Notifications
Clear all

Treatment for Sebaceous Hyperplasia

MemberMember
0
(@liz72)

Posted : 02/17/2016 12:26 pm

I have thick, oily skin and had bad acne as a teenager and young adult. I'm 43 now, and while I haven't had acne for over a decade, I've recently developed a bad case of sebaceous hyperplasia. The skin colored bumps started appearing about five years ago and the condition seems to be accelerating.

My research tells me that the cause is damaged skin (I grew up on the beach), and that it manifests at about my age. I've read about several treatments but one thing I never see discussed is the use of Compound W wart remover as a treatment. It makes sense - afterall, it's salicylic acid, which is often used to treat SH in the form of chemical peels, toners and serums. Of course the label says do not use on the face, but why? Is it because it's a much higher strength than the other treatments?

So I decided to try using Compound W on my facial SH and seem to have some good results. It noticeably reduced the two test bumps I tried after one use. Those areas are now red (I did this yesterday), but my face was also really red after my first chemical peel at the dermatologist. So I'm assuming the redness is temporary.

Has anyone else tried Compound W for treatment of SH?

Quote
MemberMember
28
(@freshstart2014)

Posted : 02/17/2016 9:23 pm

Haven't tried it but please keep us posted. I'm dealing with the same thing...mainly on my forehead. Hate it!!

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@nisa-yusni-gmail-com)

Posted : 02/18/2016 8:52 am

10 hours ago, FreshStart2014 said:

Haven't tried it but please keep us posted. I'm dealing with the same thing...mainly on my forehead. Hate it!!

Well, according to my results so far, you may be in luck! It seems to work better on the forehead, and by better, I mean less trauma to the skin.

It's day 3 after one application of Compound W (maximum strength fast acting liquid, salicylic acid 17%) to a forehead bump and a cheek bump. Keep in mind, the salicylic acid continues to work on the skin even after you peel off that first white layer, so there will be two or three more thinner layers to peel off after an application. If you try it, don't apply twice a day like they say to do for warts - apply once every four or five days. It works by increasing the amount of moisture in the skin and dissolving the substance that causes the skin cells to stick together, which makes it easier to shed the skin cells.

The forehead bump has reduced by at least a third. It was very red the first two days, but now it's just slightly red, hardly noticeable. I peeled off the third layer this morning. Very happy with this result! I'm going to wait a few days and do a second application.

The cheek bump has reduced by at least half. It is still very red and I'm definitely going to have wear cover-up for my interview today. It seems the acid reacts more with the softer, fatty parts of the face, like my cheek, so be especially careful with cheeks. Also, even though I tried to apply the acid just to the bump, it was able to slightly spread to the skin around the bump (again, probably has to do with fat content of skin). You also have to be careful with cheeks because that one application was so effective, what will a second application do? You don't want to end up making a hole in your face. I think I'll handle the cheek bumps with just one application, then switch to something gentler. So, I'm bummed about the redness but very happy with the reduction. As long as the redness is temporary it's well worth it. Also, Compound W might make a weaker liquid, this is maximum strength.

Whoever tries this do so at your own risk - the label says do not use on face and maybe I'll find out there's a good reason for that. But I'm willing to be a guinea pig and the way I see it, I could buy 100 bottles of very low strength at $40 a peice, designed for the face - or I could buy one little bottle of Compound W for $10. I've tried expensive face products with tiny amounts of salicylic acid and didn't see any results. This gets results. But realize it's as strong or maybe stronger than a chemical peel, so be prepared for redness and have cover-up or bandaids on hand if you need to be seen in public - there are some stages (like the first two days) where you won't want to risk infection with cover-up. I figure if I just do one or two bumps at a time its no big deal.

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@nisa-yusni-gmail-com)

Posted : 02/28/2016 12:02 am

Okay, 10 days in now - all the redness has gone away and the bumps are reduced. I consider this a "do it yourself" chemical peel, localized to just those bumps. I'm happy with the results and will continue to do this, a little at a time, one or two bumps at a time. Each time you do it, you're gonna have a big red thing on your face for about two weeks. it can be successfully covered with makeup after the the first three days (before then I would use a bandaid to prevent infection - used coverup can introduce bacteria and cause infection).

Quote
MemberMember
28
(@freshstart2014)

Posted : 03/02/2016 2:41 pm

Thanks for the follow up!

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@kerrylee)

Posted : 09/04/2016 11:41 pm

Wow! I'm trying!

Quote