Sometimes a person discovers around his mouthnumerous pimples or even a rash that are completely different from the herpes virus. Most likely, the person has encountered a disease such as perioral dermatitis. It is a fairly common dermatological disease. Doctors have noticed that this disease most often affects young women under thirty years of age. Sometimes people confuse the rashes and pimples that appear with perioral dermatitis with ordinary acne - but this should not be done, because otherwise the sick person will try to get rid of the problem on their own with the help of anti-acne cosmetics, and the disease will continue to progress. Perioral dermatitis got its name for a reason - "perioral" means "around the mouth", and dermatitis is the name for all skin diseases in which the skin is involved in one or another inflammatory process. In order to detect the problem, you need to know exactly what these rashes look like.
Symptoms of the disease
The first and most important signs thata person has perioral dermatitis, are pink or red slightly convex dots, or small pimples. These rashes first appear around the mouth, and then spread to the cheeks, chin and under the nose. As mentioned above, these rashes most closely resemble acne in appearance, but there are still some differences. Due to the large number of seals and tubercles, the skin in the affected areas has an extremely rough texture to the touch. Often, pronounced pigment spots remain at the site of these rashes, which are quite difficult to get rid of. Unlike herpes, about half a centimeter of skin from the edge of the lips is not affected by these rashes, or is affected to an absolutely insignificant degree, unlike the rest of the skin surface. Doctors call this phenomenon a "pale ring" around the mouth. By the way, as perioral dermatitis develops, in the absence of normal timely treatment, the damage to the skin of the face progresses, rashes appear around the eyes and even in the temples. The severity of rashes in perioral dermatitis can be very different - from unnoticeable swelling of a pale pink color to a pronounced rash of a bright red hue. Most often, rashes caused by perioral dermatitis practically do not itch or hurt. In rare cases, sick people may note a feeling of slight burning in the area of the affected skin. Strictly speaking, such a dermatological disease does not pose any threat to the general health of the sick person. However, sick people experience quite strong discomfort, primarily due to psychological embarrassment due to skin rashes. And in the absence of treatment, the condition of the skin will rapidly deteriorate, and the treatment will be much more difficult than in the initial stages. Therefore, a sick person should try to get a consultation with a dermatologist as soon as possible, who will prescribe the necessary treatment.
Risk group
As mentioned above, perioral dermatitismost often develops in girls and young women, while in men and children this disease develops much less often, only in isolated cases. Often sick people ask doctors - dermatologists, what causes the development of these diseases. However, these reasons have not been reliably established to date. And, nevertheless, it is possible to identify a number of factors, the influence of which on a person significantly increases the likelihood of developing perioral dermatitis. These factors include:
- Steroid preparations
Very often the development of the disease beginsdevelopment due to the fact that the patient intensively uses various ointments and creams, which include steroids such as hydrocortisone or prednisolone. This phenomenon is called steroid perioral dermatitis. Doctors have long been able to establish the most direct connection between the development of this disease and the use of ointments containing hormones. Such steroid creams are often used to treat various skin diseases, such as eczema, localized on the skin of the face. However, remember that sometimes perioral dermatitis can also occur if the skin of other parts of the body is affected by a particular disease, and treatment is carried out with hormonal drugs. When applying it to other parts of the body, it should be taken into account that some of the drug may remain on your hands. And this drug can be accidentally transferred to the face by accidental touches, where it will provoke the onset of the disease. Therefore, in case of treatment, after applying the drug, you must thoroughly wash your hands with soap and dry them thoroughly. This will help reduce the risk to zero. And pay attention to one feature. Perioral dermatitis does not develop directly during the treatment of skin diseases with steroid ointments. Moreover, even existing rashes can disappear. By the way, this is precisely why many people try to treat perioral dermatitis with such drugs, mistakenly believing that they have either eczema or a banal allergic reaction. However, this is not true at all. As soon as a sick person stops using drugs that contain hormones, the rashes appear again, often in a much more pronounced form than before trying to treat with hormonal drugs. This is another argument in favor of the need to visit a doctor at the first rash. You should not self-medicate, thereby provoking a deterioration in the condition.
- Cosmetical tools
Sometimes the development of perioral dermatitisbegins as a result of the effect of certain cosmetic products on the skin - makeup removers, creams and lotions. Moreover, the appearance of a rash is most often provoked by the use of foundation, which very strongly clogs the pores of the skin, often thereby causing skin irritation.
- Weather conditions
Sometimes doctors note that such natural phenomena as intense ultraviolet radiation and wind can also provoke the development of the disease. And also multiply the existing one.
- Toothpaste
Fluoride toothpaste deserves a mention.Of course, it will not provoke the primary occurrence of the disease by itself. However, the fact is that it significantly worsens the course of existing perioral dermatitis - the rash around the mouth becomes much more pronounced.
- Hormonal contraceptives
In some cases the cause of developmentperioral dermatitis is caused by the use of hormonal contraceptives by a woman. Therefore, if a woman taking contraceptives encounters such a disease, she should stop taking the drug and consult not only a dermatologist, but also a gynecologist.
Treatment of perioral dermatitis
Perioral dermatitis, like any otherdisease, must be treated. If the sick person ignores the disease, the rash can persist for a very long time - weeks, months and even years. However, if treatment begins immediately, getting rid of the scourge will not be so difficult - in just two to three weeks you will finally get rid of the skin rash. The first thing a sick person should do is to refuse to use absolutely any cosmetic products. Only warm water can be used to cleanse the skin, or at least baby soap. If a sick person uses a toothpaste containing fluoride, it must be replaced with any other until complete recovery. In the same case, if a sick person used ointments and creams that contain certain hormones, their use should also be stopped as soon as possible. However, you should keep in mind and be prepared for the fact that in the first few days, skin rashes can become much more intense. But you should not be afraid of this - literally in a few days the condition of the skin will improve. After the rash has completely disappeared, the sick person should refrain from using any cosmetic products for at least the next two months.
Drugs for the treatment of perioral dermatitis
To treat this disease, the doctor -A dermatologist may prescribe treatment with antibiotics belonging to the tetracycline series. If the disease is not severe, you can use antibiotics that are available in the form of creams or suppositories that are applied to the affected areas of the skin. Such a course of treatment takes about 5 to 10 weeks, depending on the severity of the disease. Moreover, the patient should know that you should not expect noticeable results in the first few weeks of treatment. As a rule, the results become noticeable only after 3 to 4 weeks, not earlier. However, after the treatment is completed, the rash will disappear for a long time, and sometimes forever. However, remember that it is in no way permissible to independently select a course of treatment, diagnose a disease, and even more so it is unacceptable to independently prescribe treatment to a sick person. A sick person should seek help from a doctor as soon as possible - a dermatologist who has extensive experience in the treatment of such diseases. The doctor will not only examine you and select the optimal treatment regimen, but will also help prevent a relapse of the disease. We recommend reading:
