My Journey with Perioral Dermatitis (and What Finally Worked for Me)

For almost a full year, I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore. My name is Lorraine Mannion, and I want to tell you my story. I want to tell you what perioral dermatitis did to me. And then, I want to tell you how a simple cream changed everything.

I’m sharing this because so many women, men, and even teenagers are struggling with this condition. I used to be one of them. I know the fear, the shame, the frustration, and the exhaustion that come with perioral dermatitis symptoms. I know the feeling of waking up hoping the redness is gone, only to realise it has actually worsened.

I know the sting.
I know the itch.
I know the bumps.
I know the frustration.

And I know how it affects your confidence.

This is my story. And I hope it helps you the way the Bragan Skincare Atopic Cream helped me.

The Day My Perioral Dermatitis Started

It began as a small patch around my mouth. It was merely a slight tinge of redness. A tiny thing. I thought nothing of it. But day after day, it got worse. The redness spread. Then the bumps came. Next came the itching. Next came the burning sensation.

I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know what I had done wrong. I tried to ignore it at first. I hoped it would go away on its own. But it didn’t. It grew.

And with it, something else grew too.
My fear.

This fear was etched on my face. I couldn’t hide it. I couldn’t cover it. I couldn’t pretend it wasn’t there.

I started to worry every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I started to dread going anywhere. I started to feel like my face wasn’t mine anymore.

The Emotional Toll of Perioral Dermatitis

I won’t lie — this condition broke me down more than I ever expected. I’m a busy mammy. I’m always on the go. There’s always training, matches, events, and everything else that comes with being part of a big GAA family. My husband and children are deeply involved, and usually I’m right alongside them.

But when the perioral dermatitis got really bad, I didn’t want to be seen.
I didn’t want to talk to people.
I didn’t want anyone to look at me.

I didn’t feel confident.
I didn’t feel pretty.
I didn’t feel normal.

Makeup only made things worse. Moisturisers made things flare. Some products stung my skin so badly that I ran to wash them off. And every time something failed, I lost more hope.

I spent so much money on creams that didn’t work that I honestly could have opened my own chemist.

It wasn’t just physical pain.
It was emotional pain.
And it was constant.

The Search for Answers

I joined Facebook groups. I read through forums. I listened to people who had suffered longer than I had. Some were dealing with it for years. Some tried antibiotics. Some tried steroid creams. Some tried completely giving up skincare. But person after person seemed stuck in the same cycle:

Flare → improvement → worse flare → despair

I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted a way out.

I asked questions. I looked into treatments. I searched for anything that didn’t involve steroids or strong medications. I wanted something gentle. Something natural. Something that people had real results with.

But no matter where I turned, there was no definite answer.
No cure.
No clear direction.

Just confusion. And more redness.

The Moment I Found Bragan Skincare

Then one day, I came across Bragan Skincare. I saw people mentioning the Atopic Cream. I saw before-and-after photos. I saw the word “snail mucin”, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure what to think. But the results looked real. They looked genuine.

So I messaged Kieran from Bragan Skincare and asked him a simple question:

“Does this product do anything for perioral dermatitis?”

His reply was confident, calm, and reassuring.
He said it was one of the main things they treat with the Atopic Cream.

For the first time in months, I felt hopeful.

I asked him if they had samples, because at this stage I had spent enough money on creams to supply a whole football team. But he explained that it takes 7–10 days to see the full benefit, so a little sample wouldn’t give a true impression.

Fair enough, I thought.
If I wanted to know, I’d have to try it properly.

So I ordered it.

And I prayed it would work.

When the Cream Arrived

I cannot describe how excited I was when the package arrived. I opened it straight away. I took a before photo, just in case it actually worked and I’d want to show people.

My skin at that stage was sore. It was red. It was bumpy. It was itchy. And it was embarrassing.

But I followed the instructions.
I used the cream gently.
I didn’t use anything else that might irritate my face.

And honestly…
I didn’t expect much at first.

But then, something happened.

The First Signs of Change

A few days in, I noticed a difference.

The redness started to calm.
The itching became less.
The bumps softened.
And the burning sensation faded.

I couldn’t believe it. I kept looking in the mirror to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. I took photos. I compared them. And every day it looked a bit better.

By the end of the first week, my skin looked like someone else’s.
In the best way possible.

By the second week, I felt like I had stepped back into my own face.
I felt like me again.

The transformation was unbelievable.
My confidence exploded back into my life.

The Big Change — The “After” Photo

Then came the moment that shocked even me.

I looked at the before photos…
And then at the after photos…
And I said out loud:

“Oh my God, that’s a different person.”

The lumps were gone.
The redness was gone.
The irritated patches were gone.
The miserable skin that had controlled my life for almost a year… was gone.

I cried.
I actually cried.

Not from pain.
But from relief.
From happiness.
From feeling whole again.

Why I Shared My Story Online

I’m not the kind of person who usually posts photos of myself on forums. I’m a mammy. I’m always busy. I’m in the background more than the foreground. But this time, something felt different.

I remember saying to Kieran:

“If this works for me, I’ll share it with the whole world.”

And I meant it.

So I went onto the Old Irish Remedies and Cures page.
And then onto the Perioral Dermatitis Support group — a group with 38,000 members.

I shared my before and after photos.
I shared my story.
I shared the product.
I told them what I did.
I told them how it changed my life.

Within an hour, people were asking for more details.
They were messaging me.
They were commenting.
They were hopeful — just like I once was.

And I realised something:
If my story helps even one person feel normal again, it’s worth sharing.

What This Cream Gave Me Back

It didn’t just heal my skin.

It healed:

• My confidence
• My smile
• My self-esteem
• My happiness

I don’t hide anymore.
I’m not embarrassed.
I feel beautiful again.
I feel like myself again.

A Message to Anyone Suffering with Perioral Dermatitis

If you’re reading this, and you’re suffering, please know this:

You’re not alone.
You’re not hopeless.
You’re not stuck forever.

Perioral dermatitis takes your confidence.
It takes your energy.
It takes your joy.

But with the right product and the right care, your skin can come back to you.

Mine did.
And yours can, too.

I’m not a doctor.
I’m not a skincare expert.
I’m just a woman from Co. Mayo who suffered for a long time and finally found something that worked.

And if I can help even one person feel the way I feel now, then telling my story is worth every second.

Thank You, Bragan Skincare

To Kieran and the team at Bragan Skincare — thank you.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for creating something that actually works.
Thank you for giving me back my confidence.
Thank you for helping me feel like a new woman.

I will never forget what this cream did for me.
And I will keep telling people about it as long as I can.

Because sometimes, something small changes your whole life.
And for me, that “something small” was a bottle of Atopic Cream.

If you’d like to try the same cream that helped me, you can find Bragan Skincare’s Atopic Cream for perioral dermatitis just click on the image below.

Bragan Skincare’s Atopic Cream