[Perioral dermatitis]

A unifying concept of the pathogenesis of perioral dermatitis is presented: perioral dermatitis is a cutaneous intolerance reaction linked to constitutionally dry skin and often accompanied by a history of mild atopic dermatitis. It is precipitated by the habitual use of one or - more often - a variety of moisturizing creams. The type and content of the creams used appear to play a much less important role than the mode of application (regular and abundant). The proposed pathomechanism is: persistent hydration of the horny layer, impairment of barrier function, an proliferation of the skin flora. Topical corticosteroids can aggravate but do not cause perioral dermatitis. This concept of pathogenesis leads to a simple and effective concept of therapy: reduction of the frequency with which moisturizing creams are applied from "regularly" to "as required" (only when dry and smarting skin makes this necessary) generally leads to lasting disappearance of symptoms within approximately 1 month.