Seborrheic Dermatitis vs. Rosacea
I’ve been going to diff dermatologists over the years and some say I
have rosacea and some say SD. How do I really tell? My gut says SD.
The only thing that seems to work is Hydrocortisone, but am worried of
long term effects of prolonged use. My affected area is the face and
it has gotten really red, really scaly, and itchy all over, if I don’t
use hydrocortisone. My primary care doctor prescribed metronidazole
cream and after the doctor visit, I remeber I used a long time ago and
it didn’t work. I recall that antiobiotics may actually flare up SD.
Any advice or OTC treatment for the redness and scaling? Also, the
only shampoo that seems to work for me is Head and Shoulders for SD.
October 23rd, 2006 at 12:18 pm
I have both SD and rosacea. SD is normally very site-specific to
where you have sebaceous glands (on either side of the nose,central
forehead/eyebrows area, and the scalp.) Rosacea tends to be more
general in area. Rosacea isn’t something that itches, in my
experience, so that’s a big indicator of SD. And remember, it is
actually quite common to have both at the same time. I keep my SD
pretty much under control with occasional use of Nizoral
(ketaconazole) shampoo and cream. Sun exposure can help the SD, but
it damages you in so many other ways that I hesitate to mention it, so
please be careful.