Dermatology.

Dermatitis in a Jar?

Women who routinely use night cream, moisturizer, and foundation makeup have a 13-fold higher risk of developing perioral dermatitis than those who don't use such cosmetics, said Dr. Rita Malik and Dr. Christopher Quirk of Royal Perth (Australia) Hospital.

They assessed the use of facial cosmetics and topical corticosteroids in 133 women with perioral dermatitis and 99 women of similar age who served as controls. Thirty-two percent of the case group used three cosmetics (moisturizer, foundation, night cream) vs. 5% of controls. Twenty-six percent with perioral dermatitis commonly used moisturizer plus foundation, compared with 19% of controls.

The risk of developing perioral dermatitis was threefold higher in women who used moisturizer plus foundation and 13-fold higher in women who used night cream in addition to the two other products, compared with women who didn't use any of the cosmetics (Australas. J. Dermatol. 41[1]:34-38, 2000).

"Our study supports the theory that cosmetic agents may play a major role in the development of perioral dermatitis, probably through an occlusive mechanism. We therefore recommend that foundation be excluded from the cosmetic regimen not only at initial onset of perioral dermatitis but also to prevent recurrences," they said.

A Good Tongue Brushing

The tongue can be the ...