3 Product Notes to Bring About Perioral Dermatitis

If you have been trying to cover the same rash before every conversation, your product history may be longer than you can recall at an appointment. Bring the containers or photographs of their labels. You can ask for help without apologizing for having tried to make your skin feel better.

Three product notes

1. Steroids, including other routes. Record facial creams, nasal sprays and inhaled medicines, with names and dates. Steroid exposure can be relevant even when the medicine was not prescribed for the rash.¹

2. Everything applied to the face. Include makeup, cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreen and recent changes. Occlusive creams and ointments can worsen periorificial dermatitis.¹ Put the products in order of use so the clinician can follow the routine.

3. What changed when a product stopped. Note the date and what you saw. Abruptly stopping a potent facial steroid can cause a rebound flare.¹ Describe the sequence without trying to decide the cause yourself.

Ask for a supervised change plan

DermNet¹ advises discontinuing facial topical steroids with a planned taper when needed. Medically necessary inhaled, nasal or oral steroids should continue.¹ Ask the prescriber which instructions apply to your medicines before changing them.

Have the team write down which facial products to pause, which to use and how to report a reaction. Ask when the diagnosis and response will be reviewed. That gives you a plan to return to if the rash changes between visits.

Skin, Head to Toe includes a short-shelf planner, Skin Log and visit script. Use them to organize the routine and your questions. See the book.