What is the Difference Between Perioral Dermatitis and Rosacea

The key difference between perioral dermatitis and rosacea is that perioral dermatitis is a skin disease that mainly causes skin spots around the mouth, nose, and eyes, while rosacea is a skin disease that mainly causes skin spots around the forehead, nose, and chin.

Skin diseases are conditions that mainly affect the skin, the body’s largest organ. Some well-known examples are acne, pemphigus, atopic dermatitis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, psoriasis, alopecia areata, perioral dermatitis, and rosacea. Perioral dermatitis and rosacea are two different skin conditions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Perioral Dermatitis
3. What is Rosacea
4. Similarities – Perioral Dermatitis and Rosacea
5. Perioral Dermatitis vs Rosacea in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Perioral Dermatitis vs Rosacea

What is Perioral Dermatitis?

Perioral dermatitis is a skin condition that causes red skin spots or red rashes, mainly around the mouth, nose, and eyes. The exact cause of this skin condition is yet to be determined. However, the possible causes of this condition include steroids (topical steroid creams and inhaled prescription steroid sprays), lifestyle choices (moisturizers and heavy face creams, fluorinated toothpaste, gum chewing, and dental fillings), other hormonal changes, problems in the epidermal barrier, problems in the immune system, altered cutaneous microflora, some bacteria on the skin, Candida albicans, and Demodex mites. The symptoms of this condition may include red rashes around the mouth, inflamed bumps or papules, clear fluid-filled bumps or white fluid-filled bumps, rashes that spread to eyelids, around the eyes and nose, genitals, scalp, ears, neck, extremities, and trunk, aching or burning sensation, and conjunctivitis (pink eye).

Perioral dermatitis can be diagnosed through physical examination, skin biopsy, and blood test. Furthermore, treatment options for perioral dermatitis include stopping using products that might cause perioral dermatitis, topical medications (erythromycin gel, clindamycin lotion, metronidazole cream, pimecrolimus, and azelaic acid), sulphur preparations, tacrolimus ointment, pimecrolimus, adapalene, photodynamic therapy and oral antibiotics like tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, oral erythromycin, and low dose isotretinoin.

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a skin condition that causes red, flushed skin or small bumps with pus on the skin. This condition may look similar to acne or other skin problems. In this condition, the skin spots mainly occur around the forehead, nose, and chin. The symptoms of rosacea may include redness on the cheeks, nose, chin, forehead, neck, head, ears, or chest, eye problems like redness, swelling, pain, stinging and burning in the skin, red pus filled bumps that resemble pimples on the skin, patches of rough, dry skin, a swollen and bulb-shaped nose, larger pores, broken blood vessels on the eyelids, bumps on the eyelids, and vision problems. Moreover, the causes of rosacea include genes, blood vessel trouble, mites, and bacteria.

Rosacea can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, skin biopsy, and genetic testing. Furthermore, treatment options for rosacea may include medications like azelaic acid, brimonidine gel, antibiotics like clindamycin, erythromycin, metronidazole, doxycycline antibiotics, acne drug called isotretinoin, topical ivermectin and oxymetazoline, sodium sulfacetamide, and sulphur, laser, dermabrasion, and electrocautery.

What are the Similarities Between Perioral Dermatitis and Rosacea?

• Perioral dermatitis and rosacea are two different skin conditions.
• Both skin conditions are characterized by having red pus-filled bumps on different parts of the body.
• Both skin conditions can occur due to mites, bacteria, etc.
• Both skin conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and skin biopsy.
• They are mainly treated through topical and oral medications.

What is the Difference Between Perioral Dermatitis and Rosacea?

Perioral dermatitis is a skin disease that causes skin spots mainly around the mouth, nose, and eyes, while rosacea is a skin disease that causes skin spots mainly around the forehead, nose, and chin. Thus, this is the key difference between perioral dermatitis and rosacea. Furthermore, perioral dermatitis is caused mainly due to steroids, lifestyle choices, and other problems (hormonal problems, immune system problems, mites, bacteria, etc.). On the other hand, rosacea is mainly caused by genes, blood vessel troubles, mites, and bacteria.

The below infographic presents the differences between perioral dermatitis and rosacea in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Perioral Dermatitis vs Rosacea

Skin diseases are common and mainly affect the skin of the body. Perioral dermatitis and rosacea are two different skin conditions. They may have similar symptoms, such as red fluid-filled bumps in different regions of the body. However, perioral dermatitis is a skin disease that causes skin spots mainly around the mouth, nose, and eyes, while rosacea is a skin disease that causes skin spots mainly around the forehead, nose, and chin. So, this is the key difference between perioral dermatitis and rosacea.

Reference:

1. “Perioral Dermatitis: Treatment, Symptoms & Causes.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Rosacea on Face: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Periorale Dermatitis” By Johannes Köhler – selbst erstellt durch Autor (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Rosacea” By M. Sand, D. Sand, C. Thrandorf, V. Paech, P. Altmeyer, F. G. Bechara – M. Sand, D. Sand, C. Thrandorf, V. Paech, P. Altmeyer, F. G. Bechara: Cutaneous lesions of the nose. In: Head & face medicine Band 6, 2010, S. 7, ISSN 1746-160X. doi:10.1186/1746-160X-6-7. PMID 20525327.. (Review). Open Access (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia