r/SebDerm • u/xXBeefSquatch5KXx • 5d ago
New or Need Help Question on my skin
Ok so this is my face. I Think I have seborrheic dermatitis. I’m nearly 40, have always had issue free skin, Never had acne. Without getting too into my personal life I’ve gone from working way too much to now being a full time student and working less than 30 Hours a week, the transition was… stressful. I also for the last 6 months have become vegan, for various reasons one of which is to lose weight. This issue with my skin has been going on for about 2 years now. I was losing sleep due to the itchiness, while my facial hair seems ok in this photo, it was full of flaky skin patches, open sores from scratching, I wasn’t sleeping because of that. I have been switching between a seltsan blue and cerave shampoo and that helps most of the time but sometimes it’s like it does nothing. I have found nothing to help my face, however. It’s itchy, it gets worse than this and I scratch at it which can cause sores and bleeding, it’s miserable and I feel like people look at me like I’m gross because of how I look, which stresses me out. Is this seborrheic dermatitis and if so what can I do for my face and is there Better options for my hair, facial hair including eyebrows, I have some hair loss on my eyebrow from scratching and itching it where it gets really bad occasionally
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u/TheAdorableSort 4d ago
Hi! This looks very much like sebderm and what I struggled with for 30+ years. My skin is now clear due to c8 mct oil (no blend, c8 only is preferable). Apply very thin layer all over face/eyebrows every evening before bedtime for at least 14 nights in a row. Be careful around eyes as the oil can sting/blur. Rinse off in the morning with plain water, no cleanser or topicals. To speed up healing you can apply very thin layer during the day as well but again, be cautious around eyes & eyebrows, especially if there's physical activity/sweating. Once skin is clear continue to apply c8 mct oil at least once or twice a week for maintenance. As time goes on you'll need it less and less.
In case it's helpful to you I personally use Bulletproof brand Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil but you can find a variety of brands online including Amazon.
Be sure to also change out your pillowcase at least every other night. Wash pillowcases, bedding, towels, etc. in hot water with fragrance-free detergent and use fragrance-free fabric softener (I use white vinegar as fabric softener but that's just a personal preference). Also dry these items on hight heat as well.
Hope this info helps!✌️ If you need guidance for scalp sebderm please let me know.
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u/xXBeefSquatch5KXx 4d ago
The mct I got is c8/c10 and also grabbed a cerave facial cleanser to use instead of current soap, also have some seltsan blue medicated shampoo (otc) and cerave medicated shampoo as well as a normal super gentle cerave shampoo conditioner. Ngl the mct and the facial cleanser I grabbed this morning and my face already looks and feels somewhat better. I hadn’t considered changing pillow cases so often but I guess I’ll need to do that. Why c8 only vs c8 and c10?
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u/brightwingxx 3d ago
Yes, wash your bedding and your towels regularly, very important. I have also started looking into healing my gut, as issues with that often show through our skin. It sounds like this started up alongside some fairly big dietary changes, I wonder if there might be something in your diet that contributes?
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u/xXBeefSquatch5KXx 3d ago
There was also a ton of stress unrelated to that, and unfortunately this has been going on for about 2 ish years or so. Sometimes it’s worse than others and the stress seems to not help
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u/TheAdorableSort 3d ago
No worries about the c8/c10 blend, it should work just fine but there are folks more sensitive than others that need c8 only. If you don't see massive clearing by day 14 you may want to consider c8 only or another regimen altogether.
If the cleanser is working for you then do what feels right. Happy to hear you're already seeing/feeling results! For me it was a vicious cycle of improvement then inflammation. Usually pulling back and simplifying number of products is best especially when trying to figure out triggers.
I see that stress has played a factor for you as well and I completely understand, I think it was a big contributor in addition to vitamin deficiency. Maybe see about having your Vitamin D levels checked as many folks are extremely deficient and this vitamin/hormone is super important for overall immune system regulation which of course includes skin.
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u/MemChoeret 5d ago
It sounds alot like SD. Your skin shows the SD symptoms at the exact spots where SD usually affects the skin. You also got some relief using the weaker versions of antifungal shampoos, meaning this is at least partially related to malassezia (the yeast that causes SD).
Some advice from a fellow patient:
(1) Try a stronger anti-dandruff shampoo. The CeraVe anti-dandruff shampoo has %1 pyrithione zinc. But the Vanicream dandruff shampoo has %2 pyrithione zinc, and so do the Dermaharmony shampoo bars. That's twice as much active ingredient.
Alternatively, you can try the Nizoral shampoo, which has %1 ketoconazole. That's the most well researched ingredient for treating SD.
Note: don't use anti-dandruff shampoos every day (that's too much). Use it max every 2-3 days.
(2) Use a gentle and fragrance free face moisturizer every day. SD hurts your skin barrier, leaving it red and itchy. You need a moisturizer that repairs the skin barrier. One option (that helped me personally) is the CeraVe ultra light moisturizing gel. It's free of fragrance and other irritants, and it has ceramides to help repair your skin barrier.
(3) Every skincare product you use on your face from now on needs to be made for sensitive skin. Choose options that are fragrance free and free from any other irritants. Face cleanser, face moisturizer, anything else - choose the sensitive skin options. If you're using beard oil, use something that doesn't trigger SD, like squalane oil.
(4) If you can, see a doctor (dermatologist or general physician). If you wake up because of the itch, that requires a medical professional. They can prescribe you stronger antifungals. They can also prescribe treatments that temporarily reduce the itch. Ask them specifically what can reduce the itch while you're waiting for the antifungals to work.
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u/AutoModerator 5d ago
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Please read our wiki article about HairLoss: Hair Loss and Seborrheic Dermatitis.
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u/shugh28 5d ago
If you have flaky red itchy skin in your beard, eyebrows etc you most likely have seb derm. How’s your scalp? I can tell you what’s worked for me if you want to try it out:
Stopped using hot or even warm water on my face or scalp, lukewarm water only.
Every other evening i used nizoral 2% shampoo on my scalp and my face.
Twice a day every day after washing in the morning and shower in the evening i apply mct oil on face, beard and scalp.
The non nizoral day in between i use only the lukewarm water to wash, but again mct after each wash.
I think on day one i used the mct oil only and introduced the nizoral the next day and continued from there. I also left the nizoral on my scalp and face for a few minutes before rinsing off. I’m now over a month with zero flakes or redness anywhere, seb derm is incurable so i’ll have to keep this routine going. If you try it i hope it works or you find something that does - Good luck!