beating seb derm

[francois]

What would be a broad treatment approach to seb derm? I have rosacea as well and seb derm began to be important for me as it progressed.

A good diet: no yugurt, cheese, milk, beer, wheat, diary foods, etc
drinking lemon/water, green tea


Supplements: zinc, fish oil, borage oil.....

Shampoo: zinc pry.... (for scalp)

A little sun helps maybe

What about redness, orange texture, flaking, greasiness on the nose, hair line and forehead? How am I suppose to treat them without irritating my rosacea which seems not to tolerate most products.

Instead of using a seb derm friendly cleanser, maybe its a better idea to find a topical to use on those particular areas? Any input greatly appreciated...

[Buster]

Hi,
For topicals, I am at the moment using the Cool calm and corrected from www.dermadoctor.com in the day, and in the evening I use both the CCC and the extra strength version DRL from www.cutanix.com
These work better than the topicals I have used before. They do not provide a cure, but together with a good diet and a little sun they work ok.
At the moment I am experimenting with adding white liquorice powder (you can get it from www.skinactives.com) to the CCC. This will enhance the anti-inflammatory effect is the rationale.

But the latest news ffrom me is that I have ordered the Syed green tea cream from www.syedbeauty.com , and will get it in the mail in a couple of days. I have good expectations about that topical, as my friend from sweden says it has worked well for him, and also some other people here on this forum. The most promising effect of this cream is that it has anti-acne propeties on par with benzoyl peroxide but it has anti-inflammatory effects as well, so it might work to reduce both sebum and dampen inflammation, which is what you would be looking for in seb derm treatments. This cream is also designed for rosacea, so maybe it is worth trying. A bit expensive though.

Anyways, best wishes to you. I will report how the cream works when I start using it.

[RedHotCanuck]

What would you recommend for SD of the scalp?

[Buster]

I am not sure what to suggest for scalp seb derm. I do not have seb derm other places than in a butterfly pattern around my nose, but I do use the sensitive version of the Head and Shoulders shampoo, and it works well for dandruff. But for inflammation, I do not know.
Someone else?

[Quench]

What would you recommend for SD of the scalp?

I use polytar shampoo very now and then - maybe twice a week. It seems to keep it at bay. So does Nizoral but it's more expensive. Anti-dandruff shampoos don't work for me.

[Strive]

I have had GREAT success with Loprox Shampoo (ciclopirox 1%)!

In between the Loprox 2x/week shampooings, I use Pert Dandruff Shampoo. It's important to let the shampoos sit on your scalp for 3 minutes before rinsing. I find I have better success when I "pre-shampoo" with a regular gentle shampoo, immediately rinse, then use the Loprox or Pert. I think it clears away the oil, so the dandruff shampoos can get to the scalp more readily--my theory. With this method, I am now able to wash my hair every other day, instead of having to do it every day.

[ray0414]

i have a couple times in my life where i had the big flakes on my scalp..very difficult to get rid of. i am just now learning it may have been sub derm since i just figured that i have subderm on my face, not rosacea. what i used to get rid of the sub derm on my scalp was BABY OIL. i wouldnt dare put baby oil on my face but it was the only thing that made it go away on my scalp. it was kinda messy and my mom had to do it for me, she used a Q-tip to rub it in.

[phlika29]

Don't you just love mums, the things they do for love :)

[s-kid]

Hi, just to save a new thread I thought I would ask my questions here aswell.
Just recently I found seb derm sprouting up on my (really quite quickly) but I have had dermatitis in my ear canal for over a year (freeking weird no?), anyway I was just wondering if using a steroid cream for my ears will affect the rosacea on my face?

Also, recently I have found a lot of flaking around my eye lids and brows, is there anyway to treat this toppically since it's in such a sensitive area?

[phlika29]

Although it shouldn't affect the rosacea on your face you need to be careful as skin on ears is very thin and I'm sure its not meant to be used in the ear canal.

Have you tried Jojoba oil at all (for your eye are) If you don't react to it it definately helps calm the seb derm and is natural enough to put mear eyes.

Sarah

[Bradley]

I use both the CCC and the extra strength version DRL from www.cutanix.com. These work better than the topicals I have used before. They do not provide a cure, but together with a good diet and a little sun they work ok.

Hi Buster, I'm thinking about getting some Cutanix DRL to reduce my seb derm as nothing else is working, however I am slightly concerned over the product ingredients:

"Ingredients: Purified Water, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate and PEG 100 Stearate, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Isocetyl Stearate, Ethoxydiglycol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Isostearyl Palmitate, Niacinamide, Glycereth-7, Isocetyl Alcohol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Polyacrylamide (and) C13-14 Isoparaffin (and) Laureth-7, Quadrinone, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben (and) Propylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben. Dramatic Relief is Hypo-Allergenic, Non-Comedogenic and has No Added Fragrance."

The Cutanix contains several parabens as well as other non-skin friendly synthetic ingredients. In addition, I can't actually find any where on the Cutanix site that explains what the active ingredient "Quadrinone" really is? On Rosaceaii it states that Quadrinone is the chemical '4-ethoxybenzaldehyde'; this is also another synthetic product.

So although the Cutanix may work during the course of treatment, I am slightly worried that all these synthetic items will do long term damage to my skin in the future when I stop using the cream; similar to what steroid cream does.

Buster, it would be really great if you could let me know what you think as it seems you have used the cream for quite a long time. Have you noticed any changes in the structure of your skin, more inflammation than originally had if you stop the cream for a certain period etc.. Thanks..[/i]

[Strive]

s-kid,

I have someone in my family who has the same ear canal problem. She was also given a cortisone cream, but she doesn't have rosacea, so I don't know how it would affect the face.

I think cortisone topicals just address the inflammation causing the flaking; they don't address the oil that's creating food for the fungus that irritates the skin that causes the inflammation that causes the flaking problem. Whew!

And cortisone thins the skin over time, which likely isn't a good thing.

As for your seb derm around your brows...have you tried Ketoconazole 2% cream? It's prescription in the States. I think it's supposed to kill off the fungus that's irritating your skin. Maybe you could ask your doctor about using it in the ear canal, too.

[s-kid]

Thanks I will give it a try. Yes the ear canal thing is really annoying and so strange, I tend to only use my cortisone cream very sparingly and it does the trick for a few days but it always comes back, hopefully my doctor will consider Ketoconazole.

[cmburn22]

I'm wondering if any of you taking low dose accutane (for SD) experienced a worsening of the SD during the first couple of weeks?

I have tried almost all topical and oral antifungals (including Lamisil/Sporanox) with no success whatsoever. Even the mild topical cleansers (plexion/Linda Sy oatmeal) are making my face extremely irritated after use. The immunomodulators Protopic and Elidel were only mildy effective for a short time.

I tried Accutane for 4 weeks some time ago (10mg every other day) and it made my SD flare worse than ever. Should I have given it more time?

Thanks for any comments,

cmburn

[phlika29]

I also tried low dosw roaccutane and saw a real increase in redness straight away. Thinking back I think it was probably seb derm. I think you were right to stop taking it, it isn't for everyone and four weeks is quite a long time to give it.

You could always try it again in the future perhaps at 5 mg every other day if you wanted. For me I realise that my skin just can't handle it.

[cmburn22]

Thanks for the reply.

My SD has gotten very bad over the past 3 months (had it for about 3 years). All topicals are out, diet changes have done nothing, and my derm wants to put me on a higher dosage of Accutane for a longer period of time (which I'm unwilling to do based on my past experience with Accutane).

I'm seriously contemplating systemic steriods to get this under control. No clue what that will do-feel I've tried everything.

cmburn

[phlika29]

Got my flair under control with 1% hydrocortisone cream used for about five days morning and night. I did this aftr consultation with my Dr with whom I was having laser. He reassured me that short term use would have no lasting efffect on the skin as long as it was used in the short term.

Worked for me, didn't like doing it. Also found relief from low dose n-light laser that calmed my skin down and relieved the redness an inflammation associated with seb derm.

Have you tried pau d'arco supllements, these help to kill of the yeast and did seem to help. I also always take a slow release anti-histamine to help reduce the redness and calm skin.

Best wishes

Sarah

[cmburn22]

Thanks for the suggestions!

How long should one take Pau d arco (how many days)?

Appreciate your feedback

[phlika29]

Well I took it for a couple of weeks. I've also tried eating raw garlic (which also seemed to help) and drinking water + lemon juice.

[Buster]

Hi Bradley,
I am sorry for the slow reply. I have been moving to a new place, and have not had internet access. In fact, I moved to Oslo in july, but I could not live there, as the climate made my seb derm worse, hot and humid. It had been calm for a year, but now it is a bit agitated. So I moved to the north of Norway, and it is a little bit better, but it takes time when the skin has been upset.

I find the CCC to be a good day-cream. It does not leave my skin oily, but I only use it in the butterfly areas around my nose where I have my seb derm. I use this after working out and showering in the day. In the evening I also apply the extra strength version of the DRL from www.cutanix.com
I would say if you have some acne and sebum output the regular version of the cutanix DRL is not for you. It leaves the skin oily. The sensitive version I find is good. The oily skin version is not so good for me. It is strange in a way. The extra strength version is very good. I think it is the best choice for you.
I dont think the cutanix lotion presents any hasard to your face. I do think they sell or give out samples of the cutanix lotion.
But I would say stay away from the regular version. If you want to be on the safe side, try the sensitive skin version.

They have not cured me, but they are a help. I have tried elidel and other things the dermatologists recommend now, but they are not good. Especially because they are not designed at all to adress sebum output as well as inflammation.

Other than that, the last year I had been taking pau d`arco capsules. You can ask for this at your local health store. It is the bark from an amazonian tree that has very potent anti-fungal properties. It helped my seb derm, but then this summer I noticed it gave me small acne spots or more like red dots, so I stopped taking it. Maybe one year of it was what my body could handle.

There is also a new cream that is called www.sebclair.com but they have not come around to get the home page running. But it has gotten attention in dermatology circles for being a good alternative to corticosteroids. If you have oily skin however and a tendency towards acne, it might be better to go for ccc and cutanix. These two will help regulate sebum, the sebclair I dont know. I e-mailed a dermatologist in Italy who had done a study on the cream, and he was ignorant and got annoyed when I asked him about this and about one of the ingredients that I suspected could be harsh for sensitive seb derm skin. He then said, fine, if you want to continue applying cortisone to your face, be my guest. And I had told him that I use the CCC and cutanix. I would never put cortisone on my face, and this just shows the ignorance of a lot of dermatologists. They dont know anything about seb derm.

Feel free to ask me anything you wish,

I wish you all the best.

Mads

[Bradley]

Hey Mads!! Great to hear from you, thanks so much for getting back to me regarding my original post. I am glad to read that your skin is now doing better since relocating again and everything is settling down, good to hear!

I think you have now convinced me to get the Cutanix DRL cream as it seems as though it will hopefully have a positive benefit on my seb derm. I am also considering purchasing the active ingredients from the Cutanix cream, Quadrinone, from Skin Actives as it seems as though this could be a cheaper method however I'm not yet sure it will be as effective (in terms of its quality).

Regarding the CCC, which active ingredients in the cream do you think is the real contributor to improving the skin condition?

Shame about that Sebclair website being down, but I'm sure they will have it up soon. It will be interesting to know what kind of product they have to help treat our seb derm.

Anyway thanks again for your help and let me know how everything goes.
Bradley!

[Buster]

Hi Bradley,
I think the white tea extract in the CCC and also Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, Oleanolic Acid and superoxide dismutase. I know the CCC has an effect on sebum levels.
However, I find that diet and stress will over-ride the effects. Especially stress. But it is a good day cream.
It is interesting in what way stress affects this condition. at the moment I am a bit stressed, and it has an immediate impact. Thankfully I get female-visit this week so I am sure that takes care of some stress :).

I am just about to order the Replenix CF green tea serum. I bought the insanely expensive Syed green tea cream some months ago, but it was too much of a cream and too heavy for my face. This serum is very light.

I will let you know how it works out.

Best wishes