Hi there,
Thank you for taking the time to say thanks.
The options listed in the moisturizer article are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s hard to believe the amount of things I tried to get rid of it.
Currently putting together a post trying to summarize all the treatments I’ve ever tried. Maybe that will helps other going down the same road.
As far as moisturizers go I’ve currently been sticking to the Restoraderm Moisturizing Lotion (along with the cleanser) and it’s been working extremely well. However, when I was discussing it with another reader I noticed the ingredients list of the one sold on Amazon.com differ from the one I’ve been using. The ingredients list on their official page match my little sample bottles (haven’t needed to buy any yet).
You can get a feel for how well it’s been going for me on some of the other comments here.
Best of luck finding something that works for you. One of the biggest factors seems to be staying positive!
Also one reader sent me an email with his experience. After trying all the stuff he can find, he came across one dermatologist who prescribed him Nystatin (a topical anti-fungal). Said he’s been using it ever since and it has made it go away. Will add details on his experience to the site in the next few days as well.
Hope that helps and once again thanks for the feedback.
Look forward to hearing any updates.
Hard to say if its required. From the start I used them in combination. Has been working well, so had no reason to cut out the moisturizer.
Never was a fan of using a moisturizer. I use only a tiny little bit each time. Only a few tiny drops a few minutes after washing my face. When the skin is still moist it spreads super well. To give you an idea of how little i use, about 8 months of constant usage and I’ve only used ~40ml.
Check your local clinic and they likely have sample bottles. Especially pediatric (kids) clinics.
Hi Tracy,
As per our email conversation, it looks like the way to go if you need a natural oil. Fractioned Coconut Oil looks like another term they use for MCT Coconut Oil, doesn’t look like theres any real difference. Here’s the research paper that I originally got the idea/information from (didn’t include it in the email as I had to search for it again).
If you end up getting the oil, let me know how it goes. All the best.
HI, have you used Cetaphil’s DERMACONTROL Oil Control Foam Wash and moisturizer? I got the foam wash as a sample once. I’m not sure if it improved my SD but it definitely did not worsen it at all. Just wondering how they compare if you have tried them.
Hi Nikki,
Haven’t used that product, but have a sample of it somewhere as well. A few of the oil control cleansers I did try were not very effective.
The Restoraderm is hard to explain. Its very mild and doesn’t seem like it would do much. However, a little bit goes a long way for me.
Hope that helps. Additionally I’m much more aware of my skin, thoughts, diet and body. Anxiety and stress (physical or emotional) seem to be quite powerful triggers.
Thank you for all these information i have rosacea and i got SD since 3 or 4 weeks .my doctor prescribe me elledol cream that i have bee using since 3 days. it is the same .it is really frustrated to have this condation they seems never go away. my friend recommend me apple cider vinegar. i will try and i let you know.
thank you again that is so relieve to find this much info about SD.
good luck
Thank for taking the time to leave a comment and thank you for the feedback
Personally I haven’t tried the Elledol Cream, so I can’t really comment on how it compares to the other creams I’ve tried.
If I had to start over again the first thing I would try is the face wash and moisturiser I currently use (Cetaphil Restoraderm). I tried to outline the rest of the details on my current approach in this post. Maybe that could help.
Apple Cider Vinegar seems to be really great for some people. Through this website alone I have talked to at least 6 people who have confirmed it’s potential. For me I couldn’t find the perfect balance though. Check out the comments section of the ACV post for some feedback from others.
Additionally you might find this post useful. It’s basically a summary of almost everything I tried. Some stuff is missing, but it’s a huge list of stuff as is. Hopefully it’s of use to others going down the same route.
If you have the time, any updates on your progress would be a huge benefit to any other readers.
Best of luck and hope you find something that works.
I have had SD for about a year now. I tried ACV for a few months and it didn’t help. My rash was pretty bad. For the past month, I have only been using Restoraderm wash and moisturizer and taking oral coconut oil supplements and the SD is going away. Now, the rash is 1/3 of what it used to be.
Hi Nikki,
Glad to hear the Restoraderm helped as well.
Are you following a similar regimen described at the bottom here (ie. small amount used, letting face air dry, and such)?
In terms of the oral coconut supplements, are you taking caprylic acid or something else?
If you find the time, leave details on your approach on my most complete write up on that treatment here as well (will help readers of strictly that one).
All the best.
I tried the honey masks, but the time and mess make it just too impractical. After half a dozen real three-hour sessions, I’ve switched to just wearing it during a shower 3-4 times a week. I really think it’s still helping, even if maybe not as much. Also, I think the biggest thing that’s worked for me is switching to Olay’s “moisturizing lotion for sensitive skin.” I liked most of the ones suggested here, but they didn’t work well under makeup. I also like Dr Lin’s daily hydrating gel at night. In six weeks, I’ve finally gotten the dermatitis back to a normal state where it’s not horribly peeling all the time. I think the flare up was started last summer when I went crazy for coconut oil and put it on my face daily. Lesson learned the hard way! Thanks again for your immense help with the research side of my quest to walk outside without a bag over my head.
Glad to hear your making progress.
Thanks the update and for pointing out the make up thing, it was not an issue for me (male so no make up).
Yeah completely agree with the honey masks. They are quite impractical for the modern lifestyle.
In terms of the trigger, yeah I think it differers for people.
For me I trace it back to when I started washing my face daily with commercial soaps (Ivory, Dove, etc). I think this could have messed the skin regular balance.
Not sure if you saw my post complete post here (it is an attempt to sum up all my experiences).
It contains basically everything I tried and towards the end it outlines my current approach (which has worked out extremely well for me).
Hope it works out in the end and you find something that works day-in and day-out.
Take care and let me know if you have any updates/questions.
My doctor had suggested Cetaphil about a year ago. It seemed to work wonderfully until this past winter when I started to break out in hives. As with Michael, I have tried so many different lotions I was getting very down and very frustrated. I do believe my hormonal changes have contributed to my SD. As well, I notice that when I have dairy, I seem to have flare-ups. I, too, tried the coconut oil and the first couple of days my skin felt amazing yet it was still dry. I am still trying to find something that works for more than a couple of days -right now it’s Vaseline and hydrocortisone cream.
Thank you so much for posting your experiences with different remedies…it’s actually soothing to know I’m not alone with this battle!
Hey Christine,
Thanks for checking in. From what I saw while researching Vaseline can have a negative effect for people (based on forums). However, technical the bacteria that is believed to be the cause can not feed off the specific lipids found in Vaseline. The most I’ve ever sued hydrocortisone was for about 7 days at the very beginning when it all started (from what I understand it can have negative long term effects on the skin).
Hopefully you find something to finally get it under control again.
In regards to the cetaphil, was it the same one? I have tried the regular one previously as well with good result, but this one seems to take it to a new level.
I haven’t been that diligent with the air-dry etc. method, and have just been putting it on like normal lotion: Wash with Restoraderm using cool water, pad dry with face cloth, pea size amount Restoraderm lotion all over my face, go to school And I have a scrubby shower cloth for the flacks that I use to lather Restoraderm wash and scrub my nose area with.
For the coconut oil, I found in Shoppers, a huge bottle of organic coconut oil in gel capsules. When I first started, I got “die-off symptoms”, some bloating etc. but that does away.
My SD is still about 1/3 of the size from when it was worst. Some friends say it’s not that noticeable, some say it just looks like mild acne or I have cold. However, it’s not really improving anymore.
What I did notice is that after drinking a lot of alcohol, it gets a lot worse. So I do feel that what we put IN our bodies matters more than what we put ON.
This reply was a long time coming. Sorry for the delay.
The effect it (Restoraderm) has for you seems different then for me. This whole time I’ve never had to actually scrub any flakes off. Except inside the ears for some reason, but it never gets irritated or red there. However, my face has been clear this whole time I’ve been using it since last summer.
The worst it has ever gotten was actually a few weeks ago. For the first time since last summer a few of the previously affected areas became slightly inflamed (luckily not flaking though). I attributed this to a really stressful time at work, unrealistic deadlines (work + school) and just general unrest (poor sleep, dehydration, lots of crappy food). However, I stepped back from everything and managed to calm things down and everything went back to normal almost immediately.
Interesting to see you reporting die off symptoms from the coconut oil. Even when consuming large amounts (4-5 tablespoons) I didn’t notice anything except a little nausea from trying to digest a big chunk of fat :). Too be honest some of things people report as die off stuff on forums, just seems like the actual side effect to whatever they’ve taken. For example drinking too much alcohol can make someone puke their guts out, one could make the case that these are die off symptoms from the alcohol killing all the bad stuff :). Whenever I tried to find actual medical documentation regarding the “die-off” effect, there was little actual academic literature on the subject.
Yeah your spot on with the last point. The Restoraderm helps me keeps things to a minimum and allows me to gently wash the face. However, being calm inside, being mindful of diet choices, and getting rid of toxic thought processes can have dramatic effects on many aspects of your health.
The biggest issue with S/D is that it can create a horrible feedback loop. Especially with all the scary/misleading content out there. Thinking I had a crazy fungal infection in my system caused lots of stress. Accepting the thought that everything is alight inside, brought a huge amount of relief and calmness.
Hope some of this can be of benefit.
All the best. Stay in touch and let me know if you have any improvements.
My problem is solely on the folds of my nose so I was wondering if you recommend using two different moisturizers - one for the affected area and the other for my face.
I’m thinking of buying the one that you recommend along with another one since I have very oily skin and the cetaphil one says it’s mostly for dry skin. If you have any recommendations on a good moisturizer for oily skin that would be great because I’ve read that certain moisturizers can also influence the problem.
