Help: Retinol after-effects & Perioral dermatitis

[BoomyBooms]

My skin has had a complete and utter personality change, and I need help! I am posting in the hope that someone more knowledgeable about skincare than me will know what's going on!

End of Feb I had combination/oily skin and was on my standard acne cream from gp, but I had started experimenting with heavier anti ageing creams at night (I'm 34 now and wanted to up my game a bit).

I asked my gp about retinol for my acne and she agreed I should give it a go with a prescription strength cream. It seemed fine at first but made my skin sensitive and my acne started getting worse so I stopped using it after a couple of weeks.

For some reason, ever since using the retinol, my skin has stayed really dry and flakey. I have never ever had dry skin before.

I have also developed Perioral dermatitis around my mouth which looks awful. I think it started just before I tried the retinol, and the gp doesn't think the retinol and PD is linked.

My gp gave me some prescription cream but it was really heavy and made the PD a lot worse overnight. I've since read that using overly heavy skincare can trigger Perioral dermatitis and I think that's what happened back from when I tried heavier overnight creams.

So now I'm stuck with really dry skin that needs moisturising, but I'm worried to put anything too heavy on in case it makes the PD worse. My GP seems to be useless.

Anyone have any experience of this, or any advice?

I'd strip everything right back while you sort out the PD. Be gentle while cleansing that area and use something calming - Avene or something.

Also - importantly, SLS is known to trigger PD so I never use it near my face. So no foaming face wash (not that I have for years), SLS free shampoo - Hask is good and toothpaste- some of the sensodyne ones are SLS free but not all so you have to read the ingredients.

Agree you need basics right now. I suffer with PD every now and then, and have to go back to v simple products. My regime when suffering is face wash in aqueous cream and then moisturise in diprobase, moving on to a balm cleanser as it settles. No make up on the area. If not clearing up, then I’ve had to ask gp for antibiotics in the past, but I managed it myself last flare up. I have sensitive skin too and can use retinol at night time. I also use sls free shampoo - hask in fact! Hope it settles, I really feel your pain.

My GP prescribed me with antibiotics for the PD, it worked like a charm (nothing else did)

I too needed antibiotics.
For me, too heavy moisturizer causes my PD to flare, but the irritation of retinol does too. Strip back to very basic products, as the poster above suggested.
Once my PD calmed down, I've moved to a Korean-style regime, where I use multiple serums but they are all very light. (I use the Sabbatical Beauty brand, but I am not sure if it is available in the US. It has transformed my skin without causing break-outs).
I also use soolatra cream (my acne is acne rosacea) and use a retinol only on my forehead and upper half of my face, avoiding my nose, chin, and smile-lines, were I am prone to PD.

Thank you all! The cream my doctor gave me was Epimax and it's really heavy and that's what made two more angry patches appear overnight. I'm now using Paula's choice calming range for sensitive skin and that doesn't aggravate it.

Argh I really don't want to have to take antibiotics for this.... So my 3am googling led me to someone suggesting nizoral. Well I have head and shoulders in my bathroom and not a lot to lose, so I tried it and wow - it does seem to be getting rid of it?! After two uses the dryness and bumps have gone down about 50%. I'm hoping this might be what does it.

Definitely going to look into going sls free too, thanks for that tip.

Wish me luck!!

Retinol will make your skin very dry... it's probably too strong, you can get lighter versions .5% .2%
I personally can't use it as it really upsets my skin.
I would stop messing about with your skin and just use very light simple products and sunscreen and let your skin settle.
34 is quite young to be using such heavy creams for ageing.. especially if you oily combination skin.
Ex beauty therapist here!

A nice treat for your skin once a week would be a good cleanse and massage with a facial oil not too much!

Was the original cream steroidal? I get PD every time I use a nasal steroid spray. I would agree though you need a medicated face wash first. The nip and fab teen skin wash helped mine, as did the much more expensive dermologica one. If you go this route, it may need 6-8 weeks to clear though. But mine did and I can put anything on it again.

@BoomyBooms I had the PD round my mouth and it cleared up in days when I started using a calendula cream (I used Nelsons about £5 from Amazon) I got It after a recommendation on MN actually! It’s been amazing for me. I now also use it on the eczema on my hands and it’s transformed that too where hydrocortisone creams never helped.

OP my antibiotic was Zineryt lotion not oral - I'd hate to take orals too.

[quote Squiz81]@BoomyBooms I had the PD round my mouth and it cleared up in days when I started using a calendula cream (I used Nelsons about £5 from Amazon) I got It after a recommendation on MN actually! It’s been amazing for me. I now also use it on the eczema on my hands and it’s transformed that too where hydrocortisone creams never helped.[/quote]
That's a great tip thanks, my hands are a problem sometimes too