my experience with seb derm in face

[Barbara]

Hello,
I want to share an experience that I made with seb derm in my face.

First some background information: I have mild seb derm on my scalp (mainly at the hairline above the ears) for over 20 years now. I developed rosacea on cheeks, nose, forehead and chin more than 15 years ago (mainly flushing/blushing, fine visible blood vessels and since a few years flaky/red skin only on these affected parts of the face). I was never sure if this flaky skin was rosacea- or seb derm related. Now I know that it’s a mix of both.

I used Terzolin(german name)/Nizoral(english name)-cream for the treatment of the seb derm in my face (which didn’t help) and Nizoral shampoo for the treatment of the seb derm on my scalp (which helped very well). At the beginning of last year I have had 4 IPL treatments with the lumenis one. Since then I don’t have the flaky skin anymore (unfortunately it didn’t reduce the flushing and fine visible blood vessels/redness of face at all which is my biggest problem)and because I have oily skin I don’t have to use any moisturiser anymore (I used the toleriane fluid until a few month ago, but totally weaned of and feel much better without anything on my face).

Now the experience that I made with the seb derm in my face: As I mentioned before, the Nizoral schampoo reduces the seb derm on my scalp very effective. You are advised to take a course of treatment 2 times the week for 4 weeks. Then you should use it once every 2 weeks or so or how it suits you to keep the seb derm at bay. Well, lazy as I am and simply because the shampoo works so quickly for me I stop the treatment sometimes before the 4 weeks are over and/or don’t use it afterwards regularly to keep the seb derm at bay. And then my face starts to get redder, rougher and even a bit flaky (but not as bad as before ipl treatment) and even under the eyebrows it will be flaky. When I used the Nizoral cream for the face it didn’t help at all. But as soon as I use the nizoral shampoo on the scalp my face gets better, usually as quick as after 2-4 treatments. And sometimes I haven’t even seen or noticed any seb derm on my scalp when my face already started to get worse! I have made that experience now a couple of times – way too often that it could be coincidence!

Ups, I didn’t intend to write such a long story. Anyway, what I think is that I have mild seb derm on my scalp. And if I don’t treat that regularly (even if I don’t feel or see any seb derm on it) the seb derm spreads to face and makes problems on the rosacea damaged skin. As soon as I treat my scalp the problems in the face stop. And as I mentioned before I have tried the nizoral cream for the treatment of the face, which didn’t help (I think because I have always neglected the treatment of the scalp, or to say the never-ending source of the seb derm).

So, when I use the shampoo regularly on my scalp I don’t get problems with seb derm in my face and under my eyebrows and I don’t have to treat my face. But please don’t use the nizoral shampoo on the skin of your face. It’s too harsh and drying.

Hope this helps someone. If you have questions, please ask.

Barbara

[DukeCity]

You had no reduction in facial redness after 4 Lumenis1 treatments?? - I thought that the Lumenis1 was the best laser for that, what did your Doc say about the lack of results???

[Barbara]

DukeCity,

I have only very fine visible blood vessels and when I don’t flush the redness of my face is very mild. When I flush my face can get deep purple though. My ipl doc told me that these finest blood vessels are the most difficult to treat. Indeed I had one single thicker vessel beyond my nostril that almost disappeared with the first treatment. It is just a fine vessel now. So I believe that if I would have bigger vessels on my face I would have been stunned of the success of the first treatment. For them ipl seems to work very good.
Also my doc is a very careful practitioner and started with low power and makes changes at the settings only one after one after each treatment, and I’m happy about this, so we are on the safe side.
I intend to make more treatments this autum/winter and will discuss with my doc what changes could be done to work more effective on these fine blood vessels and flushing (changes in settings, perhaps different lasertype or better preflushing…). But as I mentioned in my previous post the 4 ipl treatments really improved the texture of my skin so far. At least one first success. Just a shame that these treatments are so expensive, so of course I would wish a stronger/quicker success with less treatments.

Barbara