Stewardesses disease – Wrong cream can harm

The principle “a lot helps a lot” does not necessarily apply to skin care either. On the contrary: the excessive use of various skin creams can lead to permanent damage in people with sensitive skin. This is pointed out by the experts in the skin prevention campaign from statutory health and accident insurance.

Too much cream can be harmful

Especially if the face cream that suits the skin type is not used, the care often mixed with preservatives and fragrances can lead to stubborn pustules and redness, especially around the mouth, but also in the entire facial area.

A narrow border usually remains immediately around the lips. The skin is a little swollen and red, and it burns.

The patients: women in representative professions

Dermatologists refer to the disease as “perioral dermatitis”. In the vernacular, however, it is known under the name “stewardesses’ disease”, since it primarily affects young women in representative professions. The patients are between 20 and 50 years old and have a well-groomed appearance.

This affects flight attendants, but also saleswomen, trade fair hostesses and service staff. The disease is by no means exclusively linked to a job. Those who attach great importance to regularly treating their skin with various creams and cosmetics in their free time are just as often affected.

Causes of stewardess illness

“Perioral dermatitis is probably caused by the fact that the normal microflora of the skin – one could speak of ‘pet bacteria’ – is disturbed and pathogenic microorganisms can multiply there,” say the Osnabrück dermatologists Prof. Nana Schürer and Prof. Swen Malte John . 

The wrong skin care creates an imbalance between the  metabolism  of the skin and that of the “pet bacteria”. The skin often becomes resilient again when this balance is restored.

Treatment tips

The recommendation of the skin experts is therefore: Good advice on skin care is important! You should also pay attention to the pH value of the products: the surface of the skin has a pH value of around 5 (slightly acidic), so the care product should be selected accordingly.

Particularly important: The respective creams should be discontinued at the first sign of a skin reaction and replaced with pH-optimized creams that contain as few irritating substances as possible.

If the  skin disease is more advanced, certain antimicrobial skin creams (e.g. the active ingredients  erythromycin or metronidazole)  are suitable for therapy  . “Cortisone” is unsuitable for treatment, however, according to John. With this, the disease is only pushed back for a short time, only to then really get worse, since the active ingredient cannot restore the disturbed balance of the facial skin.