“Help” you might say, having just returned from the dermatologist’s office with a diagnosis of Perioral Dermatitis.  Or “How do I stop this skin rash on my face from spreading?” as you enter into your second month of wrestling with POD, as they call it. 

I hear you.  I hear your pleading questions.  I once was diagnosed with Perioral Dermatitis and I spent month upon month looking for the “answer”, turning over rock upon rock to find out what would make it stop.  I would read forums, because as you might know there is a plethora of people out there writing about POD, and I would end up more despairing usually because there seemed to be so little success.

I want to raise your hope today.  Hope for your healing, hope for complete healing.  I don’t have the miracle cure because each person’s journey with Perioral Dermatitis is different.  What I do offer you is what I believe are legitimate solutions to experiment with to have your skin return to a healthy state. 

The purpose of this article is to look at the Mental and Emotional components to your healing.  

Find the Rhythm of Healing

Think of your healing process like a river.  At any given moment you want to be “in the flow”, going with the current and not against it.  You want to be working with your body, not resisting it.  If it helps, picture yourself in an inner tube with a cold drink, floating down the river on a hot day, resting in the journey.

Now you might be saying to yourself, “This gal is cracked!  I am suffering from a terrible skin rash and she is talking like it’s no big deal.”  I get it if it feels that way to you.  I would’ve thought the same thing……well, I would have thought the same thing before the transformation I have been going through.

The way I see it is you can either “fight this condition” or “go with the flow”.  Imagine, if you will, what might be produced from fighting, striving, worrying, stressing out, and being angry at your skin.

Now imagine what might be produced in relaxing, accepting, releasing, having fun, laughing, believing, being kind to your skin. 

Which one do you think will create faster healing?  It seems pretty obvious doesn’t it?  I can’t stress enough these three points for your healing from Perioral Dermatitis:

1.    Listen to Your Body:  What message is it telling you?  Do you need to rest more?  Let go of a grievance? Forgive someone? Louise Hay writes in You Can Heal Your Life that “our skin represents our individuality. Skin problems usually mean we feel our individuality is being threatened somehow. We feel that others have power over us. We are thin-skinned. Things tend to get under our skin, we feel skinned alive, our nerves are right under our skin.”  Be willing to respond to what comes up for you as you listen.

2.    Slow Down: Life moves too fast for most of us.  We choose that.  I encourage you to get committed to caring for yourself more.  Choose peaceful things, choose what most nurtures your soul and body.  If you feel frustrated and frantic because of how your skin rash looks and feels, take time out of your day to sit quietly and meditate on what makes you feel good. This will affect your healing of POD.

3.    Relax: Breathe.  Breathe out your fears about this condition, breathe out your frustrations, disappointments and weariness.  Breathe in hope, calm, faith.  I know that when I began to relax in the face of the despair I felt with the perioral dermatitis, my healing started to appear.   

This is about more than your skin I would wager.  This is about ALL of you.  Take heart today.  There is so much to be thankful for and hopeful about.  I am standing with you for your success and healing!