Cause of SD–yeast, sebum, immune response
I spent the last 2 or 3 hours looking through abstracts and medical
articles on SD and related conditions.
If you’ve read anything about SD, you’ve seen the mention of the yeast
in your skin that causes it; it is now usually called "Malassezia
furfur" (or M. furfur). Everyone carries M. furfur, it’s not something
you "catch". Most of the treatments for SD use antifungal shampoos,
creams, or pills to reduce the presence of M. furfur in your skin,
often they try to break cell reproduction.
Here are some interesting bits I read:
>>> "Seborrheic dermatitis is associated with normal levels of
Malassezia but an abnormal immune response. (…) The contribution of
Malassezia may come from its lipase activity—releasing inflammatory
free fatty acids—and from its ability to activate the alternative
complement pathway. " <<<
>>> " However, patients with tinea versicolor and control subjects do
not demonstrate any quantitative or qualitative differences in skin
surface lipids. Skin surface lipids are significant for the normal
presence of M furfur on human skin, but they probably play little role
in the pathogenesis of tinea versicolor.
Evidence has been accumulating to suggest that amino acids, rather
than lipids, are critical for the appearance of the diseased state." <<<
That last article is not about SD but about another skin condition
caused by M. furfur; it suggests that that condition is not due to
oily skin but to the presence (excess?) of certain amino acids.
I’m not sure what to make of all this, other than the fact that these
articles indicate that SD may not be caused by increased yeast growth,
but instead by a change if the body’s reaction to the yeast.
Naturally, killing off the yeast will still help, that’s why the
antifugals work. But it’s still unknown what really causes SD and
related conditions in the first place…
-Torre
(I saw some references to interesting, recently published journal
articles, but they’re $25-$30 each to read. 
Does anyone has
medical library access?)
May 13th, 2006 at 2:52 am
Torry, you’ll find this very interesting…
It’s called a yeast free diet. What I found funny about the list of
foods to avoid is that … VINEGAR was listed! hahaha…
Dan
May 13th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Why should I find this interesting?
What you posted was one person’s suggested diet for people with
Candida Albicans. Why is this interesting to those of us with SD? Why
are you posting a page promoting a special diet for CA when you
believe diet does not affect SD?
We’re all here to try to figure out what will work for each of us to
get rid of SD. Let’s not argue just for the sake of arguing.
-Torre
May 14th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Torry, You where the one who brought up yeast. Not me.
Good Luck with your SD. May you have few breakouts and less
stressful days…
Dan