What Is Perioral Dermatitis? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Perioral dermatitis is a skin condition characterized by a red rash around the mouth. It is one type of dermatitis (another word foreczema), which is a general term to describe skin irritation. In the word “perioral,” “peri” means “around" and “oral” refers to the mouth.

People with perioral dermatitis have a visible rash around their mouth, says医学博士彼得·利奥, a dermatologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

"Typically, it would present as small red papules, or bumps, around the mouth and sometimes nose and eye areas,” he says. “Unlike mild irritation in these areas, this rash persists for weeks and beyond.”

此外，牙性皮炎通常与发红和缩放有关。医学博士Arielle Nagler，NYU Langone Health的皮肤科医生。

“Patients often complain of itching and burning,” she says. “Since certain topicals can exacerbate perioral dermatitis and treatments are all by prescription, medical care is recommended.”

Lio博士说：“在口腔周围使用类固醇 - 包括吸入的类固醇哮喘 - 是儿童的常见触发因素。”

During theCOVID-19 pandemic, dermatologists have seen a rise in perioral dermatitis as a result offace masks。“通常，皮肤病或rashes, associated with masks have gone up in our practice over the last year or so,” saysAnna Lien-Lun Chien, MD，约翰·霍普金斯大学医学院皮肤病学副教授。“可能发生多种不同的皮疹，牙性皮炎就是其中之一。”

“Unfortunately with the mask in place, it creates a different environment,” she continues. “It changes the barrier of the skin in that area. Especially for an individual who’s more sensitive or prone to this inflammation they can start developing those breakouts.”

Lio说，在某些情况下，皮肤皮炎，皮肤护理产品甚至特定的牙膏可能是罪魁祸首。

The skin condition can affect anyone at any age, but children and women are most affected, Lio says.

“Any new rash is potentially worth seeking medical care for, but especially more severe and persistent rashes would warrant reaching out,” Lio says. “While there are not too many concerning things that can mimic this, sometimes bacterial or viral infections can be similar, and those should be promptly diagnosed and treated.”

他指出，大多数患者将首先见到他们的初级保健医生，但是如果皮疹对治疗没有反应或诊断尚不清楚，那么对董事会认证的皮肤科医生的访问可能会有所帮助。

“There is not a lot of data on recurrence after resolution; however, in my experience recurrences are common and can even occur years after successful treatment,” Dr. Nagler says.

There is no specific FDA-approved treatment for perioral dermatitis, Lio says. Sometimes may clear up on its own. Yet some people will need the help of a healthcare provider. There are several approaches you can take to relieve symptoms.

If wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic are the culprit, Dr. Chien recommends taking mask breaks when appropriate, and if your line of work allows, choosing a face mask that has a lower chance of irritating the skin. “Cotton or polyester blends tend to be a little more gentle on the skin,” she says. “Something that’s more smooth in texture will minimize that friction and breaking down of the skin barrier.”

For cases that don’t respond to these practical steps, dermatologists will typically treat perioral dermatitis in a similar way torosacea, Lio says.

“第一行治疗是我们可能用于酒渣鼻的局部疗法：metronidazolecream or伊维菌素cream, usually applied twice daily,” he says. “Sometimes I will add in a sulfur-based cleanser as well.”

If that doesn’t work or if the condition is severe, oral antibiotics likedoxycyclinemay be prescribed, Lio says.

“In children, sometimes we will useazithromycin或者erythromycininstead,” he says. “Usually, a few weeks of these anti-inflammatory antibiotics seems to break the cycle.”

Prevention of Perioral Dermatitis

Make sure your face masks are clean and that they fit properly, Chien says. Not only will this better protect you from COVID-19, but it will minimize irritation and breakdown in skin barrier.

Keep your skin-care routine simple. “Use a mild cleanser followed by a light moisturizer to protect the skin each morning,” Lio advises.

Sun care is key, too. Make sure to protect yourself by wearing SPF every day. “It could be an oil-free facial lotion with SPF 30 that you can use daily,” Chien says.

Avoid going back to using products that irritated you before you developed the rash.

“These seem to be generally helpful for many patients, but the truth is that we don't fully understand why this condition develops despite many theories,” Lio says.

Still, it is important not to resume the medication unless directed by your healthcare provider. Over time and with appropriate treatment, the rash usually improves.

“Perioral dermatitis is generally thought to be benign and is usually self-limited, although it can be uncomfortable, unsightly, and can persist for many months in some cases, and even years for some patients,” Lio says.

There isn’t any hard data on the number of people living with perioral dermatitis, but dermatologists report it is relatively common.

Perioral dermatitis is seen more frequently in fair-skinned people than in those with darker skin. But Chien adds another caveat: “Rashes, inflammation, and redness on the skin is more difficult to appreciate in African American skin, so sometimes the diagnosis may be missed in that population,” she says.

Perioral dermatitis has also been reported in children with no significant difference seen in gender or race among kids.

“Clinically, perioral dermatitis and rosacea look so similar and occur in similar demographics and the two may have an overlap,” Chien says.

Perioral dermatitis may also resemble acne, but there are usually some telltale differences, Chien notes.

“In addition to the red bumps and pimples, which could look a lot like perioral dermatitis, classical acne should have blackheads and white heads, which we don’t see with perioral dermatitis since it is more of a completely inflammatory process,” she says.

最喜欢的组织，以获取有关牙皮炎的基本信息

American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)

AAD是美国最大的皮肤科协会，拥有20,500多名会员医生。该网站在所有皮肤疾病（包括牙皮炎）上提供了大量资源。如果您刚刚被诊断出患有牙性皮炎，AAD提供了a helpful guideon how to manage the condition.

National Rosacea Society

The National Rosacea Society is a nonprofit with the goal of improving people’s lives with rosacea by raising awareness about the skin condition and supporting medical research into the disorder. Because perioral dermatitis and rosacea tend to overlap if you have both conditions, check out this website for information onsymptoms,triggers， 和how to manage unruly skin。

最喜欢的博客作者写有关牙性皮炎的文章

Whoorl

莎拉·詹姆斯（Sarah James）是位于俄克拉荷马州的清洁美容博客作者。在一个recent blog post，她详细介绍了牙性皮炎的旅程，这是她在45岁时首次体验的。在照片前和之后，她的博客详细介绍了什么帮助她控制了病情，包括削皮的皮肤护理程序和压力管理。

Girl Gone Green

Suzi是一位前有机发型师，现在是一位全职绿色美容​​博客作者，致力于研究皮肤护理和美容产品中的成分。在她的博客上, she shares her battle with perioral dermatitis and offers solutions for how she treated her condition naturally.

Favorite Skin Health Apps

Aysa

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First Derm

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