Causes of Seb Derm.
I think it might be worthwhile reflecting on the causes of Seb Derm.
The current consensus is that:
(1) People with a genetic predisposition, (2)allied with an immune
system condition, and/or a neurological condition, and/or a hormonal
imbalance, (3)produce a very rich form of sebum from their very
active, often enlarged, sebaceous glands. (4)Naturally occurring
yeasts, which live on the body, thrive on this form of sebum. The
yeast population explodes. (5)Their (acid) secretions irritate the
person’s skin barrier in localised areas. (6)This results in
inflammation (redness), itching, and a rapid turnover of skin cells
(flaking). The areas of the body affected are the areas of the body
with the largest concentrations of sebaceous glands - the scalp, the
forehead, the sides of the nose, chest, etc.
Sounds familiar? This is Seb Derm.
When we used shampoos, apple cider vinegar, lotions, sprays, etc, we
are tackling the condition, breaking the cycle, at levels 4 to 6, but
this will not cure the condition. Medications that control the output
of sebum tackle the condition at level 3. Changes in diet can help
–
probably by changing the make-up of the sebum thus making it less
attractive to particular yeasts.
There is, at this time, no cure for Seb Derm. The bottom line is
that, if you’ve got Seb Derm you stuck with it. (Sorry).
Over the years it may get better but it may also, and probably will,
get worse. Seb Derm spreads. It may start out as bad dandruff and
over time spread your face, chest, back, and other areas. The good
news is that most people can control it quite effectively.
But if you control it, by say using shampoos, recognize that you will
probably be using them for the rest of your life.
Certain medications control it very effectively but the problem is
that they lose their effectiveness over time, and more importantly,
they can have side effects.
Seb Derm is a highly complex condition. As you can see, many, many
factors come into play. Therefore a treatment than works for one
person may not work for another.
Most treatments focus on the physical manifestations of the condition
and tackle the problem at levels 4, 5, & 6, - many shampoos, for
example work by controlling the yeast population, but they do not
deal with the real underlying causes.
If Seb Derm is to be cured we need to focus on levels 1, 2, and 3 -
which is why I was particularly interested in recent postings,
especially yours Steve.
August 31st, 2005 at 4:00 am
How can you say there is no cure? I remember a time like many others when i
was seb derm free. Ive only had seb derm for approx 4 years now. Obviously
I was ok before then, which means I can be at that point again in my life.
Something is unbalanced, and until we are at a balance again only then we
are CURED.
Tony the Baloney the One and Only
September 1st, 2005 at 6:34 am
First, Tony I always enjoy your postings. I find them informative and
you have a great sense of humor.
How can I say there’s no cure - because there is none. (If one exists
I wish someone would tell me because I’ve got friggin Seb D, and I
want rid of it.)
But you raise an interesting point. Seb Derm normally affects people
after puberty. Children and adolescents rarely get it. Yes, young
babies get Seb Derm (cradle cap) but this is probably the result of
residual hormones being passed on from the mother to the baby.
(Cradle cap is a temporary condition and usually disappears within
the first 12 months.)Why do children and adolescents not get SD?
In addition the fact that it occurs more often in males than females
suggests that androgen hormones have a role. Two further points:
Immune System. While Seb Derm occurs in about 3 to 5% of the
population, the incidence in people with AIDs, (acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome), may be as high as 85%. This would
indicates that the immune system has a major role. However Kevin
stated that new scientific studies indicated the SD in HIV +
individuals is totally different then those without HIV. (Kevin, is
life still good?? - I mean SD free.)
Stress. It is generally accepted that while stress does not cause Seb
Derm, it can have a major impact. There is little doubt that physical
and emotional stress caused Seb Derm to worsen - possibly by
affecting the body’s ability to control the yeasts that compound the
problem and/or by lowering the body’s immune system.
Steve, or anyone, any ideas on how these factors fit together? These
factors,I think, impinge on the real causes of Seb Derm.
Steve, I’d be very interested to hear how your treatment works out
and indeed about any further thoughts you might have on imbalanced
immune system.
T.
September 2nd, 2005 at 9:24 pm
Re : stress.
There is no doubt that the HPA endocrine system is
linked to the nervous system via sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous responses and there is no
doubt that stress(and this goes way beyong mental
stress to any non-genetically compatible
intereference, including diet) affects the immune
system . Selye in the early part of last century spent
his entire working life proving this. Since then it
has been refined. It just gets lost in the noise from
the drug pushers who want people to believe that there
is no cause of disease only drugs to control it(but
never cure it).
Some refs :
September 4th, 2005 at 8:30 am
I am a regular editor at wikipedia and am looking for someone
knowledgeable to help complete the seborrhoeic dermatitis article. I was
thinking of doing it myself but I don’t think I will be able to do a
good job as I do not know much about seb derm and the latest treatments.
The dandruff is good and can be copied in part over to the seb derm article.
If you think you can help or have any other questions please send a
quick email reply.
Warren
Steve Johnson wrote:
September 13th, 2005 at 12:55 pm
Two questions.
1.Apparently our sebaceous gland produce a rich form of sebum.
Certain yeasts that live naturally on our bodies, thrive on this form
of sebum and their population explodes. Their acid secretions
irritate the skin, which causes inflamation and increases cell
turnover - voila SD! Most shampoos, etc, control SD by zapping the
yeasts, but they keep coming back.
Can we, through diet, or otherwise, "sour" the sebum? In
other words, can we make our sebum less attractive to the specific
yeasts that cause SD? No explosion in yeast population – no SD!
2. People with Seb Derm, according to various reports, have
overactive sebaceous glands. Any ideas as to why this might be?
If we could control this – without using harmful medication - we
could wipe out our Seb Derm at source.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
TW