The Ordinary For Perioral Dermatitis – Is Toothpaste The Cause?

My latest Perioral Dermatitis Breakout – Look at this before and after! One thing I have noticed is that it is always worse in the summer months!

Your 15-second guide – how I cleared my skin in 5 days

Stop using every thing including cleansers and make up
Get a new toothpaste SLS & Fluoride Free – brush teeth and then cleanse
Clean with water only
Apply The Ordinary Squalane Oil morning and night
When my skin was calmer after a couple of days I started to add Azelaic Acid.
Stay out of the sun.

Before & After Perioral Dermatitis in 5 days

For the last few years, this rash has come and gone, although I´m not sure it´s ever completely gone away. This latest flare-up started at the beginning of May and just refused to leave.

At first, I blamed everything… the water whilst on holiday, SPF, chlorine, sea water… but when I got home, nothing changed.

It became dry, sore, tight, irritated and painful.

The pharmacy couldn’t help without a prescription, and dermatologists are booked up for months… so I did what so many of us probably would…

I asked ChatGPT. 🤖

A bit of context…

I’d just come back from holiday, had loads of events, and was wearing much more makeup than usual in the heat. I was using Dior Forever Foundation, Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, Anua Hyaluronic Acid Mist, several different SPFs, plus I’d been influenced into trying some new skincare.

On top of that, my diet had completely gone off track. I’m fructose intolerant, and I’d slowly let more fructose creep back into my diet. Looking back, my whole body felt inflamed. I also react badly to fragrance, so I’m always careful with what I use.

ChatGPT told me to strip everything back:

✨ Switch to an SLS-free & fluoride-free toothpaste.
✨ Stop all skincare.
✨ Stop wearing makeup.
✨ Wash my face with water only.
✨ Use The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane as my only skincare.
✨ Wait a few days before introducing The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%.

So that’s exactly what I did.

Since Saturday, I’ve worn no makeup, washed my face with water only, and applied The Ordinary Squalane Oil morning and evening.

After just 24 hours, my skin already felt different. It still looked angry, but the soreness had almost disappeared.

On Monday evening, I introduced a tiny amount of The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension, and the last photo is where I am today.

I’m not saying this is a cure, and I’m not even 100% it´s perioral dermatitis but I´m pretty sure it is. I also have it very slightly at the outer corners of my eyes. I’m simply sharing what has worked for me so far.

Now I’m really curious…

👉 If you’ve had something similar, what finally cleared it?

👉 Have you ever found that simplifying your skincare worked better than adding more products?

I’d love to hear your experiences because I’m still trying to figure out exactly what’s triggered this. 💛

This is just my personal experience and not medical advice.

Another Perioral Dermitatis Episode 2023

The Ordinary Products For Perioral Dermatitis. Is toothpaste one of the causes?

This is my personal experience and not a professional opinion.

The Short Story…

My skin has been painful around the mouth and chin area for over a month. My friend Nia said she thought it was Perioral Dermatitis. I bought some cream and also changed toothpaste to a “free from everything” one to try.

I went back to basics;

Stopped using Colgate Toothpaste Fresh Gel
Washed with just water where possible and sometimes a small amount of The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser.
Used the cream the chemist provided called Dermaveel (in Spain).
Literally, within a day or two, I could feel a huge difference. The burning sensation had gone.
I then started using The Aloe 2% + NAG 2% twice daily. I have also ordered the new pink serum, as someone in the Facebook Group said this was amazing for her Perioral Dermatitis.
Before and after photo – The top photo was taken on 29th September, and the bottom photo was taken on October 5th.

Do not use this photo without permission.

The longer story of my Perioral Dermatitis, The Ordinary & Colgate Toothpaste

Is toothpaste causing my dermatitis?

My skin has been bad since about mid-late August. I was in Madrid, it was boiling hot and I remember my skin was so sore that even moisturiser was stinging. I was so uncomfortable; it looked awful, and I couldn’t even wear makeup to cover it as everything irritated me.

Menopause + Skin

I am going through the change -. The lovely menopause, which has a lot to answer for! I have gone from always being chilly to boiling hot all the time. My face constantly dripped with sweat, so I thought this could have been the cause.

After showing my friend and moderator of the Deciem Chat Room Facebook Group Nia Patten from Nia Patten Looks a photo of my skin, she said it looked like Perioral Dermatitis.

Off to the pharmacy, I go!

I asked the pharmacy for a cream for perioral dermatitis, although the Pharmacist said he thought it was herpes. I trusted Nia and went for the cream for dermatitis and said if it doesn’t start cleaning up in a few days, I´ll return and try something else. He gave me a cream called Dermaveel.

The spots are only around my mouth.

As the problematic area was only around my mouth, I felt I better change my toothpaste, too. I have had this problem in the past, but not this bad. So I went for a natural toothpaste, free from everything to try.

Before & After Photo – Removing Colgate Toothpaste

The top photo was taken on 29th September, and the bottom photo was taken on October 5th. My skin is not perfect, but what a difference! The stinging/burning sensation has gone. In fact, the stinging/burning sensation went within a day or two.

Do not use this photo without permission

Top photo taken 29th September. The bottom photo was taken on October 5th.

My Routine Using The Ordinary For Perioral Dermatitis

First thing first – stop using Colgate Fresh Gel
I started using the new natural toothpaste and carefully rinsed the area after brushing my teeth.
Used the cream from the pharmacy 3 times a day for a few days.
Cleansing – I washed with just water and used a small amount of The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser when I felt I needed it.
Someone mentioned on Instagram that The Ordinary Aloe 2% + NAG helped their Perioral Dermatitis. So have been using this twice a day, and it feels lovely on the skin, although I do find it sticky.
I have also purchased the new Soothing and Barrier Support Pink Serum, as someone on the Facebook Group said it has really helped them.
There is a HUGE difference in the way my skin looks and feels. It’s not perfect, but it’s 1000 times better in such a short amount of time.

The Ordinary & NIOD Products For Skin Repair, Redness & Calming

You can read more about Skin Barrier & The Ordinary here.

Some Tips

Go back to basics. Stop using all products and makeup.
If the problematic area is around the mouth and chin – change your toothpaste just to see if there is a difference.
Do you cleanse your face and then brush your teeth, or brush your teeth and then cleanse your face? If you cleanse and then brush, maybe switch it around so you remove all the toothpaste from your skin.
If you have the same around your forehead, face, or neck – take a look at your hair products. Shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products.
Speak to a professional if possible, but also talk to friends and colleagues. Sometimes the answer to our problems is a really simple one, and we just can’t see the obvious.

Allergy to fragrance

I don’t want to veer off the subject of Perioral Dermatitis, but I really want to let you know that for years I literally made myself sick by using perfumes and products that smelt nice. Not only that but food and drink was also making me physically unwell.

Room sprays, diffusers, perfumes, cleaning products etc can make me so unwell that I have had to go to bed for days. From my early teens, I would go to parties, and my nose would be totally blocked up, and I would feel absolutely lousy. It took me nearly 30 years to learn that it was white wine and champagne. Just be aware that simple things like toothpaste, shampoos, perfumes, food and drink, and, of course, stress can affect our skin and health.