Hi, I could really, really use some advice, please.
Ive had PD for years that was controlled via hydrocortisone. As soon as I learned how bad that was, I stopped using it, and have since been given several Rxs: antibiotics, metro, finacea, etc. Nothing helped, so I stopped the antibiotic (azithromycin) 5 days ago and have just been using all-natural face soap, serums and lotion from an organic skincare company.
At the present time, my face is relatively calm (which I attribute to the face products). I wake up to at least one new fluid-filled bump a day, and the area around my mouth is bumpy and slightly red. It also feels itchy/tingly, which is the PD letting me know its still there. And as an added bonus, I realized I will soon be welcoming my acne back, which the cortisone and antibiotics kept at bay for years.
So all that said, my questions are:
1. WHICH PRODUCT: Do I continue with the all-natural products, which definitely do not aggravate the rash OR should I give a new Rx my derm gave me a try? He did a skin scrape and found dead mites. If he had found LIVE mites, Id give the pills/cream a try with no problem but Im afraid if this is NOT a mite problem I will only aggravate my skin, which is the most peaceful its been in months.
2. HOW TO WEAN: After being on antibiotics for about three months, Im down to four 50mg azithromycin pills. How should I best wean them? Cut in half and take one piece every five days?
Thanks so much for the help Im a ball of nerves and could use some help planning out my next move.
My two cents would be to continue your gentle skin routine that keeps your skin calm, healthy, and feeling healthy. I stumbled across an Esty member who over the years has developed products for sensitive and problematic skin. The shop at etsy.com is called Batty's Bath. You can order samples of most of her stuff. Even her makeup is well formulated for irritated, red, or broken out skin. I would check out her Patchouli Facial moisturizer first. That is what got her shop a lot of attention and a lot of people say it saved their skin when other products failed.
I have no experience with antibiotics but hopefully someone else can chime in on that.
I appreciate the feedback, tex67sun. That's the way I was leaning as well, but sometimes I think in the back of my head that anti-mite meds could be the cure, and I'm wasting time by not going for it. On the flip side, I anticipate that the cream (Eurax) would be irritating if not needed. Such a game! I'll look into the etsy shop -- I could use some non-irritating concealer.
Does anyone have any insight into how best to wean the azithromycin antibiotic? I've been on an antibiotic of some sort (derm kept switching me when one wasn't working) for three months now, and I have four 50 mg pills left.
Again, really appreciate the help. Skin problems are the WORST, and I never thought that at the age of 27 I'd be dealing with perioral dermatitis AND acne.