New to group
I’m new to the group. I spent all last night reading through all 190
some-odd posts. I was diagnosed with rosacea — probably steriod
induced — two years ago and have controlled it primarily with a low-
carb diet. No sugar, no flour, no pasta, potatoes or rice and
absolutely no alcohol. I think I have probably had sebderm the whole
time, the reason for which I was using steriods and this diet seemed
to control the sebderm symptoms until recently. It’s always worst in
the winter. I have sebderm all across my forehead, bilaterally under
each eye, a spot on each side of my nose, and another small spot on
each side of my mouth.
My primary care physician prescribed a topical antifungal last week –
which I’ve not heard anyone in this group discuss — to which I had a
terrible reaction. There is a rosacea book available by a Dr.
Geoffrey Nase that discusses how sebderm frequently occurring in
rosacea sufferers. He recommends treating with a systemic antifungal
such as Diflucan. I’m wondering if anyone has tried this.
I was very interested in the remedies the group discussed and I ran
to the drugstore late last night to buy some Head & Shoulders
intensive which I used immediately. I’m excited and hopeful that
this will help since my skin is already MUCH smoother and noticeably
less red. I have a follow-up with my doc tomorrow and I’m going to
ask for Protopic. Can’t wait to give it a try.
The medical community’s lack of knowledge of these conditions is
extremely frustrating so I’m thankful to have a resource such as this
one.
steve
boston, mass.
March 19th, 2003 at 5:00 pm
Steve,
What was the antifungal that you were prescribed–I have used ketocanazole
off and on with some success but it is the steroid Desowen which really
seems to be the only effective treatment, however, I think that I too now
have steroid induced roscacea in certain areas that I have used the Desowen.
I have been following the same diet as you except that I have also stopped
consuming all dairy and caffeine–I think these two are the worst triggers
for me but the sugar is also bad. I try to eat only lean protiens and
fruits/vegetables. Even through all of this, I still get flares but perhaps
not as often or as bad.
I tried also the H&S on my face but it was too strong, instead I
occassionaly use Selsun blue on my face which is sulfide based and this
works to a degree but is very drying to the skin.
Have not tried Protopic yet but others on this board seem to like it–the
main areas I get this is in my eyebrows and I think the Protopic is really
thick and might not get to the skin like a lotion might.
I hve roscacea also so it always a battle figuring our on a daily basis
which potion to use at which time and in which area–ceratin areas of my
face react better to some treatments than others–it is such a time
consuming pain in the ass dealing with this–let me know if you have success
with Protopic
March 20th, 2003 at 4:55 am
My doctor told me to use any OTC antifungal, e.g., Lamasil or Lotrimin.
I don’t know if I can give up my morning coffee w/ cream. I don’t smoke, I
don’t drink, don’t eat carbs… A guy’s got to have at least one vice!
I read a few people say that exercise made their skin worse. I was wondering
if anyone has been able to work out without detriment to their skin. I’ve
lost 30 pounds on the low carb diet and I’d love to lift some weights to
further improve my self image. If my skin has to look bad, at least my body
could be buff!
steve
<< What was the antifungal that you were prescribed–I have used ketocanazole
off and on with some success but it is the steroid Desowen which really
seems to be the only effective treatment, however, I think that I too now
have steroid induced roscacea in certain areas that I have used the Desowen.
I have been following the same diet as you except that I have also stopped
consuming all dairy and caffeine–I think these two are the worst triggers
for me but the sugar is also bad. I try to eat only lean protiens and
fruits/vegetables. Even through all of this, I still get flares but perhaps
not as often or as bad. >>
March 20th, 2003 at 3:24 pm
nice to have you on board mate. speak later but your diets interesting and
ill send u a longer email tomorow as off to bed. covered in protopic and
some sort of gel
March 21st, 2003 at 4:26 am
Welcome to the group. You’ll find that our members have a lot of
experience with different treatments, diets and regimens. Let us know
how the diet goes - sounds like a lot to give up to me. As for me,
Nizoral cream is working quite well to control my seb derm. Will
probably switch back to Head and Shoulders Intensive before too long -
just to mix it up a little. I haven’t tried Protopic yet, but some
people in the group report good results. I exercise 3 to 4 times a
week. I don’t know if it hurts or helps my sebderm, but it sure makes
me feel better.
Tim
July 15th, 2003 at 5:18 pm
Hi,
I was diagnosed with rosacea about 4 years ago and everything I tried
for rosacea didn’t work in the long run. I finally went to another
derm about 2 yeas ago and she diagnosed me with seb derm and a bit of
sun damage hence the couple of broken blood vessles on my cheeks. I
think that I probably have a combo of both since I do flush when I
exercise or am in a heated room (ie I can be at the beginning of a
workout and look like I have just finished or in a lighlty heated
room I feel and sometimes look like I am burning up). I don’t seem to
have any food triggers, I used to think so but it all seemed to be
coincidence.
The only thing that has seemed to work for me in the last year is:
I went off all makeup for almost 6 months and then in the last 2
months of the 6 I stopped using any type of cleanser and just used
warm water and a soft facecloth. I could do this because I was in my
last 2 months of pregnancy and home all day. I tried not to use
sunscreen either by wearing a very big hat and sticking to the shadey
side of the street. I wasn’t going very far anyway - i was huge. By
the way I didn’t notice any difference in my skin during the 9
months. When I gave birth I started cleaning my skin with baby wipes
which worked surprisingly well but doesn’t remove makeup well at all.
So, about 4 weeks ago i stumbled across a very gentle cleanser by
Laura Mercier. I haven’t bought a dept store cleanser in almost 4
years so I was skeptical but I took a sample and it worked really
well so I bought some. I have tried alot of so called gentle
cleansers and nothing has really worked - from Cetaphil to aqueous
cream to everything in between. I tried Nizoral, Metrogel,
Ketaconazole, H & S, Nizoral shampoo, hydrocortisone (but not for
very long - the second derm said it was the only thing for seb derm
and I would have to use it the rest of my life…yeah right!), coal
tar, BHA and numerous rosacea cures recommended by members of the
rosacea forum (the worst was oregano oil - yuck!).Unfortunately, as
alot of people will agree, something seems to work for awhile and
then poof! back to flakies and redness.
Nowadays i wash with the Mercier cleanser at night and apply very
thinly Keri lotion (fast absorbing type) and in the morning just
splash with warm water and apply Cetaphil sunscreen. I find that
sometimes a moisturiser starts to backfire and produce flakies -
sunscreen does the same so i alternate between Cetaphil and Estee
Lauder Day wear. I also find that when it comes to foundation the
best thing is to apply a tinted spf moisturiser and then very gently
tap on a concealer where needed and if needed very gently tap using a
puff not a brush a loose powder. I also find that every couple of
days I can very gently roll off the flakies that have built up on my
forehead (the only place I have it these days). i never try to do
this on dry skin only when I have been in a warm shower for a couple
of minutes is my skin soaked enuf to start peeling. It comes off like
erasers bits. My skin always feels really good after that - a bit red
but I try to rub very gently. I have yet to find a good shampoo that
doesn’t make me go red or flakey. I seem to have real problem with
Sodium Laureth Sulphate which is in alot of shampoos so i look for
stuff with Ammonium Laureth Sulphate instead which is gentler but
still gives me problems.
Well, this has been a long one so I’ll sign off now.
Leah
PS There aren’t the proliferation of products in Australia so i think
that has kind of been a good thing for me since I’m sure I would have
tried alot more and gotten my skin into more trouble!
July 16th, 2003 at 2:54 am
Shampoos are kind of tough to find a good one–most of the dandruff, seb
derm shampoos are too drying and harsh for my scalp. The only one I have not
tried is a salycic acid based shampoo–what I currently use for my hair is
the Sal3 soap–it is not irritating at all and does not really dry my hair
that much–it is by far the best cleanser I ever used on my face as
well–very soothing, non-drying and helps with the itchiness–my face always
feels much better for a few hours after using it
It is pretty cheap as well at $4 for a big bar including shipping–maybe a
bit more to ship to Australia but a few of us on this board really like this
stuff
July 16th, 2003 at 11:45 pm
Hi Ralph,
I’ll look for that one here.
The usual seb derm shampoos are really rough on my face too.
Sometimes I go for a couple of days without shampooing just so tht my
skin can recover from the last shampoo but strangely it doesn’t
happen every time. I haven’t figured that one out at all. I shower
with trpidation every time.
Leah
July 17th, 2003 at 11:05 pm
Leah, I have the same kind of problem with Sodium Laureth Sulphate -
it makes my skin very itchy. Dandruff shampoos seem to have Ammonium
Laureth Sulphate in them more than SLS… my skin copes with ALS much
better than ALS. The only one I’ve found without SLS or ALS is TGel
by Neutrogena. It might be worth a try if you can get hold of it.
-Richard
July 13th, 2004 at 7:55 pm
I’ve had SD for about 12 years now. Around age 16, I started getting
dandruff. Dandruff shampoos controlled it pretty well. At 18, I
started seeing small, oily patches on my nose. After 2 months with
little change, I went to the dermatologist and was diagnosed with SD.
I was given a prescription for a sodium sulfacetamide and
hydrocortizone (1%) salve. I used that for about 9 years, but over
time I realized I was using more of it in larger areas on my face
(particular nose, ears, eyebrows, and forehead). After the
prescription ran out, I went through a 3 week period with a very
heavy, embarassing flare up covering my entire forehead, nose, and
part of my chin which I’m sure was due to the constant use of the
hydrocortizone. Following that, I saw a new dermatologist who
recommended trying loprox or nizoral. The loprox didn’t work that
well, but the nizoral did the trick. It seems now, after about 1.5
years of use, its effectiveness is waning. My doctor suggested
rotating products - nizoral, H&S intensive treatment, selsium blue -
and see how it goes. Interestingly, H&S intensive treatment has
worked well for nearly 12 years on my head to control dandruff, but
never worked all that well on my face. I do not have sd on any other
areas other than my head (face, scalp, neck).
Currently, I wash my face twice a day (morning and evening) with a
mild cleanser (Cetaphil) and use nizoral every 3-4 days on the
affected areas on my face (typically side of my nose, eyebrows,
center of forehead). If there is alot of inflammation and itching, I
use aloe to sooth it. I typically have at least one area that is red
and flaking at all times, but the affected area ranges from one small
spot on my forehead to, at times, covering my entire nose and cheeks.
I do find sunlight exposure helps. In fact, I drive south in the
morning and north in the afternoon and find that the sd is more
prominent on the right side of my face, while the left side, exposed
to the sun while driving, has much fewer problems.
I joined the newsgroup mostly to hear about others’ experiences. I’m
also curious about experience with diet changes and stress management
as additional tools to deal with sd.
August 19th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
hi all..
i am 28yo female and i have been suffering from sd for 3 years. i have
tried so many different things, but nothing seems to work. most
recently i tried a no sugar, no milled grains, no caffeine, no dairy
diet. i’ve also been taking all kinds of supplements - evening
primrose, flax seed, cod liver oil, vitamin e, b vitamins, etc. i
tried the more conventional route too. went to a derm who prescribed
olux foam and selenium sulfide shampoo. i have used nizoral for a few
years now and it initially seemed to help, but now doesn’t do much.
though it does alleviate the itching a bit.
has anyone got suggestions? i just moved to a place with more humidity
and my condition seems much worse. could the two things be related?
are red itchy bumps on the face part of seb derm? this is new and i
thought they might be acne, but now i am not sure.
any help that people can provide would be so appreciated.
i have been feeling like such a freak and it’s so nice to find a place
where people can relate.
thx.
August 20th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Hi,
I find that using elidel and protopic, alternating
between them, seems to help - although I know there
has been a lot of talk lately about the cancer warning
on them. I also like Jojoba oil but nothing seems to
work 100% wish i could find that magic routine. Rob.
test’; ">
August 22nd, 2006 at 12:17 pm
I was wandering the same thing about the red bumps… i am not sure if
they are acne or sebderm…. and I want to know if my medicine
ketoconozole will get rid of the bumps…. i am acually going through
an episode right now…but i know that God will heal me soon… ihad
not had a break out in maybe a year… b/c around this time i have a
bad one and then they are not bad at all.. but my face really broke out
with red acne like bumps…. and i do not wnat my face to scar… but
ithink when they redness goes away and my face continues to pill the
spots will pill right of… but can some one please tell me some of
your experiences
Thank you!!
August 23rd, 2006 at 6:00 pm
see a derm,
if theyre non cystic,
short term minocycline can knock them down quick.
if they are really big get Kenalog shots.
August 29th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Thank you!!
March 8th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Hi folks–
i am new to the group but have had sebderm (with some rosacia) for
about 6 years now. it is on my forehead, nose, and below my eyes. it
also has found its way into my scalp. sometimes i am a walking
blizzard–without the chill. i am in my upper 30s.
the dermatologist put me on steroid cream (which i am tired of
taking–i’d rather find a better way to manage it more naturally),
which does not seem to do much, and at some point in the last several
years i was on antibiotics, nizoral, other shampoos. nothing seemed to
help much.
upon doing some research i learned i should wash better (i thought that
i needed my oils–wrong again), so hopefully things will improve with
better management. Does anyone have any suggestions on using more
natural means? any suggestions on soaps/cleansers to use on my face,
or shampoo? any ideas on using aloe or vitamin b? what type of face
moisterizer do folks recommend? it feels like my face will crack and
shift like pangea.
any suggestions for a newbie like me?
thanks…lgd
March 8th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
It is not atypical for things like Nizoral to fail after a period of time. Same
with certain
steroids (they are not good anyway over the long term), I think that sometimes
people end up
having to escalete to more and more powerful steroids to get any benefit.
Nonetheless they
are often needed to get things under control, Elocon worked best for me and
continues to
but I do not often elect to use it as the long term effects of cutaneous
steriods thin the skin
and predispose to rosacea type lesions. The calcineurin inhibitors like
protopic and elidel
work well but I think the jury is still out on long term use (small chance they
may cause
cancer, immunosupression etc). If things are bad with your SD though they are
definitely
beneficial. For the hair, head &Shoulders dry scalp (both shampoo and
conditioner) have
worked well for me. Once things are under control a good moisturizer I like is
the l’occitane
creme de miel (expensive but it works) avoid the stuff with fragrances and stuff
with alcohols
which tends to dry the skin excessively, by the same token avoid stuff that
leaves you too
greasy. Wash the face at least 2 x per day with gentle soap again I like
l’occitane stuff but
whatever u use make sure it is gentle. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Scott
March 9th, 2007 at 8:37 am
I’ve used steroids and nizoral before too and wanted to find more
natural solutions too.
Now I use Atopalm line of moisturizers. They make a face cream but I
use the regular cream on my face too. I get them through Skin Store,
which sometimes offers discounts. I think it is also part of the
Ebates.com web site that offers rebates for a percentage of purchases.
To cleanse my skin, I use a microfiber cloth, which cleans very well
with just water. You can get the "Wonder Cloth" at Bed Bath and
Beyond ar a Jane Iredale mitt at a seller of Jane Iredale cosmetics.
For shampoos, I’ve used P&S, which I got from the DermaDoctor.com web
site; Phytosylic, which I got from drugstore.com/beauty.com (also
part of Ebates); and Aubrey Organics Selenium shampoo, which I got at
Wild Oats.
They key thing is to avoid cleansers and shampoos that contain lauryl
sulfates.
When my sebderm flares up, I either use Ovace (prescription cream),
Dermadoctor’s Calm, Cool and Corrected (from drugstore.com) or Derma
E Tea Tree cream (also from Drugstore.com).
Sharon Kantanie
On Oct 31, 2006, at 4:44 PM, Lawrence Dixon wrote:
April 25th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Sally, if you haven’t yet tried it, you might get a quart of
unflavored, live cultured yogurt (should be less than $2).
Before bathing, set a cup or so of the yogurt out in a
nonbreakable bowl (you don’t want broken glass in the tub)
to warm to room temperature. You can warm it in the
microwave, but I think you will get more live culture if you
let it warm gently.
After bathing and rinsing all soap and shampoo off, pour the
yogurt over the affected area, and don’t worry about getting
it everywhere. It won’t hurt anything, and is soothing.
after rubbing it in a little, rinse off with tepid water,
but don’t worry about being very thorough. The idea is to
inoculate the surface of the skin with lots of protective
microbes that will guard the skin against yeast and fungus
that might be irritating it, till the next bath. Also puts
a nice shine on the hair, if you have hard water (because it
is slightly acid, and removes the film of minerals). Since
it takes a month or so for epidermis to completely rebuild
itself, it might take that long to completely heal, even if
it is working well. At least, I think this is a low risk
thing to try.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:16 am
> you mean it can do this on a daily basis?
Certainly. A quart of unflavored, live culture yogurt might
last you a couple weeks, if you thin a blob with a little
warm water, each bath, so you can spread it efficiently
without losing hunks of it. It may not work miracles, but
it is as close to harmless as anything you can try,
including soap.
April 28th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Exactly. Use soap and shampoo, first. Then apply the
yogurt, rub it in a bit and rinse it off. The idea is to
get rid of the milk but leave lots of the live micro
organisms behind. Use tepid water, so you don’t pasteurize
them. If you spend extra time rubbing before rinsing, more
of the micro organisms will make their way into your hair
follicles and the pores of your skin. These bacteria
compete with the yeasts that irritate some people and take
their place, to a large extent.
> if it’s so, how will my hair stay clean e.g. for two days?
> Also how will it be completely rinsed off only with shampoo?
You completely rinse off the shampoo, creme rinse or
whatever, first. Then as an extra step, at the end of your
bath, use the yogurt as the last thing you apply. The milk
content of the yogurt rinses off, very easily, with just
water. It is mostly water, anyway.
Since I cannot see the micro organisms involved, I can’t say
for sure, what procedure leaves more of them relocated to
your skin. What I described, above is what I do and seems
to work well, but you might be able to improve on it.