6 replies to this topic

[ViolettVol]

Ok, So I've been battling seb derm and mild rosacea for several months now. It was probably brought on by stress and stress-related insufficient nutrition, hence - weakened immune system.
I went to several derms, ended up with a steroid/antibiotic cream (pimafucort) to apply for a few days, then an antifungal (ciclopiroxi olamine) for however long it takes to get rid of this cr*p, however I see that topicals work only for a while and then the sh*t comes back. First it was only on my scalp, inner cheeks and nose, then when it returned after short remission it also went above my lip, on my chin, eyebrows and eyelashes. I got steroid treatment for blepharitis, just finished, dont know how it will go from here.
Also have seb derm on scalp, unfortunately nizoral makes it worse for me, trying to wash with Stieprox, it also has ciclopiroxi olamine in it.
I also developed ultra-dry skin in inner cheek area - it gets so dry I feel it stretch painfully when i try to smile and it has unsightly dryness-wrinkles, pores are weird - it looks like some of them have "run into each other"and form grooves which look like acne scars.
I use an insanely expensive hydrating lotion for seb derm skin, but it does not seem to help, mostly stays on top of skin and rolls around insead of absorbing.

Any advice on which other topicals i may try?

AND the point of this post - I realize I should battle this from the inside to succeed, any suggestions on the supps I should add and in what amounts?
I started taking
biotin,- recommended amount to make a difference in skin and help thin hair regrowth?
b-complex vitamin,
thiamine,
omega 3 (which amount is effective and safe, i.e won't oxidize?)
liver aid supplement/ considering adding milk thistle
gelatin
biosil
magnesium
probiotic

I'm 28 yo with some glycation damage, because i was an avid sweets eater up until 2 yrs ago and now its starting to show

I'm considering adding
carnosine (to help reverse some glycation , prevent further damage - DOSE?)
benfotiamine (is it true it may cause candida??? read that somewhere in the forum)
gilsodin (used to take, went on a break) - to improve skin elasticity
manganese (to improve hydration)
evening primrose oil
DMAE
antioxidants?
Need recommendation for a supp that strenghtens the small blood vessels in skin.

I would really appreciate opinions on the above products and some additional suggestions, particularly about supps and also foods that can help get rid of seb derm and rehydrate/rejuvenate extremely dry skin, plus prevent further damage.

[nameless]

I have seborrhea and possibly a little rosacea too. Some things I've tried...

Extina foam (same ingredient as Nizoral). Works on facial areas, but burns.
Xolegel (again, same ingredient, but in a less cosmetically acceptable form -- gel, doesn't burn, but has consistency of model glue).
Promiseb (cream, mildly effective, pretty gentle, good for moisturizing -- but made me break out a little).

Nizoral cream -- made me break out.
Facial steroids -- bad, bad idea for those with rosacea.
Metrogel -- may help rosacea and seb some, but didn't do anything for me.

Stieprox may be a decent alternative instead of Nizoral. I think in the US it's called Loprox. I've used it before... it's okay. Not as good as Nizoral is in my case, but it's not bad. I've also used selenium sulfide shampoos in the past and they work, but if Stieprox works for you, I'd say just stick with it.

One thing to keep in mind is that there is no real cure for seborrhea. It's not like we can take a pill or use a cream and it'll be gone forever. The trick is to keep it under control, and basically go into remission for a while... then if it flares up again, catch it before it gets bad.

Diet and nutrition-wise I can't say I've noticed any major correlation between what I eat or take and my seborrhea. One exception may be flax seed, as when I previously tried it, I noticed my seborrhea was really well controlled. Just started it again, so curious if it was a coincidence or not. It's worth cutting down on sugary foods, sleeping well, reducing stress, etc, however.

As for general health, consider D3 (base dose on serum levels), a little magnesium won't hurt, fish oil (Nordic Naturals is a good, but pricey brand), and K2, depending on what your diet is like. Things like primrose oil, gelatin and biosil may help your skin in general a little... but out of those three, all I have tried was biosil and I didn't notice it doing anything at all.

Edited by nameless, 05 August 2012 - 12:24 AM.

[ViolettVol]

I'm bumping this. It's so frustrating when everyone, especially doctors keeep saying theres no cure for seborrhea, arent we supposed to find alternate ways here and depart from what docs say - thse chronic skin diseases dont get reseached enough because derms are just comfortable with patients coming back to them for yet another ineffective presriprion and they benefit on instilling in their patient te belief that their ondition is incurble. I refuse to fall in this trap and am searching for more metods, clues, anecdotal or not - I WILL beat this if by sheer will alone. AND I find it hard to believe not one person in this knowledge filled forum can offer any advice beyonnd what doctors have spewn out to no effect for decades. What about law of attraction - by saying to a opatient "there's no cure to your condition, the doctors are setting them up to fail. Lets forget the "its a recurrent condition" phrase and just focus on doggedly searching for a cure. Here's what I'm hoping to do here with your help. so please please dear people - contribute I really need you.

COME ON ANYONE? Any nutrition, alternative supplement advice?????

[1kgcoffee]

Funny, accutane is suspected is suspected to cause those two conditions, but in very low doses can control them. Drugs can have paradoxical effects at different dosages.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16285647

It's a powerful drug though. In was originally designed as a chemo agent. Not sure I would recommend it longterm, even if it does help. It might be better to experiment with carotenoids like astaxanthin - unless you have ever smoked.

[nameless]

Did the OP take accutane at some point? Or are you mentioning it as a possible cure? Just curious if I missed something...
Unless it's a case of severe (sort of like the worst seborrhea ever) I wouldn't recommend accutane. I have had seborrhea flares bad enough in the past that part my face looked like a burn patient (or at least, a very bad sunburn patient), and I still wouldn't consider accutane for it.

Other things for the OP to consider, for rosacea, anyway, would be a small amount of C + either pycnogenol or grape seed extract. I have read others mention that can help for small blood vessels in the skin + redness.

Although not what the OP is asking for, here is a forum I found useful for rosacea + seborrhea stuff in the past --

http://www.rosaceagr..._Rosacea_Forum/

I haven't followed it lately, as what I have been doing has been mostly working. But that sort of forum may be helpful to you. Something else that I have found that can help is to use the proper type of soap. I have found aveeno oatmeal soap (bar type) helpful, and am currently trying their bar with a small amount of salicylic acid, which also seems decent. Regular soap soaps, dry my skin out way too much and cause my seborrhea to be worse.

[ViolettVol]

Did the OP take accutane at some point? Or are you mentioning it as a possible cure? Just curious if I missed something...
Unless it's a case of severe (sort of like the worst seborrhea ever) I wouldn't recommend accutane. I have had seborrhea flares bad enough in the past that part my face looked like a burn patient (or at least, a very bad sunburn patient), and I still wouldn't consider accutane for it.

Other things for the OP to consider, for rosacea, anyway, would be a small amount of C + either pycnogenol or grape seed extract. I have read others mention that can help for small blood vessels in the skin + redness.

Although not what the OP is asking for, here is a forum I found useful for rosacea + seborrhea stuff in the past --

http://www.rosaceagr..._Rosacea_Forum/

I haven't followed it lately, as what I have been doing has been mostly working. But that sort of forum may be helpful to you. Something else that I have found that can help is to use the proper type of soap. I have found aveeno oatmeal soap (bar type) helpful, and am currently trying their bar with a small amount of salicylic acid, which also seems decent. Regular soap soaps, dry my skin out way too much and cause my seborrhea to be worse.

Nope, haven't been using accutane and from all i've read about it, I'm highly unlikely to ever try, it, I'm too afraid of side effects.
nameless, what are the things you are doing that seem to be working for you?

[nameless]

I sort of mentioned what I have used above, but will clarify. Although it's not what you want to probably hear, supplements never made much of any difference as far as controlling seborrhea for myself.

Main things I have found helpful:

Prescription shampoo (nizoral) at least 1-2x weekly. Other days just use something gentle.

For whatever reason, even if my scalp is fine, if I shampoo using an anti-fungal, facial seborrhea improves/doesn't reoccur as often. If you find Stieprox better for you, you should just use that. Doesn't hurt to switch up shampoos sometimes either.

Extina foam (as needed), nasal fold area is the common area for seborrhea for me.
Aveeno soap (oatmeal/ and currently trying light salicylic acid bar) -- I just wash my face once daily when I take a shower.

And face-wise, that's about it. It helps if you get plenty of sleep, cut down on sugars, and that sort of thing too. You may find Promiseb useful in lieu (or in addition to) a moisturizer. It's hit or miss with many topicals -- best way I've found to approach it is find a good dermatologist, and just ask for a bunch of stuff to try. They usually can give you a ton of samples, so just try each one, and whatever works is what you stick with.

Edited by nameless, 26 September 2012 - 02:31 AM.