Dermatologist said natural products are probably make my skin worse... really?

[thewhiteroutine]

After a  nearly three-year battle with a mysterious rash around my eyes (initially diagnosed as eczema), I was told that I actually have periorificial dermatitis. Turns out the prescription steroid cream they gave me for "eczema" can actually make periorificial dermatitis worse

Comments

[shesqueals]

I can't speak to the moisturizers. But when taking oral antibiotics, be sure to also take a good probiotic. Yogurt is good, but its only one strain. Try to find a probiotic with a large amount of multiples strains.

I'm not recommending this particular brand (because I've never taken it) but something along these lines are good (30 billion, or more, multiple strains).

From Amazon

[thewhiteroutine]

Thanks for the suggestion. I eat yogurt pretty regularly but I will look into taking a probiotic as well.

[audacian]

Just because something is organic or natural doesn't mean it's safe or effective or that it won't give you a reaction.

Coconut oil is an occlusive and can trap dirt and bacteria under your skin, causing the rash. It makes me break out like crazy, personally.

Something lighter like a dab of argan or olive oil might be a better alternative for you.

[thewhiteroutine]

Yeah, I know that natural doesn't mean it won't cause a reaction, but I have fairly acne-prone skin and coconut oil doesn't seem to cause any problems elsewhere (even on my face). I actually began using coconut oil after the rash had already gotten really bad, because I had a lot of people in this community recommend it for eczema, when I was given the eczema diagnosis initially. But I guess anything's possible.

I actually use argan oil and coconut oil intermittently, and prefer argan anyway, it's just more expensive so I try to use it more moderately. Maybe I will switch to argan oil exclusively while I wait for the problem to clear up...

[nightmer]

Being natural doesn't necessarily make something simple or gentle. Coconut oil is comedogenic and often triggers breakouts, plus many people have allergies to it.

Just because there's lots of chemicals doesn't mean they'll be a problem. While I don't recognize everything on that list, ceramides and hyaluronic acid are usually great for dry skin, while some people find dimethicone breaks them out. It really depends. And many of those ingredients are also in the Burt's Bees cleanser.

I recommend patch testing whatever moisturizers you're considering, natural or not. Maybe look into the oil cleansing method, as there's tons of info out there on what oils to use and how to troubleshoot if one isn't working for your skin.

[thewhiteroutine]

Yeah, I know natural doesn't always mean it's perfect or anything (should have prefaced my post with that). But since switching to more natural products over the past several years, my skin looks better than it ever has in my life (minus the dermatitis around my eyes, of course, but that started before the switch). My skin used to be really fickle and I was always dealing with some combination of acne, severe dryness and peeling, oiliness, and blotchy skin tone, and now I don't have any of that. So I guess that's what's led me to believe the products work for me, for the most part. I was also recently allergy-tested and I don't have any reaction to coconut, so I don't think there's an allergy at play

[elenbarathi]

If you had the rash before you started the coconut oil, you know the coconut oil didn't cause it.

If you don't want to use the product the derm. gave you, don't use it. Or you could use that product on one side of your face, and the coconut oil on the other, until you see a clear difference; then go to using whichever works best on both sides.

[thewhiteroutine]

I'm thinking about switching to Dr. Bronner's once all this is over with actually. I use it for the rest of my body sometimes but since I'm kinda prone to dryness I've been hesitant to use soap on my face (the Burt's Bees product I was using was soap-free and I've always heard that soap dries you out). But so many people seem to recommend it ... you don't think it aggravates your dryness, particularly in the winter?

I'm giving the special products a chance for the time being, but I'm having a hard time getting over the weird chemically smell. :)

[northernwalker]

I was swapped to CeraVe when my skin went insane a couple of years back. I use the moisturizer now and have switched to a more natural cleanser, but in the beginning it definitely helped to gentle down my face. I'd give it a shot.

[thewhiteroutine]

Yeah, I'm trying it out. Right now everything looks worse but the doctor said it would at first before it starts to get better, so it's hard to tell whether the products are aggravating it or if it's just the healing process.