A couple of weeks ago, I casually mentioned on Instagram that I’d been tackling a bout of perioral dermatitis without giving it much thought. The rash-like flare-up around my mouth happened after a significantly busy few weeks and looked red, irritated and angry-looking. Surprisingly, my DMs were quickly flooded with messages from other people – including fellow beauty journalists – saying that they too had been suffering from the condition.

So, I started doing some research: what is perioral dermatitis and why does everyone suddenly seem to have it?

“I’ve definitely noticed an increase of patients with perioral dermatitis – a skin condition that affects mainly women between the ages of 20 and 50,” explains GP and aesthetician Dr Ahmed El Muntasar. “In most cases, there isn’t really a clear cause and there’s not a clear reason why it’s happening more and more. But we know it’s starting to affect more men too, and some are speculating that it could be because men are now using skincare more than ever, so they could be experiencing reactions from this overload.”

Of course, skin flare-ups can happen to anyone at any time. Whether it’s acne, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis or something else entirely, there’s often no rhyme or reason why it’s happening – the most important thing is that you try not to let it stress you out and make sure it’s treated accordingly – but that’s where things can get tricky with perioral dermatitis.

According to consultant dermatologist Dr Emma Craythorne, many of her patients are coming into the clinic with perioral dermatitis that’s been misdiagnosed as an acne flare-up. As a result, the wrong sorts of products are being used and, unsurprisingly, it’s making things a whole lot worse.

Why has everyone suddenly got perioral dermatitis?