Dorothy FarrarRash on the mouth
Rashes around the mouth are relatively common and are usually limited to the outer area of the mouth between the mouth and cheeks. The disease is not contagious. Most of those affected are women between the ages of 20 and 30.
What is mouth rash?
Rash on the mouth usually indicates a mouth rose (perioral dermatitis, rosacea-like dermatitis). It is colloquially referred to as the “stewardess disease”. Flight attendants in particular suffer from it because they apply excessive amounts of make-up and skin care products due to the need to look good at work. The rash on the mouth is extremely stressful for the affected women – the disease rarely occurs in children and men – because it is clearly visible on the face. Perioral dermatitis is completely harmless and not contagious.
Causes
There is still a significant need for medical research into the exact causes of oral rhinitis. One of the possible causes is the excessive care of the facial skin with irritating care products and extensively applied make-up. Since the patients suffer from dry and sensitive skin and do not want to look unkempt, they apply sunscreen more often than necessary. For reasons that are still unknown, your skin is not able to supply itself with fats .
Due to the oversupply of moisturizing creams and moisturizing care products, the condition of the skin deteriorates visibly, as the water from the creams penetrates between the horny cell layers. It makes them swell. The skin is now even drier and cracked. The upper skin cells die off and appear in the form of dry skin cells. Frequent creams and a lot of make-up ensure that the skin barrier loses its natural protection.
Dry air, cold, UV light and other harmful influences do the rest and worsen the condition of the skin even more. Since the mouth region is particularly dry, the overstressed areas of the skin become inflamed there first. The inflammation of the skin starts at the roots of the fine downy hairs. Reddish papules form on the skin surface. If bacteria are added, pustules develop in these places . Other possible causes of perioral dermatitis include skin fungi, stress , certain toothpastes, oral contraceptives (“the pill”), and hormonal fluctuations. At the same time, many patients with mouth rose also have a tendency to develop neurodermatitis and skin allergies.
Diseases
Diagnosis and course
Mouth rose can be recognized by typical symptoms that are clearly visible on the skin of the face. However, the dermatologist differentiates them from other skin diseases such as neurodermatitis, rosacea and acne in a differential diagnosis by means of a diagnosis of exclusion in order to be able to treat the patients in the best possible way. The condition presents as a clearly visible ring of reddish pustules and nodules around the mouth. It is initially limited to the outer area of the mouth. Later, perioral dermatitis can also appear in other parts of the face ( eyes , forehead, chin, cheeks, nose).
It is typical of the skin inflammation that the seam around the lips remains basically free of pustules and nodules. As the disease progresses, they develop into purulent blisters and/or painful papules. Sometimes the originally localized rashes combine to form a single flat rash. The resulting reddening of the skin is extensive and covered with scales. Patients suffer from severe itching or slight burning at the inflamed areas. The inflammatory response is further aggravated if they scratch these areas of skin. In the case of chronic courses, there are also digestive disorders such as constipation or diarrhea and physical discomfortand headache .
Treatment and therapy
At the beginning of the therapy, the patient with a rash on her mouth stopped all skin care products and cosmetics she had been using up to that point. She may only use skin-friendly medical care products according to the instructions of her dermatologist. The aim of the treatment is to protect and regulate the impaired skin barrier from aggressive chemical ingredients. If the patient with perioral dermatitis also suffers from a bacterial skin infection, the dermatologist will prescribe an antibiotic ointment, which she then applies thinly to the affected skin areas.
Treatment with oral antibiotics is also recommended in the case of a severe mouth rhinitis . They usually contain erythromycin or minocycline. Unlike other inflammatory skin conditions, under no circumstances should a mouth rash be treated with corticosteroids . Otherwise the patient’s condition will worsen even more. The only medical care products that can be used are those that reduce the feeling of tightness around the mouth caused by skin that is too dry.
Sometimes the dermatologist also prescribes a zinc-containing paste that the person affected by perioral dermatitis has to apply thinly. She is only allowed to wash her face with clear water. In order for the skin inflammation to heal faster, she is given anti-inflammatory drugs and sometimes even painkillers. Compresses with tea containing tanning agents (black tea), which she puts on her face for 15 minutes, also help.
The tannins have an anti-inflammatory effect, relieve itching and promote the wound healing process. Synthetic bath additives, which are dissolved in cold water and then applied as a compress, also help perioral dermatitis to heal faster. The problem is that the skin disease can only be prevented from becoming chronic if it is recognized in good time and treated accordingly.
Otherwise, after sometimes months of treatment and healing, it will come back suddenly, affecting the patient for the rest of her life. However, cases have also been documented in which erysipelas that had healed without scarring did not come back. To prevent the rash from coming back, it is important for the specialist to eliminate its triggers as well.
Prevention
To prevent perioral dermatitis from developing in the first place, it is advisable to use moderate facial care with irritant-free skin care products without added perfumes if you have very dry and sensitive skin. Ideally, they are medical care products that do not remove additional fat from the patient’s already vulnerable skin. In addition, the creams and lotions should be applied sparingly.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.