3 Healing Phases of Perioral Dermatitis
Have you ever heard of the saying “it may get worse before it gets better”? Or, “healing is not linear”? While this isn’t true for everyone, some people may experience this while healing perioral dermatitis. If this happens, there are three phases that occur:
Regression
Relocation
Oscillation
REGRESSION
Regression is the first stage of healing. In this phase, those small, red, itchy pustules will begin to recede and can do so rather quickly. It seems as though it’s healing completely, but this is only the first step.
RELOCATION
Relocation occurs when the perioral dermatitis heals in one place and pops up in another. There may even be more of these small, red bumps than there were in the original place. While in this phase, it’s easy to think that it’s getting worse overall because we see it heal extremely well in one area only to come back worse in another. Do your best not to compare one day to the next as it’s hard to see how it’s healing. This can be a very discouraging time, but it’s a critical stage in the healing process. Instead, focus on the big picture of what’s happening from week to week. It may even fully heal in the new location and return to its original spot until it finally fades away.
OSCILLATION
Oscillation is the final healing phase. Perioral dermatitis has a specific healing pattern where it comes and goes in waves. While in oscillation, the red bumps will come and go more quickly. You’ll know you’re in the final phase of healing when you wake up with a new bump one morning and it’s gone the next day. This means that your body is moving back into balance which allows your skin to heal at a faster rate.