new here, with questions
Hi everybody,
Thanks for having this group here. I’ve suffered from SD for all of
my adult life and have tried many things. Fortunately it’s not one
of the more severe cases, but it’s annoying. What have people
tried? I am curious as to how long you experiment with something
before it either works, or you judge it to be useless.
I’ve tried:
Reishi (internally 2 months)
Oil of oregano(diluted with olive oil, topically, two weeks)
Accutane $400 later 
Selsun Blue (selenium sulfide- had a horrible allergic reaction and
looked like a burn victim!)
Tea tree oil (right now- 2 days- diluted with water)
Tetracycline (1 month? Useless)
ACV (on and off topically and internally- not scientific, I know)
Another topical, expensive, useless prescription cream that I can’t
remember.
Not too happy with the dermatologist. Any comments? Suggestions?
Happy stories?
Have a great day-
Alka
June 13th, 2007 at 6:35 am
Did you have any success with anything you’ve tried so far?
I’m also new here & have suffered from SD (& rosacea) since I hit my
twenties and it’s been getting steadily worse over the last few years.
I’ve been given the following at one point or other:
Nizoral cream - didn’t really seem to have any effect
Nizoral tablets - seemed to work pretty well but was only given a
short course and symptoms returned quickly
Coal tar shampoo (not sure which one but got it on prescription) - was
advised to put this on my face. Got rid of some of the flakiness (skin
felt less rough) but made my face very sore and really red.
Minocyline/doxycyline tablets - Most sucessful treatment so far but
have stopped taking them around 6 months ago as I’d heard that it was
not good to be on these long-term.
Mometasone cream - didn’t do a lot.
ELIDEL - again didn’t have much of an effect.
I always get it much worse in the winter - sunlight seems to help
considerably.
I wasn’t impressed by my dermatologist either (I think I was hoping
for a miracle cure though). I’ve since moved to a different area so
may try to get an appointment somewhere else and see what they say.
Simon
June 13th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
As I mention occasionally, ZNP bar dramatically helped my face. It’s
basically pyrithone zinc (like head & shoulders shampoo) but fairly
gentle for use on the face. It can be a little drying, though, so a
good gentle moisturizer might be advised. I use it morning and night.
Now that my symptoms are under control, I can use the ZNP once a week
to avoid any problems. If I forget, I’ll see symptoms and need to use
ZNP for a few days to get it back under control.
ZNP was the first thing my dermatologist recommended (years ago) and
it’s still the most effective thing I’ve tried.
Jon
June 14th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Thanks for all the great responses.
Interesting update: I am experiencing dryness on the face- my
cheeks feel rough now.
I failed to mention that I am taking 6 caps of evening primrose oil
every day. I’ve read that a essential fatty acid deficiency can be
a factor in SD.
I am wondering if things get worse before they get better. Does
your skin hurt and peel before it gets better. I don’t know whether
I am having an allergic reaction to something I’ve tried, or if it’s
actually ‘working’. MMM, hurts so good.
Interesting that someone is taking acidophilus- I’m told that in
Chinese medicine, skin problems are linked to digestive disorders.
I’m inclined to believe that a probiotic could be useful. For the
record, I do have digestive problems.
I will try the ZNP, although I am worried about making my skin peel
and become even more red.
Alka