Often misunderstood as a breakout, rosacea or a rash, perioral dermatitis can be challenging to identify.
It presents itself as a persistent and recurring acne-style eruption around the mouth, or sometimes around the eye (periocular), nose (paranasal) or in all three (periorificial), with small, inflamed papules and pustules and pink irritated patches. It is predominantly experienced by adult women, 90 per cent according to a publication in the National Library of Medicine, with a rarer appearance in children.
