stubborn seborrheic dermatitis

[Michael Churchill]

Hi folks,

I've had a stubborn case of seborrheic dermatitis on my face for the
past three years. The affected areas include most of face, but oddly
my scalp isn't affected. I saw a dermatologist who said I either had
atopic dermatitis or seb derm, but he claimed that it really wasn't
worth the expense and effort of performing additional testing to
determine which of the two it really is.

He advised me to only wash my face with water for awhile to rule out
sensitivity to any cleansers. He also prescribed Desonide twice daily.
I followed that treatment for a month with no improvement. Saw the
derm again. He prescribed Elidel twice daily for a month. I tried that
to little avail. I don't have insurance and couldn't afford to have my
derm string me along month after month with no results.

Finally, last May, I was in Mexico for a few months and found a derm
that also specialized in allergies. He confirmed that I had seb derm,
and perhaps the start of rosacea on my nose. He ruled out atopic
dermatitis. He told me to use cetaphil soap and prescribed tetracyline
for a month and topical metronidazole for my nose. He also told me to
apply nizoral cream twice a day to the seb derm areas. And, avoid too
much sun.

After two months, I still saw very little improvement. The derm the
prescribed two weeks of oral itraconazole, with the nizoral cream
still applied twice daily. Also, suggested ketoconazole shampoo on
scalp to reduce the overall P ovale carriage once the itraconazole was
stopped. Again, I noted very little improvement, if any.

So, since September, I've been using ketoconazole shampoo on my scalp
and face. About two months ago, the seb derm began to get worse and I
thought it might have been inflammed by the shampoo, so I started to
wash my face with only water. I make sure that I exercise regularly,
stick to a healthy diet, take 10 g fish oil daily, 1 tbsp flax oil,
drink plenty of water, etc. Seems that it calmed it down a bit, but
it's still stubbornly hanging on...flaking and moderate redness.

I'm at the point now where this condition is really destroying my
self-esteem and there are days when I don't leave the house. I wish I
could get this monster under control once and for all.

I know this is a P group, but seb derm is supposedly a papulosquamous
condition as well. I've been reading this group for awhile and I
noticed that many posters are very knowledgeable and helpful.
Hopefully, someone can offer some additional things I can try. I'd be
so very grateful for any advice that might help me get this beast
under control.

Churchill

[Randall]

mall...@yahoo.com (Michael Churchill) wrote in message news:<ab76e8fb.0403...@posting.google.com>...

> Hi folks,
>
> I've had a stubborn case of seborrheic dermatitis on my face for the
> past three years.

We happen to have an expert on SD in this group. He does also
have psoriasis and syndrome X genes in his family, but is mainly
concerned with SD. I'll send you a link.

[snip]
>
> Churchill

Are you related to Winston?

Have you tried the wheatgrass spray? While it works for psoriasis,
its my belief that it works even better for SD.

Goto www.wheatgrassactive.com -- i'd buy at least five bottles.

If it doesn't work for your SD, you can use it for many other
topical and oral applications.

Good luck

[Kim]

On 17 Mar 2004 07:37:05 -0800, mall...@yahoo.com (Michael Churchill)
wrote:

Yeah, but that's just a descriptive phrase for categorizing symptoms,
without implying much of a stronger connection in cause or treatment,
once you get past the obvious anti-inflammatories like steroids..

Look, frustrated as you have every reason to be, and limited by the
lack of insurance, I still think the key is getting a proper
diagnosis. Because I'm not sure you have. If it was seb derm, then
seems as if some of what you've tried -particularly the antibiotics or
antifungals and the steroid- should probably have helped more than
they have. Or it's so persistent a case that you're really going to
have to go the prescription route to get any results.

I can point you to a few other things for seb derm you haven't tried,
but if that's not really what it is, all that's going to do is add to
your frustration. And maybe make things worse if it's something else
you should be treating. So I really encourage you to find someone who
can get you a more sure diagnosis - is there a local teaching
hospital, maybe offering free care in the clinics to help the cost
issue? Because they're more likely to have broader based expertise

That being said, among the other things that can help seb derm you
haven't named are selenium sulfide, pyrithione zinc, salicylic acid,
andr coal tar. Selenium sulfide is in Selsun blue shampoo. Py Zinc is
in Head and Shoulders and also the sprays you hear advertised for Skin
Cap and subsequent clones, with no evidence it helps psoriasis, but it
can help seb derm. Sal acid - DON'T use the strong versions for wart
removal, as that will only make things worse. Use the milder
keratolytic strengths for seb derm, psoriasis, acne, etc. Watch sun
exposure with any and all of these as things like tar can make you
photosensitive.

Kim

The psoriasis newsgroup FAQ can be found
at http://www.psoriasisfaq.com
and posted twice monthly to a ng near you.

[Michael Churchill]

Kim & Randall,

Thanks for the advice. I've often wondered, as you suggest, as to
whether the diagnosis I was given is accurate. As you mention, I would
have thought that seb derm would improve given the treatments I've
undergone.

I have tried zinc pyrithione, ZNP bar and Head & shoulders. It's great
for the body and scalp, but overly drying on the face. I had tried
selenium sulfide, but only on my scalp. Never tried salicyclic acid
though. I just picked up some MG217 coal tar yesterday and applied it
last night. It didn't seem to irritate me, so that seems promising.
I'll start with applications every other day. I've seen a few other
posts that mention combining nizoral and coal tar to good effect. So,
I'll give that a fair try. If that fails, I'm going to find another
derm and request a more certain diagnosis. Based on a biopsy, etc, if
need be.

I still think allergies maybe somehow invloved because when this
condition surfaced, my allergies flared up and have been giving me
problems ever since. Prior to that, I never really had persistent
allergy problems and certainly never skin rashes, atopic dermatitis,
etc. Although, several relatives have annual problems with severe
hayfever. Yet never skin symptoms. I've gotten my allergies under very
good control with claritin and ketotifen (a mast cell stabilizer that
is also supposed to good for allergic skin conditions).

Thanks for the sound advice. Hopefully, I'll make headway against
this monkey soon.

Michael

Kim <pf...@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:<0nih50tcma8s2n4fg...@4ax.com>...

[hamza...@gmail.com]

Reason for seborrheic dermatitis We do not know what causes eczema. It is associated with oily skin. One suspect a fungus on the face, called Pityrosporum ovale (Malassezia), is instrumental. It is a fungus that everyone has on the skin. The problem usually occurs after puberty and can last for several years. Many have periods where they are not bothered, then get worse again.
See more at: http://www.oslohudlegesenter.no/sopp-i-ansiktet-bid-41.html
http://www.oslohudlegesenter.no/

[Bohgosity BumaskiL]

If everyone has it, then it is opportunistic, which means that it does
not grow without the right conditions. Provide a constantly wet surface
full of dead skin cells, and those conditions are met, because that
gives a fungus food and water. That does not *exactly* exclude a fungus
as a cause: It makes it less likely, though, because biology is not full
of vicious cycles, where an organizm can exacerbate a habitat for itself.

[aroch...@gmail.com]

Hi guys add me to the group I have had seb derm on my face and ears for 7 years. I have had many test auto immune test like Cancer, HIV, Sclderma, etc... and nothing. I have also been to a GI Dr. and nothing, I also went to a specialist that could test my liver and 6,000 later nothing. I have tried the soaps, diets and etc... What I am doing now is working on what I know I have and that is highblood pressure and allergies and maybe that may eliminate the problem. I do have allergies and I had it so bad that I had a nasal drip in back of my throat and it was dripping in to my stomach and I developed gastritis, so I went to an allergist and they did the scratch test and I was allergic to all kinds of grass, trees, etc.... Also found I had a deviated septum and my turbinates were overly grown and twisted they need to be cut and trimmed. After the Rhinoplasty my allergies were almost cleared and I could breath better but one year after I started to get a rash on forehead and my ears and oozes a little bit at a time. I am like Michael I do not know where to go from here?

[bcy...@gmail.com]

Hi, old thread and old replies, but same boat. Seb derm has been slowly getting worse through my early 30s after only having dandruff and some flakes on sides of nose in my 20s. Now it's still scalp, nose, plus now along lip line of my lower lip, sides of upper nose (near eyes), flare ups through tzone, mustache area dry and flakes daily (but not red)... Ugh. Also have developed increasingly worse nasal allergies over the same period of a few years now. Must be some connection or trigger?

[proud2...@gmail.com]

Same here untreatable sub derm and horrible allergies. I just lost 60% of my hair in the past 7 weeks due to the scalp inflammation and swollen hair follicles. My hair just sheds because the follicals are so swollen they do not hold my hair root in my scalp. I get the red, burning rash on scalp, face, ears, neck, chest, forearms, knuckles, grion, knees and feet. Docs are useless. The has been going on for 21 years. It is hellish.