The Osmia Skincare Perioral Dermatitis Protocol

From personal experience, I can say that having perioral dermatitis can feel like a hopeless, miserable journey. Luckily, it was that exact feeling of hopelessness that drove me to understand perioral dermatitis more deeply and formulate products to help. Even after you get your perioral dermatitis symptoms under control, your skin may flare up from time to time in your life to remind you that something is slightly out of balance. But these six simple steps will get you back on track every time, and you'll soon understand how to support your skin better when it's feeling frustrated. 

Step One: Switch to This Two-Step Skincare Routine

Most people with perioral dermatitis are doing WAY too many things to their skin. While it feels hard to do less, it's often exactly what your skin is begging you to do. Our simple perioral dermatitis skincare routine is as follows: 

  1. Wash your face once a day before bed with our Black Clay Facial Soap.
  2. Moisturize with our Purely Simple Face Cream.

You can purchase them together for a slight discount in our Irritated Skin Kit.  Don't use any other products on your skin, especially any oils or balms. Ideally, you would transition to the new routine slowly from whatever products your skin is currently used to using, but if you're having trouble finding products that don't irritate your skin, you can start with this routine once a day. Other products from this collection can get added to the routine eventually, but we recommend only these two for 3-4 weeks minimum. If your skin feels dry as it's healing from perioral dermatitis, you can apply a second layer of the Purely Simple Face Cream about 5-10 minutes after the first layer, or any time throughout the day. 

Osmia black clay facial soap bar packagingosmia purely simple face cream bottle with NSF organic certification logo

Step Two: Stop Using Steroids

Unfortunately, there are still far too many dermatologists using steroid creams to treat dermatitis. While they can help temporarily, all hell is guaranteed to break loose when you try to stop. If you're still using steroids, try weaning off slowly, reducing the amount by a teeny tiny amount every day over the course of several weeks. Imagine that you're trying to tiptoe out of a room without waking a sleeping puppy—that's how carefully you need to stop using steroids. And if your doctor recommends steroids, ask why, remind them that steroids are a leading cause of perioral dermatitis, and request other options!

Step Three: Get Rid of All Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate in Your Life

Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate is a very common ingredient in your home, and you're definitely using it unless you've made a concerted effort to eliminate it. I can't stress enough how important it is to eliminate sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate from your entire life if you're trying to heal your perioral dermatitis. It's in toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, hand soap, dish soap, and most other things that foam (except for real liquid or bar soap). Because sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate is in so many things, more and more people are developing a sensitivity to it, with symptoms ranging from dry skin to eczema to dermatitis and beyond. Basically, if you have any skin issues, you should get rid of sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate completely. 

Step Four: Stop Using Fluoride Toothpaste

Fluoride is a common trigger for perioral dermatitis, so switching to a fluoride-free brand is critical for long term success. It's also important to make sure your toothpaste is free of sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, because even some natural brands use it. I recommend Jason Seafresh Deep Sea Spearmint toothpaste, Terra & Co toothpaste, Cocofloss, or these Bite Toothpaste Bits.

Step Five: Consider An Evening Primrose Oil Supplement

If you're actively trying to conceive or are pregnant, skip this step. Otherwise, taking a high quality evening primrose oil supplement can be helpful to some folks with perioral dermatitis. There's no hard data to support it in the current medical literature, but I'm certain it's helped my skin, and I've now seen it help hundreds of others with perioral dermatitis. I take this one because it's organic and vegan, and contains 500mg per capsule, which is a bit higher than most brands. 

Step Six: Actively Address Stress

This is the last step, but possibly the most important. If you don't think stress is playing a role in your perioral dermatitis, I'm here to say, respectfully, that you're wrong. Even if stress was not the cause of your perioral dermatitis initially, the condition itself creates stress. I've been the one in front of the magnifying mirror, feeling hopeless and unattractive as my face stings and burns, and it's awful. So you have to make a conscious effort to step away from the mirror and incorporate mindfulness practices like meditation, affirmations, yoga, therapy, or anything else that works to bring those cortisol levels down and allow your skin to start healing. 


Hope these suggestions help you on your perioral dermatitis journey, and please reach out to us directly at help@osmiaskincare.com if we can answer any questions for you along the way. You're not alone, and this simple protocol has helped SO many people.

Last tip? Be patient. This is not going to heal overnight, but it is going to heal with time, and you're going to know how to handle it when it decides to flare up in the future. 

XO, 

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OUR WELLNESS + SKINCARE EXPERT

Sarah Villafranco, MD

Dr. Sarah Villafranco attended Georgetown University Medical School, and went on to complete her residency in emergency medicine at George Washington University. She moved to Colorado, where she practiced as a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Aspen Valley Hospital, Snowmass Clinic, and Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO. After losing her mother to pancreatic cancer, she took a local soap making class, and fell in love with the chemistry and artistry of making soap. Sarah went into research mode and was alarmed to learn how many potentially harmful ingredients were in most skincare products on the market. She knew she could make better, safer products that were as effective (if not more so) than conventional products. After a few years of research and development, Sarah stepped away from the emergency room to launch Osmia Skincare in April of 2012. She remains a licensed physician in Colorado, and now helps people find healthier, happier skin as CEO of the brand.