just got back from derm
After trying everything I could think of to get my
skin to stop peeling, itching and flaking I went to
the dr. He gave me samples of Protopic. He told me to
use Cetaphil as my cleanser and Vanicream as
moisturizer. This stuff is on my neck and has really
done a number on my face. Have any of you used
Protopic? If so, how long does it take to work? I’m
looking forward to reading about what others are
using.
I really don’t know much about it so anything anyone
can tell me would be helpful. One of my big concerns
was that it was catching but my dr. assured me that it
wasn’t. I’m glad someone told me about this group and
I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can.
Nadine
February 7th, 2004 at 1:47 am
I agree–use the Protopic sparingly–only when you get a real flare and not
for preventative purposes–yet to find any topical that could be considered
a preventative )maybe nizoral cream, but my skin hates it for the most part)
Using the dandruff shampoos on your face is a crap shoot–for some people it
works very well, but for others, like me, they dried my skin out so bad that
it took weeks to recover–however, I have more of the dry type of seb derm
than the oily type, so maybe if you have really oily skin the shampoos will
work better for you–just proceed with caution if you go this route.
I do receommend using nizoral everyday though on the scalp–good to kill as
much fungus on the scalp as possible, even if you don’t have active seb derm
on the scalp
February 7th, 2004 at 10:05 pm
Nadine,
In my experience with seb derm, the first thing that you need to do is calm
down the infllamation if you have it–when my seb derm gets bad, it gets
very very red and looks like raised, open weeping sores with yellow crust on
top of it. Using standard mosturizers when your skin is really inflamed is
not going to help the inflammation and can even prolong it.
If you can get your skin to a stage where it is just flaky and dry, but not
red, itching, or weeping, then you can try to get rid of the flakes through
exfoliating manually (not with glycolic acid or scrubs)–try gently rubbing
with very soft toothbrush or for the flakes that don’t come off easily use a
toothpick or something sharp to loosen them off your skin. If your skin
looks OK after taking the flakes off, then you can try to mosturize but go
lightly and make sure you put some water on your skin before adding the
mostuirizer.
I have never tried Vanicream but it contains petrolatum and propylene glycol
which are potentially irritating to many with seb derm. You may want to try
Emu oil or jojoba oil instead of anything listed as a "cream"–most creams
or ointments are too heavy for our ultra sensitive skin–light lotions or
are usually much better tolerated.
Elidel, similar to Protopic, is another option–it is in the same class of
drugs as Protopic but it is not a heavy sticky ointment like Protopic and
thus easier to use especially during the day.
Good luck with it.
RJ