The new way to "exfoliate"

[banshee]

Hi all-

After struggling with the wicked seborrheic dermatitis/Rosacea combo for years I thought I'd pass on a few tidbits I've discovered.

Obviously in rosacea the barrier is already compromised, & having seb derm on top of it makes it doubly so-accounting for some of the most sensitive skinned people.

I particularly get frustrated at trying to remove the seb derm flakes. I've tried everything from putting oil on first to emulsify them, then washing w/a seb derm cleanser (Born to be Mild, Linda Sy, Dermazinc), but if anything that just seems to "lock" flakes in. Then I have to rub AND I get dehydrated...I've used SD cleansers straight which does the same thing, alkaline soaps, oil by itself etc etc..

Anyway, despite what cosmetic counter ladies or magazine articles will tell you-SD flakes are not dead skin, it's dried sebum that is imbalanced by a higher % of waxes. We do not want to disrupt the barrier even more to try get that off. So the absolute key thing is moisturizer. What the flakes need to loosen them is water-not more oil. It's analogous to dried egg in a frying pan. Try to scrape it off or pour oil on top of it and good luck, but put some water in the pan and let it sit....it lifts right up.

Therefore I find if I just take a moisturizer I can tolerate, & put that on repeatedly over the course of 15-30 min, it surges my skin w/water. And eventually the flakes roll off gently in my fingers.

This is not a panacea, but it's a heck of a lot better than scrubbing & rubbing. And I find the foaming cleaners mainly to make my flakes worse (especially in the eyebrows) by dehydrating me & perpetuating the inflammatory SD cycle.

I don't mean to say you don't need to clean every now & again w/something foaming..there is build up & we do need anti-fungal ingredients. But for the reasons I stated above I think it becomes impossible to balance SD/R if done too often. The same w/using the Clarisonic to exfoliate...Once a week/2 weeks perhaps, but anymore than that & I think removing more of the barrier complicates matters.

Just my 2 cents but hope this helps someone

[mysweetchester]

Banshee~

How long do you use your Red light per day and how many times per day?

Thanks for the tips on SD as I find this particularly hard to deal with the flakes as well. Especially since I like to wear mineral makeup to work.

Take Care,
Sonja

[TheMediumDog]

Banshee,

Seems to me that you are still emulsifying.

...at least, I don't quite see the "surging with water" thing. What could you be surging with water, in a way that would be helping?

Surely, you're creating an emulsion between the seb-derm flakes and the moisturizer. I reckon the reason its a better method than just applying oil is precisely because you don't create an emulsion in this latter way, because you're just adding oil to oil, which isn't an emulsion.

Anyway, whatever the chemistry, it sounds good. I'm gonna try it.

[banshee]

Originally Posted by TheMediumDog

Banshee,

Seems to me that you are still emulsifying.

...at least, I don't quite see the "surging with water" thing. What could you be surging with water, in a way that would be helping?

Surely, you're creating an emulsion between the seb-derm flakes and the moisturizer. I reckon the reason its a better method than just applying oil is precisely because you don't create an emulsion in this latter way, because you're just adding oil to oil, which isn't an emulsion.

Anyway, whatever the chemistry, it sounds good. I'm gonna try it.

Hi Medium-

You would indeed be emulsifying the flakes with the moisturizer so your hypothesis of why it works better than oil is exactly what I was meaning to explain. Since SD sebum lacks key humectants, it sticks to skin more readily b/c the skin underneath is dehydrated & our own oil can not emulsify/clean itself well, as nature intended. Therefore in our case adding oil alone is pointless and only mildly "wets" flakes imo to loosen them. Moisturizer merely contains the missing humectants (water, glycerin etc) needed to wet the dried sebum and create a more effective emulsion.

I should add this technique doesn't get them all off all the time (particulary if you're doing it on top of makeup/sunscreen) but I have found my skin to look/feel more normal since I started it.

HTH

[banshee]

Originally Posted by mysweetchester

Banshee~

How long do you use your Red light per day and how many times per day?

Thanks for the tips on SD as I find this particularly hard to deal with the flakes as well. Especially since I like to wear mineral makeup to work.

Take Care,
Sonja

Hello Chester

I just do the DPL lamp once a day for approx 30 min. Since it only cycles 9 min, & my entire face and ears are effected, I need to sit centered then with my head to the left and right to cover all areas.

I too wear mineral makeup...but ironically I find it to accentuate flakes less than liquid. At least after the mm has had time to meld w/my skin. Spritzing lightly with water after application or doing so to the brush intermittently as you apply helps with this.