap, very lightly, no scrubbing at all. Pay dry. Sudocrem at night. No makeup or product on it at all.
It's believed to be caused by using steroid type cream on your face (I put eumovate on my face many years ago.. bad idea). No-one seems to know what it really is or what makes it flare up. Mine is on my chin, either side of mouth, and also sometimes above my eye. Went up and down for four years until I finally did some proper research and started above regime...
Dr can give antibiotics but if you've had it for ages it's deep in your skin and would need oral antibiotics, low level, for months. Not worth it, in my opinion (I finally have a happy gut and do not intend to kill it all.. another story).

*pat dry.
And sudocrem because some people link it to zinc deficiency.

That's interesting. I remember as a teen suffering from spots and I borrowed my mum's steroid cream (think she used it for psoriasis). It got rid of the spots initially....and then caused the mother of all breakouts!!!!!

I just did some research and I think it might just be sebhoerric (sp) dermatitis. I'm not sure but the patches are very small and I would probably need to see a dermatologist when the patches are there ...which is not all the time, and of course you need to make an appt with derm months in advance...

Will go and look up peri-oral dermatitis now.