The so-called perioral dermatitis - do you know this diagnosis?

Almost every woman has suffered from and at least once in her life: perioral dermatitis, the annoying and persistent rash around the mouth. Usually at a time when she is not doing so well anyway, stress is a common trigger. The doctors whom the female patients visit after prolonged futile self-treatment are usually also at a loss as to how to treat it. It is indeed the case that we know little about the cause of this mysterious skin disease, nor is there any established treatment, no cream approved for therapy. And anyway, why are men almost never affected? Why does cortisone ointment, which otherwise helps against everything, only improve temporarily, but then even leads to a long-lasting deterioration?

What we know: care that is not tailored to the skin type, moisturizers with a high emulsifier content and overly well-intentioned care all play a role. We also know what it is not: no Allergynone Acneno neurodermatitis, no viral or bacterial infection.

There is no standard dermatological therapy, the switch to high-quality moisturizing serums without additives form the basis, in severe cases also once a cortisone-free drug helps, but this is only approved for atopic dermatitis, so it is a so-called off-label treatment.

In our practice, we have had very good, even for us initially surprising success with an exposure treatment using the Healite® device, which works via photoactivation with LED light has an anti-inflammatory and healing effect. This treatment has no side effects, can be used on any skin type in any season and also has a stress-relieving effect via the stress hormone axis, thus addressing one of the causes of perioral dermatitis. We recommend 4-6 sessions within 2-4 weeks depending on the severity.