Intro
I was briefly a member of this group in 2003, and have just
rejoined: wanted to reintroduce myself and give you an update.
From age 18 to the present, I have had seborrheic dermatitis:
only on my scalp, in my naval, and behind my ears.
It takes the form of scales that build
up: if I let them build up they can become quite thick and hard to
remove.
I soften the scales and remove them: using a combination of Burt’s
Bees banana hand cream, and Scalpicin (the one with salicylic acid).
I use Denorex shampoo (with salicylic acid) though it doesnt’ seem
to do any good.
In 2003 I had some very dramatic results with Olux, a strong steroid
mousse prescribed by a dermatologist: combined with Nizoral
prescription strength shampoo: y skin was quite normal.
Then I was diagnosed with glaucoma, and since then have had to avoid
any kind of steroids: although it is systemic steroids that are
considered dangerous for glaucoma patients, I just don’t want to
take any chances since the scalp is so close to the eyes.
I also terminated the Nizoral, more because the prescription ran out
and I didn’t want to pay the prescription strength price.
I do occasionally use over the counter Nizoral: but like the
Denorex, it doesnt’ seem to do much good.
Wondering what results people have had with more natural
or safer treatments?
I don’t mind just coping with it/controlling it with the hand
lotions and salicylic acid: however it would be nice to be able to
find something that really worked for me, like the Olux did, but
without the danger to my health.
I have heard about apple cidar vinegar? Does that work for anyone?
What proportions should you use, and how often each week?
And what about mixing it with something to provide a pleasant
odor to the hair? I tried it once and my partner complained about my
smelling like a salad, so gave up.
Laurie
March 1st, 2006 at 4:46 pm
Laurie -
Since I was officially diagnosed with SD more than a year ago, I have
tried several different natural methods to treat it. I have never used
a steroid and never will, due to their potentially serious side
effects and tendency to make the skin more susceptible to flare ups
when not in use. I first used Selsun Blue to treat my face for several
months. However, when I realized that the end result was a face that
was consistently as red as it would be with no treatment at all, I
switched to the natrual stuff. The first one was a mixture of many
herbs and oils that was sold by a company called "Secrets of Eden" on
EBAY; and Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. The Secrets of Eden stuff
worked great for about a month then suddenly lost its effectiveness
and began to cause red bumps on the areas of my face that I applied it
to (sides of the nose). As a result, I recently decided to try Apple
Cider Vinegar. Although I try to curb my enthusiasm because I’ve only
used it for about 3 weeks and still believe it may suddenly lose its
effectiveness, it is far and away the most successful treatment I have
yet used. My face is clearer than it has been in years and my flare
ups are less frequent and less severe across the board.
What I do is take an Apple Cider Vinegar supplement pill (yes these do
exist) once a day with a meal or milk. In addition to this, I watch my
face closely for signs of a flare up, and at the first signs of one I
apply Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother to the affected areas of
my face before I go to sleep. In the morning, I shower and rinse the
vinegar off. I do not dilute it, I use it at full strength.
Unfortunately the smell is highly irritating, however, I find that
spraying some cologne (or perfume) in the area masks the smell pretty
well. Using this method, I have only had signs of a flare up once a
week, and the flare up usually subsides completely leaving my skin
clear for almost a whole week at a time. I hope this will work for you
as well as it has so far for me!
-Matt
March 2nd, 2006 at 2:55 am
Hi Laurie,
I have had seb derm on my scalp and also found that Bragg’s ACV
(apple cider vinegar) worked well at clearing up the flakes. I
soaked my scalp for 10 to 15 minutes ( wrapped in a towel)"before"
shampooing when it was really bad. Other times I just rinsed with
it "after" shampooing. I have used it full strength and watered
down. I didn’t use any heavy conditioners on my scalp only on the
length. There was no detectable smell either way as long as I rinsed
it out really well.
I now use the ACV only on the occasional itchy or flaky spot. I
still use it daily on my eyebrows applied with a Q-tip to keep the
flakes away, but I absolutely can not tolerate it on my face full-
strength or even diluted. For about a year now, I have been using a
tea tree oil shampoo ( only on my scalp, any other shampoo on my
length) made in Australia by a company called Thursday Plantation.
You can order it online in the USA through the Vitamin Shoppe. I
haven’t found it in their stores, only online. It costs about $6-$7
dollars a bottle but has been worth it. My husband had seb derm and
also used the ACV and it worked for him along with using Nizoral
shampoo occasionally( 1% is over the counter, 2% is prescription.)
I have also tried Neutrogena T-Sal, Selsun Blue, Head &
Shoulders,DHS Zinc shampoo, and sebulex etc. but I found they didn’t
do anything but irritate my scalp more (the sebulex even increased
my hair loss) A few years ago I used a topical steroid called "Lidex
(sp??) with Fluocinonide which my dermatologist had prescribed. It
only stopped the occasional itch but didn’t rid me of the flakes. A
few years ago when my seb derm was at its worst and I was also
experiencing hair loss,I decided to just stop all the harsh drying
dandruff shampoos and steroids and tried the ACV and the tea tree
shampoo. I tried other tea tree shampoos but the Thursday
Plantation one had the fewest ingredients and worked the best. As a
word of warning—–I wouldn’t reccomnend putting straight tea tree
oil on your scalp though, because it can be a bit caustic. I once
tried undiluted tea tree oil on my face and boy did it smell and
sting. It also caused an eruption of cystic-like zits which I had
never experienced before.
I hope some of this info will be helpful. Good luck.
Murasaki
March 2nd, 2006 at 1:04 pm
have a look at salcura (google), i have mentioned it at various
times in hope people will try it. Its the natural option I think you
are looking for.James
March 4th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
March 5th, 2006 at 2:49 am
what do you use to control the oil on the face? that
doesn’t dry it out?
March 5th, 2006 at 11:36 am
webpoet1@… wrote:
March 6th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
DermaDoctor’s Tease Zone Oil Control Gel. It soaks up the oil and
doesn’t dry the skin. It’s expensive ($35), but very effective for me.
Tim