Of ACV and POD
Where to begin, well…first, this is not an article about that band from the 90′s, it’s about Perioral Dermatitis (POD) and the homemade remedy that finally worked, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). Next, you may find yourself asking, “What is Perioral Dermatits“? Well, to summarize, dermatologists don’t know exactly what causes it, although they do have a few theories. They do know that it occurs mostly in adult women, looks like acne, but acts more like eczema, and is linked to steroids. (no, I haven’t been juicing, they mean corticosteroids, ie. prednisone and other prescription medications). Where it gets tricky, it that many Dermatologists indicate that it isn’t serious, its akin to acne and it’s just us women being oversensitive and vain. I can tell you however, that it hurts! It burns, it itches, it stings, it hurts. I found it to be so disruptive to my personal and work life that I started to look for my own cure. It’s notoriously difficult to treat, but hat’s just because Dermatologists can’t agree on what it is, or how to treat it. I’ve heard everything from stop using fluoride toothpaste, to take oral antibiotics for a few months. They did all agree that I must immediately stop using any creams, lotions, face wash or makeup. That’s right, just at the time when my face was covered all around my nose, mouth and chin, with painful, inflamed red bumps that were itchy, flaky shiny and generally awful looking, my Dermatologist basically said, just stop acting like a girl and being so sensitive. In my day job, I actually have to go out into public and talk to people. Most of my friends sympathized, but strangers stared at my face with mild disgust and concern. It wasn’t just uncomfortable, but it affected by ability to be effective at my job because people were freaked out. I did find out that during an abdominal surgery that I had in October of 2009, I had an allergic reaction to the paper tape that they used to cover my eyes. (Yes, I know that it’s completely ridiculous that I’m allergic to paper tape, but none of my friends were really all surprised. They just sort of rolled their eyes and said, of course you are….). Anyway, my eyes swelled so large while I was under anesthesia that they gave me prednisone, yep they gave me steroids. Apparently, this was enough to get the perioral dermatitis ball rolling unfortunately. What started with a few small red bumps on my chin, that looked like any other pimple, began to ooze, itch and spread. Egads! Within a month or two my face was raw, red, angry and I was miserable. I used hydrocortizone cream, which made it temporarily better and helped to quell the itching, but then it came back x3! I kept covering it with lotion and cream to try to keep the flaking, itching and dry skin from looking so creepy, but it didn’t improve. Finally, after talking with a dermatologist and realizing that they have not a lot of information, but recommend tossing you on oral antibiotics for a few months anyway, (oh and by the way, it could come back at any time once you stop the antibiotics) I started doing some research… it’s very similar to seborrhoeic dermatitis, which I have in two small patches on my scalp. I learned that it is suspected that it is caused by a yeast that normally grows on your skin, but in some people can get out of control and the toxins that it releases cause irritation. Sounds reasonable, right? Especially in someone like me who is over the top allergic to everything and has incredibly sensitive skin. I thought, what could help re-balance my skin and kill yeast and increase the healthy bacteria that are supposed to be taking care of this stuff? Well, I came up with probiotics and apple cider vinegar. I already eat probiotics (greek yogurt, kombucha, good belly, etc) so I just bumped up my intake a notch to help get things in order. I then, started thinking about how I could kill off the yeast and get rid of the awful dermatitis. I decided to reduce my face washing and stick to only the most mild natural products to stop any further irritation. I used an astringent made with chamomile and cucumber to cool and help relieve the itch. (I never stopped wearing my make-up, btw…that will never happen). I did cut down on my make-up products to include just mineral powder foundation and blush and mascara. I stopped wearing lipstick, gloss and chapstick. Finally, I mixed up a batch of apple cider vinegar, diluted with a bit of water. I started using the ACV as an astringent 2x a day. I noticed immediately that it burned anywhere that the dermatitis was on my face, but caused no discomfort on the normal skin. I did try to skip wearing make up on the weekends and started swiping my face with the ACV 3x a day. After about a week I noted immediate improvement. In two weeks it was barely noticeable. After a month my skin was clear again. As my face healed the ACV burned less and less. (the weeping did increase for the first week, but improved as my skin cleared). I stopped the ACV and it did come back, so I continued using the ACV once a day. After two months my skin remained clear and I began to taper down the ACV to every other day. After 3 months I decreased it to 2x a week. I now wipe my face using the ACV once a week or so, but the POD hasn’t returned and my skin is great. I still get an occasional pimple once in a blue moon, but no clogged pores, and no POD. ACV astringent is inexpensive and all natural and make a great astringent. My only complaint, is that when used in the strength that I have been using it your face does often smell like boardwalk fries, which can be occasionally unpleasant. I notice it most often if I’ve been sweating, usually during and after a workout. However, it absolutely cleared by POD and cost only pennies and had no ill effects on my body or skin, which I can’t say the same about using oral antibiotics (I’ve had some pretty nasty experiences mixing antibiotics and my delicate digestive system). So, for me, ACV worked better than anything my Dermatologist prescribed and I didn’t have to suppress my vanity, risk cavities or gastrointestinal distress. In my humble opinion, apple cider vinegar is the best treatment for perioral dermatitis that money can buy. However, it still took months of discomfort before I looked and felt like myself again, so if your Doctor recommends steroids, consider the possibility that you could develop POD and ask your Dr. about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that option because I was unconscious when it was administered, so if that happens to you, just remember to start using the ACV before things have a chance to get out of control; it won’t hurt anything to proactively wash with vinegar. Hey, if nothing else you can reuse the olive oil that I recommend as an eye makeup remover and the apple cider vinegar that I recommend as an astringent and make yourself a nice salad 
