Perioral dermatitis friendly face cleansers

kelly_cole

Hi guys,

This is my first ever post......So here goes.....

Right I am really helping that someone can help me, I had a really bad episode of Perioral dermatitis last year and managed to clear it up with a 6 month course of hardcore antibiotics. The doctor told me that a trigger could have been make-up, face cleansers and moisturiser, so I haven't worn any since because I am too scared of it coming back!! Much to my horror under close examination with a magnifying mirror last week I discover that my skin is now gross!! (I have 2 children under 2, hence the fact I haven't noticed sooner how bad it was getting I don't get much me time lol). Right so I want to start cleansing etc and was hoping someone might be able to recommend some products for me to use.

Thank you in advance

redfragglebiker

Hi Kelly - Have you tried any of the products from LUSH? I know they can be al ittle procey but I find they last ages and they have very few chemicals in them as LUSH try to keep everything as natural as possible. I would recommend ULTRABLAND for a mkeup remover style cleanser or FRESH PHARMACY (which looks like a bar of soap) if you prefer the wash on wash off ones. All of their moisturusers are pretty good so I'd have a word with the girls in there to see what they would recommend for your skin.

kelly_cole

Hi,
Thank you for replying, no I haven't tried LUSH products but I will go and speak to them in the shop.

Thanks again :j

loubylou35

I love ultrabland from lush, they will give you a tester amount to try, it is brilliant and very moisturising. I use it as a rub on wash off cleaner ( hot cloth style) it removes every scrap of make up/ mascar etc.
Have you considered the oil cleaning method? (google it, you could be all day reading!) there would be nothing more gentle than that??

Good luck

Fire_Fox

Look at your toothpaste and mouthwash if you have not already, these are known culprits, some sufferers even react to chlorine or other residues in tap water! :eek: Also review your diet there is plenty that can be done there - balance of fatty acids, anti inflammatory and pro inflammatory foods. You might ask the doctor about freeze dried probiotic supplements given you have had oral antibiotics, there are links between gut health and perioral dermatitis.

If you choose a foaming type cleanser avoid sulphate surfactants and preferably all anionic surfactants, and anything that is alkaline such as traditional soaps - these all damage the skin's barrier function. If you use a lotion or oil choose one containing an emulsifier such as one of the polysorbate, you don't really want to be further irritating the skin by rubbing or leaving residues on the skin.

Natural is not necessarily better: there are many poisons, toxins and irritants in nature. Personally I'd stick to something with very few ingredients so you can weed out your triggers. Either make up an Oil Cleansing blend with an emulsifier and a small percentage of castor oil (antibacterial but harsh if you use too much), careful with any oil rich in oleic acid (olive/ avocado/ almond etc) tho, this is pro inflammatory and may feed bad microbes on the skin. Some respond better to a few drops of tea tree in a neutral base and some to coconut oil both of which are naturally antimicrobial, but equally these can worsen dermatitis for some so it's an experiment.

Or a really neutral lotion cleanser without colours, scents and few preservatives. My sensitive eczematous skin likes Derma V10 Innovations deep cleansing milk which contains "Water, sweet almond oil, glyceryl stearate, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, PEG-100 stearate, cocoamidopropyl PG-dimonium chloride phosphate, hydroxy ethyl cellulose, parfum, disodium EDTA."
Although it's a lotion I wash it off with warm water and a muslin cloth, it rinses really easily with no residues.

kelly_cole

Hiya,

Wow that's some brilliant info thank you.

Am not sure toothpaste/mouthwash is the culprit because it tends to be at its worst around my eyes. I tried using coconut oil for a while after reading about how it is "miracle cure" for dermatitis, but it rally irritated my skin and actually dried it out.

Thats very interesting about natural not necessarily being better, even tho I had been looking for something natural but what you are saying makes perfect sense.

I will definatly give the Derma V10 Innovations deep cleansing milk ago, is it expensive? I've found a lot of cleansers that say they are good for dermatitis are really expensive - which I wouldn't mind paying if I knew that they worked, but to spend £50 on something that could cause a flare up sucks even tho I do know its all trial and error what works for one might not work for me. But its great to have some recommendations Thank you

kelly_cole

Hi,

Just googled the oil cleansing method, its sounds brilliant, I am going to invest in some castor oil tomorrow!! wish me luck!!

Fire_Fox

kelly_cole wrote: »

Hiya,

Wow that's some brilliant info thank you.

Am not sure toothpaste/mouthwash is the culprit because it tends to be at its worst around my eyes. I tried using coconut oil for a while after reading about how it is "miracle cure" for dermatitis, but it rally irritated my skin and actually dried it out.

Thats very interesting about natural not necessarily being better, even tho I had been looking for something natural but what you are saying makes perfect sense.

I will definatly give the Derma V10 Innovations deep cleansing milk ago, is it expensive? I've found a lot of cleansers that say they are good for dermatitis are really expensive - which I wouldn't mind paying if I knew that they worked, but to spend £50 on something that could cause a flare up sucks even tho I do know its all trial and error what works for one might not work for me. But its great to have some recommendations Thank you

Your eyes? That is not usual for perioral dermatitis - although it rarely can - perioral means around the mouth. Have you been rediagnosed this time? You might have two co-existing forms of dermatitis, that is not uncommon.

Derma V10 is super cheap, but not the easiest to get. I used to get it from Bodycare but last time I ordered online either eBay or Amazon I think.

kelly_cole wrote: »

Hi,

Just googled the oil cleansing method, its sounds brilliant, I am going to invest in some castor oil tomorrow!! wish me luck!!

Do get an emulsifier like one of the polysorbates too, you don't want to leave an oily residue. If you like the combination of natural and science this is a useful blog http://skinessentialactives.blogspot.co.uk/2012_06_01_archive.html
And a good supplier, the owner is a research scientist who really knows her stuff
http://stores.skinessentialactives.com/-strse-Emulsifiers-and-Surfactants/Categories.bok