Suddenly, I’m seeing it everywhere. It’s sort of like a goatee made up of a rash. Yes. You did indeed read that correctly. Life over the past couple of years hasn’t been challenging enough, so the universe has seen fit to send us a Luciferian beard made of red, itchy skin. There’s visible scaling and dryness as well as raised texture. It can present around the eyes too, but most commonly you’ll find it around the mouth, chin and nose. Naturally, due to the standard cosmic injustices, it’s far more common in women than men.
It’s called perioral dermatitis. For weeks, I could not figure out what it was. It’s often mistaken for acne, but ingredients such as salicylic acid that help with breakouts will make it worse. My second instinct was hydrocortisone cream, which is a sensible go-to for short-term use on itchy, rashy scenarios. Don’t do it – the steroid cream initially improves the rash only for it to quickly return larger, itchier and angrier than ever.
After five months of battling this devil rash alone, I went to see dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting at her London clinic. The causes of perioral dermatitis are not well understood, but Bunting suggested that it is often prompted by a sudden change in the skin’s microbiome. This can be a result of new skincare that your skin doesn’t like, or even medications. Instances of it have drastically increased with mask-wearing, but it was almost a relief to hear that I hadn’t been mistreating the rash. In fact, I’d been doing all I could do with no improvement.
I had pared my formerly elaborate skincare routine down to just three products – a bland, unfragranced cleanser – CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (€10 at pharmacies nationwide) is my favourite, and a product I had long used before the rash ever made its home on my lower face.
Next, a moisturiser. I'd been using Avène Antirougeurs Day Cream SPF30 (€18 at pharmacies nationwide) as it's suited to sensitised, even rosacea-prone skin, but found myself in want of something richer, especially on days when I wear make-up.
I've since swapped over to Dr Sam's Flawless Moisturiser (€30 at drsambunting.com). It was developed by the Northern Irish dermatologist and has a thick, cocooning but non-congesting texture and no fragrance at all, making it perfect for a compromised barrier.
Finally, a lip balm becomes important, especially with all that dry texture around the mouth. La Roche Posay Cicaplast Lips (€6 at pharmacies nationwide) has been a comfort. Its lack of potential irritants has meant it doesn't exacerbate the dermatitis.
These measures weren’t enough, though. Perioral dermatitis needs treatment with medication – topical creams and/or oral antibiotics. I’m now on both. We’re often encouraged to dismiss symptoms like those of this uncomfortable facial rash, as though seeking treatment is mere vanity or self-indulgence. Without treatment, it can persist for months or years, and it isn’t just something you should feel fated to live with. If you think you may have it and you’d prefer not to, seek medical advice if you can. It’s your face – you only have the one.
Product of The Week
Mac Studio Radiance Moisturizing + Illuminating Silky Primer (€32 at Brown Thomas)
