SD is awful. I have it all over the place: scalp, between the eyebrows, under the eyebrows, around the nose, and even on my chin. Also... behind and inside the ears. It makes me feel worse about myself than even my acne does.

I'm trying to get some apple cider vinegar and start applying it topically to see if it changes anything. Honestly, right now I am desperate for anything that will provide me even the tiniest bit of improvement.

Just want to tell you guys that SD is actually worse than my acne. Everytime I sweat I get an awful itching from every pore. Accutane WILL kill it!!!!

I can't believe how STUPID I was.. taking antibiotics, protein shakes and a poor diet all at the same time and then BOOM... now I have seb derm to deal with. Talk about a life changer.

So I'm kinda new at this so can someone answer me this:
Would fish oil supplements help at all?
And I'm also taking anti-depressants, is there anything I should limit myself from taking while on these?

Any help is appreciated.

This post has been edited by Mikeg17: Oct 28 2009, 11:55 AM

I'm not sure how those things could have affected it..maybe an oil excess? Did you get your diagnosis from your derm?

I don't have SD, I do have dandruff though. My dad has bad SD though and he gets bad itching all the time. Its like he's constantly scratching and I feel bad for him. He says at work, he has to go to bathroom every 1/2 hour to scratch...He has tried so many of creams etc. but nothing seems to be helping him. His SD seems to be all over his body.
Do you guys know anything which will control the itching or is it just a mind control kind of thing?

thanks Ceci,

I just make the sulphur soap wet and go with my hand over the soap till I get a sort of a foam and apply it on the sd area on my nose.. then rinse off with warm water. than dry it with a towel. some minutes after when i put my finger on my side of the nose and move it up and down I still have some rash. If I am right please confirm it's only for one week?? At St. Joseph they said 3 weeks..

Where do you live>?

Sadly there aren't many treatments for SD but there are ORAL ANTIMICOTICS such as Nizoral tablets, Sporanox/Triasporin tablets, Diflucan tablets which can be taken for a short span and make quite the difference. The last resort for SD is Accutane, which works while you take it but SD comes back after you're done but less severe. I'm currently taking Accutane for acne and moderate SD so we'll see how it goes.

After so many hours of online reading I kind of just assumed that's what caused it. I've seen so many posts that claim their SD was first noticed after taking a course of antibiotics. I also saw a post a month or two back that mentioned a theory that protein shakes were a possible cause when mixed with antibiotics. Since that's exactly what I did, I figured that's what brought it on. Plus I used to be very oily as well.

And yes the last derm i visited diagnosed me and prescribed me with desonide.

This post has been edited by Mikeg17: Oct 28 2009, 01:47 PM

DO NOT use corticosteroids...it aggravates SD on the long way. Personal experience.

Yeah I'm done using it now.. I really can't put anything on my face whatsoever because of how tight and irritated it gets. I'm just going to experiment with some supplements and ACV to see if I can get enough relief for me to use topical products as well.

I was diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis about 12 years ago after i went to the doctor for intense scalp itch. I haven't really had problems with it anywhere except on my scalp. It's been a battle i tell you. None of the products that i tried seemed to reduce the itching, soreness, bumping, and flaking. The doctor just recommended that I sample over the counter shampoos formulated to combat seborrheic dermatitis, and he also gave me some little bottles of the hydrocortisone cream. I only used maybe one or two bottles of the cream, because i just had a funny feeling about them, and didn't want it to start thinning my hair or nothing. So i started just sampling various over the counter shampoos. I started with a Head and Shoulders severe dandruff/seborrheic brand. Well not only did it not help, but it had a horrible smell that stays in your hair. Almost to the point of people probaly thinking that you had some sort of body odor. So i promptly canned that one and started using the Neutragena severe scalp itch brand. Well, i had used this for the past 11.5-12 years. It didn't do much at all to help, but it didn't leave me smelling like some sort of sour lab juice either. It didn't do anything to reduce itchiness, as i would practically scratch my brains out all day. Neither did it do anything much to combat the bumps, redness, or soreness. But yet i stuck with it for all those years, up until about 2.5 months ago. That's when i saw an advertisement on TV about the new Selsun Blue Naturals line. I promptly went to Walmart to buy a bottle. I bought the Itchy Dry Scalp version. After the first wash of my hair, i was already pleased with just the scent of it alone, as it has a pretty good citrus scent, with minimal detection of any mediciny smell. It immediately worked for me when it came to reducing the itchiness. It was the first time in over a decade that i wasn't constantly scratching my brains out. My scalp was kinda bad with the flaking and little bumps, so i knew that it would take it a while to combat those issues. Well it didn't cure those right away like it did the itchiness, but everyday, i could tell that it was working miracles, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before it had combatted those issues too. Well it took about roughly 1.5 months, but now my scalp is as flake and bump free as it had been since i started battling this awful disorder. Like i said, i'm 2.5 months into using it, and this is the best my scalp has felt in the past 12 years. I'm extremely pleased. All is not 100% perfect, but it is as close to it as i have gotten. I finally feel like i have a healthy scalp again. That after I had practically given up hope. Also, i always used a scented/normal line of shampoo to help cover up the mediciny smell of the ones used to help the SB. That probaly only further compounded my problems. Now i only use this. No need for a second "cover up" shampoo. So after a 12 year battle, i finally found something that works for me. I can't speak for everyone else, just only for myself. But for anyone dealing with the itching, flaking, bumping, and all other scalp related SB problems, I recommend the SELSUN BLUE NATURALS Anti Itch/Dandruff formula.

Shampoos fail to work after a certain time. I had success with Vichy's Dercos Anti-Dandruff shampoo for many years until it simply stopped to work. They say that, in order for the shampoos to remain effective, you have to rotate them every few weeks.

Also, don't stress too much.

Go for a stroll sometimes.

I've tested out my 10% sulfur mix for my scalp. It works great. Usually I have to wash my hair every 3 days but I went a week without having to wash my hair. No itching, no flaking. No problems at all. So far, so good.

Edited to add: I did not notice a sulfur smell to my mix. (Maybe my nose doesn't work but my kids would have told me if I stunk. LOL)

This post has been edited by ceci2468: Nov 4 2009, 12:32 AM

Hi Joellie,

Yes, it can take a few weeks to show improvement. Just make sure that when you put it on your face, let it sit for about a minute before washing it off. If your face feels dry afterwards, use a light moisturizer.

I live in Florida (USA).

Has your Dad tried a sulfur soap? I love Dr. Joesoef's 10% sulfur soap. You can google it. Sulfur works great for SD. (Or at least it does for me).

A week after starting Accutane at 20mg my SD is heavily reduced already (moderate SD).

did your doctor not tell you to alternate between two creams with a different active ingredient to prevent resistance?

Hi Ceci,

Today I recieved the Sheabutter as well for moisturising. same as yours.. but it's strong stuff.. do you know what I mean? I just take a little out and wrap it between my fingers and apply it to my face..
my skin is not really dry but still a bit flaky..I mean thin white flakes after washing with the sulphur soap of St Joseph... The people of the St Joseph company told the same.. three weeks .. so that's still 1,5 week to go from now..

see ya
joel

Guys, I've tried everything listed here and then some. Nothing gave me as much relief as 0.5% hydrocortisone cream. I apply it lightly once a day after a shower. Use H&S and/or Nizoral for hair.

0.5% cream is available in Canada over-the-counter. Generic brand will do.

This post has been edited by xtr3m: Nov 5 2009, 01:58 AM