Vigorous OCM w/ Castor oil led to breakout/rash/dermatitis
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Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:14 am

My major problem is clogged pores/blackheads (bad) but I now have some kind of dermatitis.

I usually do OCM with hemp seed oil only. Sometimes I add in some castor oil but not often. A week ago I used hemp and castor oils and OCM'd for over an hour (I know that's a long time but I like to keep going as long as I'm getting a bunch of plugs out). The next day my skin freaked out! Whiteheads and bumps all over including my neck and under my chin. Lots of skin-colored bumps and splotchy uneven texture. First I thought I might be purging from OCM, but it got progressively worse and started itching. I've had this in the past, and head & shoulders shampoo seemed to kill whatever fungus was causing it. This time it did nothing.

After much googling, I think the castor oil was the problem. mine is good quality and I've used it before, but never so much and for so long. I guess my skin can't tolerate it well. Now I think it might be Perioral Dermatitis (POD). After googling POD cures, I made a toner of 1 part ACV (Braggs) to 1 part water and started applying it to my skin every couple of hours. It seems to have calmed down the rash some and stopped it from continuing to spread down from my neck. I've also been drinking the ACV 3 times a day (2 teaspoons in a glass of water w/ a little honey) for the past couple of days. I was planning on doing this anyway because I've read that it's great for acne and overall health. I do get a few pimples on a regular basis but my main problem is clogged pores and blackheads.

Quick digression: I've tried everything for my blackheads and clogged pores over the past 15 years but they are just getting worse. I've finally determined that I've tried every possible way to treat it from the outside so the problem must be on the inside--our skin is our largest organ after all. Fish Oil supplements didn't help, Vitamin D3 didn't help--now I'm hoping that throwing Vitamin A into the mix will get everything working. I'm taking 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 and 16,000 IU Vitamin A a day. It's only been a few days--I'll let you know how it goes.

Back to POD: I did a ton of extractions last night and toned with ACV. Skin looks better but I'm still embarrassed to go out in public even with makeup. I read about something called Nixoderm that's supposed to help with POD so I'm going out to CVS to see if I can find it.

If anyone has advice I'd appreciate it. I'll update this thread with my results.

Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:32 pm

So it's been 1 week since my original post and I'm feeling terribly defeated. I never found the Nixoderm so I've been sticking to ACV and supplements. My skin got so dry and flakey, but Eucerin lotion fixed that.

The ACV helped with redness, but the only thing that helps with the bumps and postules is the manual extractions that I've been doing myself. But my skin is still getting worse--especially my forehead, which is now getting whiteheads and red uneven patches that look like they did when this whole thing started--my forehead is going back to stage 1?!

Today I bought Desitin diaper rash cream because I read the zinc oxide worked for some people with dermatitis. We'll see. If anyone has suggestions, I'd really appreciate it!

free skin care · Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:58 pm

Sunny1,

I had the EXACT same issue with OCMing with Castor Oil. Allow me to save you months of suffering.

Go straight to the derm (or your primary care physician) and get a script for doxycycline. I had to be on that antibiotic for an entire month before the perioral dermatitis went away. Also, they gave me topical clindamycin, which helped a lot.

Before the derm visit, I also went to a facialist who did extractions, and she perfected my entire face. I was so happy at first. Within one day, however, all of the bumps were back, with a vengeance!!!

Honestly after 7 months of bumps and zits, I finally went to the derm and she prescribed the aggressive round of antibiotics that finally did the trick.

--avalange

Sunny1 wrote:

So it's been 1 week since my original post and I'm feeling terribly defeated. I never found the Nixoderm so I've been sticking to ACV and supplements. My skin got so dry and flakey, but Eucerin lotion fixed that.

The ACV helped with redness, but the only thing that helps with the bumps and postules is the manual extractions that I've been doing myself. But my skin is still getting worse--especially my forehead, which is now getting whiteheads and red uneven patches that look like they did when this whole thing started--my forehead is going back to stage 1?!

Today I bought Desitin diaper rash cream because I read the zinc oxide worked for some people with dermatitis. We'll see. If anyone has suggestions, I'd really appreciate it!

Thu Sep 06, 2012 12:12 am

avalange,

thanks so much for your response! unfortunately a derm isn't an option for me because I don't have health insurance and can barely afford rent let alone pay for an office visit and RX without insurance. I'd be nervous taking doxycycline again--I've taken it in the past for a different issue and ended up with esophageal ulcers...no fun Sad

free skin care · Thu Sep 06, 2012 12:38 am

Sunny1,

You have to eat full meals while on it, otherwise it can cause a lot of harm to your stomach. I don't know if someone else can chime in here, but let me tell you, I tried EVERYTHING. And nothing else worked.

--avalange

Sunny1 wrote:

avalange,

thanks so much for your response! unfortunately a derm isn't an option for me because I don't have health insurance and can barely afford rent let alone pay for an office visit and RX without insurance. I'd be nervous taking doxycycline again--I've taken it in the past for a different issue and ended up with esophageal ulcers...no fun Sad

Sat Sep 08, 2012 3:02 pm

I seem to be having some luck with tea tree oil! Fingers crossed...

free skin care · Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:10 am

I concur with avalange. I know you mentioned that seeing a dermatologist is not an option, but if you can, do go. I had something similar when I switched up my routine and tried for skin care that was more natural and my skin did not like it at all. I tried taking orally and topically ACV, aloe vera, olive oil (orally for this one), honey, tea tree oil, vitamins and minerals, etc., and bumps, whiteheads, blackheads, cystic acne,and itchiness were all formed in HUGE clusters on my face. It was painful and I let this going on for 9 months or so, thinking that the natural remedies will work its magic. Finally I gave up and went to a derm and after 2 months of antibiotics (along with facials and extractions), my face finally had a chance to clear up.
I know tea tree oil has helped others but this oil dried up my skin so much that after two weeks or so of using it, my skin broke out even more.

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