Archive for April, 2009
I received a pharmaceutical update last week which mentioned a product called Ovace Wash. The product’s active ingredient is “sodium sulfacetamide 10%”, and is prescribed for seborrheic dermatitis of the face.
The website states:
Ovace Wash provides a convenient, gentle, fragrance-free thereapy that can be used as part of the patient’s regular facial cleansing routine.
The site goes on to say that the wash is non-steroidal, non-irritating formula.
Next time you visit your dermatologist, it might be worth asking if they have any samples for you to try? If I get to try some, I’ll let you know how it works. If anyone out there has already tried it, please let us know what you think of it.
Here is a link to the product website. Corialabs
I found this video on YouTube while doing a search for “seborrheic dermatitis”. This young lady seems very knowledgeable about SD. I like the fact that she uses products that are natural. I’m tired of supporting the big drug companies and their medicated products that feel like their destroying my skin!
So take a few minutes and watch this video. She brings up some very good points. I haven’t tried the soap she makes, but it sounds interesting? You can probably find her through YouTube if you wanted to contact her about buying some.
During my visit to the dermatologist last week, the subject of drinking alcohol and it’s affect on seborrheic dermatitis came up. I’ve enjoyed my beer for quite some time, and have occasionally read where alcohol can cause seb derm to flare up or be worse.
I told my doc…”if you can tell me that if I quit drinking, (which I love), my seborrheic dermatitis would get better or go away, I’ll quit today”. His response, “I would probably tell you you’re better off drinking than quitting”.
I was a bit shocked by his response! In fact, he went on to say, “for most skin problems, I’m not aware that alcohol has much, if any affect on it”. He did say that rosacea does seem to have a bad response to alcohol.
So…I was shocked by the response, but I have to say the part of me that loves a cold beer was rejoicing a bit! Now…is my dermatologist accurate in his statement? He’s the doctor…not me. I’d love to hear from other doctors or people that my have more experience with this subject.
Does alcohol make seborrheic dermatitis, (or other skin conditions) worse?
I’ve read quite a bit about the ZNP Bar for seb derm, but was reluctant to plunk down $10 for a bar of soap! But I was in a local drug store today and saw one so I couldn’t resist purchasing and giving it a try. (I do this for you all you know…sometimes I feel like the human guinea pig! 
)
So what is a ZNP bar you ask? The following is taken from a website describing this cleansing bar:
ZNP Bar with 2% payrithione zinc is a unique medicated cleanser that relieves the itching, irritation and skin flaking associated with Seborrheic dermatitis of the face, scalp and body. ZNP Bar also relieves the itching and scalp flaking associated with dandruff. ZNP Bar has a rich-lathering formula which cleanses gently and effectively. When used as a shampoo leaves hair soft and shiny. The unique bar form makes it more convenient and more economical than liquid soaps or shampoos.
So I’m going to try it for a few weeks and I’ll report back my findings. Yes…I know…I’m trying all kinds of stuff and if I did happen to come across something that provides some relief for my SD, I wouldn’t even know which product gave the benefits? Well…I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
So have any of you tried the ZNP bar? If so, did you feel like it did any good? Leave us a comment if you have an opinion.
Oh by the way…I priced ZNP at several online stores. I think the cheapest I found it was around $8.20 for a 4.2 oz bar. By the time you throw in shipping, you’re going to have probably $13 or $14 invested. Do yourself a favor if you’re interested in trying this, and drop by a local drugstore. Chances are they carry them and you’ll likely get for much less than what you’d pay for it online + shipping.
At my visit last week with my derma doctor, I asked if there was a vitamin that was/is especially good for skin? Not specifically for seb derm, but good for skin in general. Lets face it…I’m 44 and while I’m not terribly concerned about my skin…it’s obvious that it’s “showing my age”! I take a regular multivitamin, and a few other supplements including fish oil for heart & cholesterol, and saw palmetto for prostate health.
So my doc said that biotin is a good vitamin for skin. He said that in the typical multivitiman, we get a relatively small portion of our daily allowance, but “should” get enough through the food we eat each day. It’s very inexpensive…and if it’s good for the skin, I’m giving it a try.
So I purchased some and also did some reading on it. While biotin deficiencies are rare, they do happen. I didn’t find any “downside” to taking an excess of what is needed, but I’m also not sure that it will do a lot of good? The way I look at it, it can’t hurt!
It would seem that an “excess amount of egg whites” can cause a biotin deficiency? By excess…we’re talking 20 or more! I don’t think that would be causing me any problems as I can’t remember the last egg white I ate!
Here are some of the signs of biotin deficiency as noted in Wikipedia:
In general, appetite and growth are decreased. Dermatologic symptoms include dermatitis, alopecia (hair loss) and achromotrichia (absence or loss of pigment in the hair). Perosis (a shortening and thickening of bones) is seen in the skeleton. Fatty Liver and Kidney Syndrome (FLKS) and hepatic steatosis also can occur. Genetic defect could also cause biotin deficiency.
So…I’m going to give biotin a try and see what happens. It seems that it is used to treat “cradle cap” (a form of seborrheic dermatitis in infants), but has not really been shown to help “adult” SD. I’ll let you know what I find…if anything?
I’ve always tried to keep my scalp moisturized by using lotions. Depending on the lotion, some did a pretty good job of keeping the scaling and flakes down throughout the day. But…I would often “hate” the feeling I got from the lotions. Just that greasy feeling, you know? I started wondering if I was doing more harm than good by applying lotion throughout the day?
So I’ve recently been experimenting with keeping my scalp more clean by “not” applying lotions. But I needed something to help moisturize as well. While visiting a local health food store last week, I came across some aloe gel that I thought I would try. What I decided on was a product from, Lily Of The Desert. The company is based out of Texas and is one of the largest growers and manufacturers of Aloe products according to their website. The label states that this product is 99% pure and:
“provides relief from sunburns, minor cuts, burns, insect bites, cold sores, rashes, and other skin irritations. It can also be used as a soothing moisturizer for sensitive skin“
I have to admit that I really like the aloe vera gelly product that I purchased. It is not greasy feeling at all, and seems to be helping with the flakes and overall appearence of my scalp. I’m currently using it in conjunction with a cleaner such as Sea Breeze, and a diluted tea tree oil solution that I made up. It’s not a cure, but after a week or so, it’s doing better than anything else I’ve tried recently.
Might want to consider the “clean” approach if you haven’t tried it. It’s a little easier for me to work on my scalp during the day since I don’t have any of that “hair” to get in the way
So have you ever tried aloe vera for your SD? Did it help you at all?
Last Friday, (April 3rd), I had an appointment with my dermatologist. It was a checkup that I apparently scheduled a year ago? Thank goodness they called to remind me, cause I had no clue!
Even though it was unplanned on my part, I was glad to have the appointment. I hoped that he would inform me of some new product or treatment I could try for my seborrheic dermatitis, but unfortunately that was not the case.
He did look me over and check me out…and I got a clean bill of health, but nothing new for the SD. Actually, he did prescribe some Desowen, which is a topical steroid that he said would help with some of the “flare ups”, but thats all. I want a solution and not just a temporary treatment for the symptoms!
So I’ll keep searching as I know you are as well. Please let the rest of us know if “you” find anything that helps!
This is the first post on the seborrheic dermatitis blog! Looking forward to sharing my stories more frequently.
I hope everyone will take the time to post comments and you can also visit the forum I recently added and post questions or advice there as well.
Lets try and help each other beat seborrheic dermatitis!
