My Seborrheic Dermatitis Skin Regimen

Hey Michael. I have severe SD and have been trying everything. Right now im currently soaking my face 2-3 times a day in warm sea salt water, which tames but throughout the day it does flare up and make my face very dry. Was curious why you stopped ingesting the sea salt? Also have you ever tried anything else? Apple cider vinegar, specific oils. i’ve heard of people swallowing whole pieces of garlic. Appreciate any feedback.

Hi John,
I’ve tried an immense amount of things to try and control SD. Everything from Apple Cider Vinegar, to Grapefruit Seed Extract (external/internal), Clay Masks, Honey Masks, MSM, Biotin, diets, cleanses, fasting. Pretty much everything that you can find online I’ve tried it. I’m even putting together a post that outlines every single thing that I’ve tried (will be a huge post). However, my current regimen has been working for the longest and it’s been quite bulletproof so far.

The biggest thing I recommend against is strong anti-fungals. Seems like they just burn the intestines and cause things to worsen.
If you have Skype, message me your ID (I wont make the comment public) and I can try to walk you through each step of my process and regimen.

Thnx for your thoughtful comments!
I read this info quite a few days ago but read it one more time as you linked it.
I read comments as this morning my skin feels so hot and redness gets severe after soaking dead sea salt water. It feels like sun burn. Also dryness was so strong that i applied moisturizer a little bit. Although it calms down little by little now but i think sea salt water is harsh to my skin. My skin got worse after trying it 5 days. Some says patience is needed as it can be worse at first but im worried.
Should i give it a try for one week more or quit?
Or just doing once a day?(night)

I think cetaphil would be great to me so i will give it a try.
I once tried cetaphil gentle skin cleanser but that was awful as it made so many pimples.
But i think restoraderm line will be different.
I used organic cleanser,skin and cream before using sea salt water and that improved my
Sd so much but didn’t cure it entirely. My redness still presents.

Also i will try l-glutamine. But worried about it a little bit as some said it made sd worse.

Anyway do you know astaxanthin and tumeric are good in curing sd?
I read it in the internet. They are anti oxidants.

And do you recommend probiotics?
People say immune system is important and some’s improved very much after taking it.

Also i tried candida test at home(saliva in glass of water) and it seems like i had many candidas. Leaky gut, maybe. I kept my diet healthy for 1 yr and it helped me a lot. I didnt quit bad things entirely but consumed it twice or third a week although didnt quit brown rice.
Do you think quitting them entirely is the answer??

Thanks for reading this long comment.

Oh sorry
I wanted to edit sth and then it seems like i cant erase mine.

Haven’t heard of astaxanthin, but have tried tumeric. Went about two-three weeks taking a tablespoon with some almond milk.
Personally the tumeric didn’t have any affect on me. However I have a friend that uses it for his sport injury and it seems to work well for his inflammation.
It’s quite gritty and unpleasant to take as a supplement. Sometimes I still add it to fried onions, but that’s about it.

As far as anti-oxidants and supplements go. I’ve tried tons based on recommendations found online.
N-acetyl-l-cysteine, resveratrol, quercetin, high dose vitamin c (in many different forms), colostrum, msm, zinc l-carnosine, regular zinc, vitamin d, plus tons of others.
Honestly in about 3-4 years I spent a ton of money trying all the different supplements people online recommended.
In the end nothing really had any long term effects on the seboorrheic dermatitis and now I got a ton of supplements laying around that will soon expire.

My experience with practically every single treatment option that I tried was the same. If I didn’t see results and positive changes from the first 1-2 times, they never came later on. For example I used aloe vera for about 2 weeks and it made my seborrheic dermatitis extremely inflamed and red. However, I was convinced by stuff I read online that it should heal it and that if I kept at it everything will go away. The aloe vera never ended up working for me and instead it forced me to go school and work with a blistering red face.

Another takeaway from all my experimentation is that much of the time less was more. For example too much sea salt (too alkaline) or too much apple cider vinegar (too acidic) would burn and damage the effected skin. This resulting damage would make the skin more prone to bacterial penetration and also actually be the cause of much of the inflammation. As a result more damage would be done than the benefits gained. Using milder solutions, taking things slowly (allowing the skin to adjust) and being gentle with the skin seemed to produce the best results.

For probiotics I tried a bunch of different store bought stuff (let me know if you would like a list) and experimented with home-made.
The biggest effect was that they made me go to the wash-room frequently. As for the seborrheic dermatitis it was still coming and going on it’s own schedule.

Two that stood out where biotin which gave me strange rashes all over my body and caprylic acid which made seborrheic dermatitis vanish completely for about a month.
Not sure if the caprylic acid was just a coincidence or it actually did something internally. After it’s initial success it never did anything again.

In regards to candida and all the diets. My opinion is that a lot of it is misinformation written by uneducated people. If you believe you have candidadis you should be able to get simple testing at any local medical facility.
To be honest though, for while this whole theory drove me nuts. I had all of kinds of scary thoughts about deep fungal infection or something of the sort. At one point I attempted to cut carbohydrates completely, but this just made me weak and my mind was always in a foggy state. Honestly I think all of this misinformation serves to make seborrheic dermatitis as it spikes stress and the bloods cortisone levels. Lots of the stuff written out their is quite scary and can easily put you in a constant state of tension, fear and anxiety.

H pylori is much more common than candida. When I went to take full medicals they actually found that I had h pylori and I was given some antibiotics for it.
At that time I was quite hesitant to take the antibiotics since so many forums say that antibiotic use is one of the initial causes of seborrheic dermatitis. However, in the end I took the antibiotics, got rid of h pylori, but this didn’t have any effect on the seborrheic dermatitis.

My biggest progress actually came when I read about leaky gut in some research papers (exact reason I started supplementing with l-glutamine).
At the same time I took a moment to reflect on the past and remember how things were before the seborrheic dermatitis started effecting my life.
I decided to completely stop browsing the internet for solutions suggested by random people, stopped reading forums, stopped searching online in general.
Instead I enrolled in a nutrition course through Coursera and re-learned the fundamental basics of modern nutrition.

Returned my diet to normal and the only two supplement I would take were l-glutamine and vitamin c.
At this point my seborrheic dermatitis became much less aggressive and the areas that remained were eye-brows, ears, nose and scalp.
Then completely by chance I was taking my little brother to his paediatrician and the doctor noticed my flakes. She said it looked very similar to some eczema she had and that the Restoraderm worked well for her. When I was leaving she gave me a whole bag of different moisturiser and cleanser samples (a few of which were the Restoraderm). A few weeks went by and I didn’t touch the bag of samples since my skin was mostly doing well (also I previously tried so many different cleansers and moisturisers that I really had lost hope for them).
Then one day that I had a bit of redness that appeared I decided to give it a try. It ended up working very well and since then it’s been my go to cleanser.

Hope this answered some of the questions you had.
Wish you all the best and hope you find something that finally works for you.

Thnx then i don’t have to control my diet too harshly, right?
Thanks for ur comments!
After trying l-glutamine and cetaphil,
I’ll let you know how’s it going.
Thank u!

Everyone is different. If your concerned about candida or food sensitivities the best thing to do is get tested.

For me all the diet restrictions and modifications seem to have resulted in unnecessary stress. Currently I eat mostly anything, except dairy (which I’m not really a fan of anyway).

Too much fatty foods especially mixed with lots of carbs seem to get the skin tingling though.

Never found the exact connection, but I do believe that the seborrheic dermatitis is somehow linked to digestion. Something along the lines of fat not being properly assimilated and causing all sorts of immune responses.

On the few occasion I attempted water fasting my skin would normalize completely. At about the second/third day even the worse of it would heal.

All the best.

Yesterday night i tried honey cleanse wanting to soothe my skin.
It felt like boiled water+raw honey was a little bit thick but i just put it on my face. I couldn’t rub it as it was so thick.
Just put it on and washed it after 1 min.
Tzone and place near nose became red(worst of all moment)
I thought it would relieve overnight but it didn’t.
Redness is the worst and my face feels hot.
Does this mean honey is not suitable for me,
Or bcuz it was so thick?(maybe i put water so little)
I wanted to try it in the morning but it could be even worse so i just washed my face with kiehl calendula cleanser(what i used for one week before)

Should i quit honey too?

Maybe the honey isn’t right for your skin.
It does sound like your mixture was too thick. My mix was the consistency of a typical cream and application was very easy.

Perhaps try patch testing before fully committing to a treatment. Like a small application in the area of skin behind the ear on near the hair line. This could give you clues on how your skin should behave to the treatment.

Wish I could give you a more concrete answer on which treatment option will be best for you. Seems like each persons skin behaves differently to things.

Wish you all the best and hope you manage to finally get it under control. If you have any updates/changes it would be interesting to hear back.

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen.

I actually came across this blog because I suffer from SD myself. However I didnt come here for a solution but because I was amazed at the results that dead sea salt had on me, so I decided to look around online to see what others have experienced, in a way to convince myself that this isnt a temporary treatment.

I have tried a billion things in the past (just like michael). But this seems to be doing it for me.

I dont just suffer from SD but also from bad eczema . Both combined is a very distressing exoerience.

in the past two weeks I have stuck with dead sea salt called “magik” (bought from holland and barratts) and aveeno eczema therapy moisturiser. That was it.

My method. I would use a bucket and put very hot water and then pour ALOT of the sea salt. I would then mix it and taste it to make sure its very concentrated. I then will use a cloth to soak it in the solution then slowly place it over my face very slowly and lay down for 5-7 minutes. Whenever I feel the cloth getting cooler, I just soak it again in the solution. I spend about 20 to 25 minutes repeating this method. Its very painful but I just think of the relief that follows. I’ll then rinse my face with luke warm water under the shower for 10 minutes. Straight after ill pat dry my face and apply the aveeno.

I repeat this method 2 -3 times a week before I sleep. It has been amazing. The comvination of the cream and the salt has been so good that my skin feels normal. I am praying that this carries on so that my skin heals. It has been the most promising method I have uswd within the 4 years I have seeked relief. I also want to try it with hamilayan salt. Ive never drank a salt solution but will deffo start that tomorrow.

Please dont underestimate my situation with SD …it is worse than most people I have seen with SD. the method my seem basic and obvious but it has been great.

Am tired at this very moment to cover everythingI want to say but please ask any questions if u have any.

thanks

mo

Dear Mo,

Thank you for taking the time to get back online and write about your experience and provide details on your specific approach.

I’m glad to hear that you have finally found some relief and excited to hear that it was with the sea salt.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a horrible condition and has a detrimental effect on day-to-day life.
Even though it is not life threatening, it can really impact a persons well being.

Definitely stay in touch!

PS> If you have the time and energy, send me a write-up of your exact approach and I can add it to the sea salt post.

Best of luck.

Michael.

your very welcome.

I think this is a link sent from God himself. I cannot believe someone has found relief and a cure from the methid I strongly believe…read this …I couldnt have written it better. Its EXACTLY what I do/use (the aveeno etc). I believe that this is a cure. There is hope people!

Hi Mo,

This was one of the first posts/places I had heard about the sea salt treatment. Followed the exact method there and even purchased that specific dead sea salt.

For me I had to adjust the treatment. Aveeno didn’t work too well so I used Gold Bond Healing instead (was recommended on Youtube video). Also the dead sea salt actually had worse results then my regular one from Trader Joes.

Thanks again for the update.

Hi Michael,

I will find out the name of the dead sea salt I tried. Of course everyone is different but to be honest the sea salt I was using didnt work for me in the beginning and I was just using it for desperate days. There was an occurance were I poured too much of it on a small bucket of hot boiling water, I knew thatit was too much for the little water I had in the bucket but I was so desperate I didnt care. I soaked a cotton cloth and placed it on my face gently pressing without moving the cloth…it hurt like hell! But I didnt care. The next morning I felt a huge difference and the parts that were so bad and had no hope of feeling soft have softened without any itching or tightness…I will find out the exact name of the dead sea salt and will let u know…

Hi Mo,
Yeah, i heard similar experiences from others online (intense treatment approaches that pay off).

For me it felt like there could be a possibility of damaging my skin. This made me very cautious and I would give up quickly if my skin experienced any intense reactions. For example my sea salt treatments were always very gentle.

Look forward to hearing which brand of dead sea salt you used. The one I bought was the Minera one (believe it was cited in that curezone post). Also have you tried actual sea/ocean water? I found it was even more effective for me.

Beat of Luck.

Hey Michael, I’m Darryl and I just turned 30. And I have been diagnosed with SD. I’ve nevrr experience anykind of allergic reactions or skin conditions in my life. Tho exsema and psoriasis both run in my family. 4 months ago I tried a hair fertilizer cream for a few months and it irritated my scalp and started the SD. Ever since I’ve noticed a correlation between irritation and inflammation and my hair fallin out which has been happening ever since. The GP just told me to use selsum blue and won’t refer me a dermatologist cuz she so sure she knows SD so well. I had to beg her for some kentonazole 2%. My cousin, with SD, just sent me a bottle of selsum 2.5 and the flakes are minimal but my scalp is so dry and itchy! And I haven’t out anything but on my head for the last month cuz the GP recommend me not to. Can you please give me some advice. Btw in a black male with course hair so I have to use somthin to keep my scalp moisterized and a pomade to hold style my hair. Thank you and it’s most appreciated.

Hi Darryl,
Currently the Restoraderm has still been working well for me. Haven’t had any significant seborrheic dermatitis on the face for over 6 months. Also I’ve stopped supplementing with L-Glutamine as outlined in the post. Wanted to stop supplementing with it for a while as I don’t enjoy supplements very much.

For my hair (which had pretty intense dandruff) I’m still using this moisturising shampoo . Has been working well for me. When I feel the dandruff starting up I just wash thoroughly with the shampoo and it seems to balance out. When I was using anti-dandruff shampoos previously they seemed to work by nuking the scalp and killing everything there. The moisturising shampoo approach has been quite different, it seems to balance the oiliness quite well and the dandruff never get’s a chance to build up. Not sure how this would work for you. I’ve got have regular short blonde caucasian hair. In conversation with Jina I outlined quite a bit of my whole experience so far.

Let me know if you have any updates or questions.

Best of Lucky Darryl

Thanks gent, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I’ll def get these products you mention. Especially the glutamine. I used to take it b4 the sd anyway. How often do you wash your hair with the shampoo and can I find it at a whole foods store or just online? And do you use any oil to moisturize your scalp or just the shampoo? And again thanks for your help.

Hi Darryl,
Typically I shampoo almost everyday just because I exercise regularly and usually use styling gel (both of which require washing).

As far as oils, I haven’t been using any oils on my hair, strictly just the shampoo (no conditioner or anything either). In my whole experience with seborrheic dermatitis oils always seemed to make it worse. Most research papers I looked at typically demonstrated that oils feed the bacteria which is believed to cause the seborrheic dermatitis.

In terms of availability, my guess would be that it is available at Whole Foods and many others. I’ve seen it for sale in two of the most popular supermarkets here in Canada (Superstore and Save on Foods both had it in the natural section).

Best of Luck in 2015 :slight_smile: