Seborrheic Dermatitis

Hi,

I thought I’d share with the group what I’ve found to be most useful
for keeping my sebderm under control.

This is a long post. I’ve summarised it at the bottom so you don’t
have to read all the fluff
I beleive that finding the right cleanser is extremely important as
using the wrong one can make the condition much worse and using the
right one can make it much better.

I used to use Clearasil Complete - I’d used even before I had sebderm
and was happy with it. When I first got sebderm I didn’t know what it
was and my doctor either didn’t know or just didn’t tell me. Anyway,

after a while I realised that the Clearasil Complete really helped -
it removed all the flakes and calmed my skin down if it was feeling
irritated or itchy.

A few months ago, the people who make Clearasil Complete decided to
change the ingredients and added ‘Sodium Lauryl Sulfate’ to it. This
is a substance which my skin just will not tolerate - if I use
anything that contains it my skin gets very itchy and sore.

Unfortunately Sodium Lauryl Sulphate or Sodium Laureth Suplpate (both
basically the same thing - one’s stronger than the other) are found
in virtually all cleansers, shampoos and even toothpastes. Their main
purpose it to make the product foamy or bubbly.

As you can imagine, I was very unhappy about this change. I tried for
ages to find something to replace the Clearasil Complete, but
everything I tried either made my skin itchy or totally dried it up.

Eventually I found "Clear Pore Cream Wash" from Neutrogena. It works
as well as the Clearasil and is perhaps even better for my skin
because it doesn’t contain those abrasive ‘microgranules’ for
exfoliating the skin. It doesn’t foam at all (see above) and is very
gentle. It also contains Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) and Chamomilla
Recutita (German Chamomile) which has been recommended to me by a
herbalist.

The ingredient that really does a good job of clearing the flakes
away is Salicylic Acid. It’s in both the Clearasil Complete and the
Clear Pore Cream Wash.

Next: Moisturisers. Sebderm sufferers have the problem that although
most doctors and dermatologists class it as a type of eczema, it
can’t be treated in the usual way that eczema is - ie slap on some
moisturiser three or four times a day. Although people with dry skin
do get sebderm, it’s usually associated with excess production of
sebum - the body’s natural moisturiser. So it’s not really a dry skin
problem, but that doesn’t mean that moisturisers can’t help.

I have very oily skin so I need a moisturiser that keeps my skin
hydrated, but not make it look or feel greasy or add to the oiliness
in any way. If it can control the oiliness then that’s even better.

The moisturiser I use most often is "Pure Sebum Control Moisturiser"
from the Garnier Synergie range (I’ll give you three guesses why I
tried this one). This is really good stuff. It contains clay which
absorbs the oil very well and zinc which I beleive is supposed to be
good at normalising the production of skin cells. I think it also
helps to reduce the redness, or at least the appearance of the
redness.

It’s only disadvantage is that, although it’s supposed to be a
moisturiser, it can have a drying effect. Meaning that any flakes you
have will be more apparent. However it also seems to control the
flakes aswell (it contains salicylic acid), so that’s less of a
problem.

It’s very gentle, I can use it without any irritation and although
the manufacturers don’t recommend it I’ve had no problem using it
around my eye area, I even rub it all over my eyelids (with my eyes
shut of course) with no adverse effects.

An alternative to the above is L’Oreal’s "Pure Zone Anti-Regreasing
Moisturiser". I’ve only just tried this, but it seems to be quite
good and perhaps not quite as drying.

Another moisturiser in the Garnier Synerige range is "Fresh Quenching
Moistuiser". I apply it after the "Sebum Control Moisturiser" to
counter the slight drying effect and cover up any flakes. There are
two versions - one for dry skin and one for normal to combination
skin. The latter is obviously less greasy. They’re both fine on my
(very) sensitive skin.

Shampoo: My choice is narrowed down greatly by the fact that 95% of
shampoos contain SLS (see above). There is only one shampoo that I
use at the moment - Neutrogena T Gel Anti Dandruff shampoo. It’s the
one that doesn’t contain Coal Tar. It’s active ingredients are
Salicylic Acid and one other of which I can’t remember the name. Coal
Tar seems to make my scalp itchy. I tried Head & Shoulders which was
fine at first but after a while also made my scalp itchy.

Medicinal creams & lotions etc - 1% Hydrocortisone cream seems to be
the best thing to control the redness, but unfortunatley it also
seems to make my skin more flaky (-sigh-). I tried Dramatic Releif
Lotion by Cutanix (normal and sensitive). It was no good for me
because it made my skin very red and itchy. I havent tried the DRL
for oily skin yet. I also haven’t tried anything like Protopic or
Elidel, but I might ask the derm next time I see him/her if I could.

Of course, all of this applies to me, not necessarily you. However,
hopefully it’s given you a few ideas for things to try.

Summary:

—
The best cleanser I’ve found:

Neutrogena Clear Pore Cream Wash

—
The best moisturisers I’ve found:

Garnier Synergie Pure Sebum Control Moisturiser
Alternative: L’Oreal Pure Zone Anti-Regreasing Moisturiser

Garnier Synergie Fresh Quenching Moistuiser for normal to combination
skin
Alternative: Garnier Synergie Fresh Quenching Moistuiser for dry skin

—
The best shampoo I’ve found:
Neutrogena T/Gel Anti Dandruff Shampoo

—
Good Ingredients:
Salicylic Acid
Clay
Zinc
Chamomile
Aloe Vera

—
Bad Ingredients

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
or Sodium Laureth Sulfate
or Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate

—
Creams

1% Hydrocortisone - Good for redness, bad for flakes. Concerned about
side effects although my dermatologist says I shouldn’t be as long as
I don’t use it too much.

Dramatic Releif Lotion (normal & sensitive) - I can’t use this
because it makes my skin very red and itchy.

—

Best Regards.

-Richard Jenkins

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 1st, 2004 at 11:06 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.