Hello,
I ordered nystatin from Amazon.de.
It has been 2 months that I am applying it on my face. I tried almost everything suggested and finally I am cured with nystatin, not only my face but the cheast and sculp too. But it caused acne problem on my chin similar to Ian’s but compared to sd it is not effecting my social life that much.
I applied it once a day on my face and it helped with the other spots as well. So I have this idea now, I will start applying not on my face but other spots effected before, to see if it will keep my face cured.
I will let you know when I have results.
Thank you for this community.
Regards,
Th
Hello Joakim,
My Seborrheic dermatitis is almost exclusively and primarily on my eyebrows. I was wondering if you used the Nystatin cream on your eyebrows as well, and whether the cream was alright to apply on your brows, without clogging the follicles or making the hair very greasy?
Kind regards, a fellow Scandinavian with SD.
Ben
Hi Ben,
I find that I have SD pretty much everywhere where I have hair on my head. Hair, beard, eyebrows, everything. The scalp got better, as I wrote in the story above, just by applying nystatin to my face and using shampoo with zinc pyrithione. However, I also apply it to the spots in my beard and eyebrows that are affected. It’s usually the same places, where it keeps coming back if I don’t treat it. So yes, I’d say that you can use it in your eyebrows without any adverse effects. Just be careful not to put it in your eyes by mistake 
I haven’t experienced greasy hair or clogged follicles, but apparently some of the other guys have concerns regarding the isopropyl myristate that is in the creme. So just be warned, if you have also had bad experiences with that ingredient. In my opinion, however, it is really not a very oily/greasy creme.
Best of luck!
Another update:
What I’ve been doing:
1.) Adding a single pump of BIOM8 oil to my moisturiser once a day, to entire face
2.) Applying Skinoren (azelaic acid 15%) every night, to entire face
3.) Following up with Sebclair cream, applied only to affected areas (sides of my nose, crease on my chin), morning and night
4.) Applying 90% raw honey mask/10% distilled water mask to entire face for 3 hours every other night (as per this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11485891). I’ve been doing this for almost a month at this point, and will continue it on a weekly basis for another 6 months as the study suggests.
The positives:
I no longer have a bunch of clogged pores around my nose so I can say with absolutely certainty that the Nystatin cream was responsible for that, having stopped using it about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Also, the azelaic acid has been doing a pretty good job of keeping my acne in check (which is one of the reasons I’ve been using it), so I’m happy that I no longer have to use benzoyl peroxide at all at this point, after 5+ years of being so heavily reliant on it and suffering its drawbacks.
The negatives:
While progress on the acne front has been great, progress on the SD front has been painfully slow, especially considering I’ve been very strictly following a routine in which I’m attacking it from three angles (coming up on almost a month of these raw honey masks, and having used both BIOM8 oil and Sebclair consistently for over 2 weeks). Unlike acne, which I’m more than aware can take at least a couple of months to respond to a new treatment regimen, I’m under the impression that SD symptoms should respond in 2-4 weeks.
I’ll continue my current regimen regardless, probably for a fairly long time. My reasoning being that a.) slathering honey on my face every other night for the past 4 weeks has been a massive pain, but doing it for the next 6 months on just a weekly basis as per the study’s recommendations is a lot more manageable by comparison, b.) with the BIOM8 oil and Sebclair, even if they don’t end up doing much for my SD at least they also serve as moisturisers that don’t clog my pores, so they’re not doing any harm, and c.) I’m going to be using Skinoren indefinitely because it addresses my acne and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (I’m an azelaic acid convert at this point).
As I’ve been a bit frustrated with the slow response, if any, on the SD front I’ve been looking into how I can rule out the possibility of it being something else that manifests itself similarly to SD, and I came across this study about demodex dermatitis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958185/
It mentions that demodex dermatitis symptoms can look an awful lot like SD but argues that it should be considered a separate condition. The subjects applied crotamiton cream to the affected areas twice daily for 2-4 weeks and the response rate was impressive – but what I find particularly interesting is that subjects responded very well to it even though some tested negative for a high demodex concentration on their face. They recommend crotamiton if you’ve been unimpressed with the results of other SD treatments (which at this rate might end up being the case for me).
Crotamiton is sold OTC in the UK as Eurax cream, so I’ve ordered a small tube. I’m not getting my hopes too high, but I want to give it a shot so I can at least rule it out if it doesn’t end up working. Moreover, it doesn’t contain the extremely pore-clogging isopropyl myristate (hooray!) so it shouldn’t do any harm. If I don’t notice improvement after 2-4 weeks then it’s reasonable to conclude that it’s not treating it.
Will post more updates further down the road.
Tried Nystatin. Just made my skin more flaky. Tried raw honey. Made my skin so much red.
The biom probiotic spray is the only thing that does not make my skin worse.
After new year a will complete the clear skin programme. You can download it for free http://www.juicemaster.com/clear-skin-programme/
I rather do something for real than to keep looking for answers and traying topical solutions that don’t work.
Have a great weekend all
Håkan
Sweden
I am new to this site, saw it first about two weeks ago.I am currently awaiting the Biom8 oil, while basically trying out coconut oil on my sd, which is on my scalp, in back from about middle of my head down to where my hair ends. It been such a pain, fir so long. I have long curly hair, so its not visable, but is sooo uncomfortable.
i have been to dermatologists all my life, who just give the same old advice, shampoos that,while they may have ingredients to quell the sd, they wind up leaving my scalp feeling burning, tight, itchy and irritated. I am now on my own personal quest fir natural solutions…seems that maintenance is all I can expect. Maybe a cure? So far, I am feeling a pretty decent relief by using pure coconut oil.
There is a doctor in New York City, (i live 25 mikes away) Dr. Ash, who is an integrative type doctor, who says, on his website that he prescribes Nystatin for SD. I am interested, but have not yet checked this out with a doctor yet, as i believe it must be prescribed, not over the counter. I wonder, for thosee of you using it, how do you know what strength to use, or how many times to apply, in order to kill the fungus, but not cause skin chaos? I am quite excited to try it, because if its even a temporary type “cure” wow, I ll be forever grateful
Hey Patricia,
I guess your doctor would instruct you to use it in a way, so you don’t over use it. I was prescribed 4 tubes to be used over 2 years. That should be more than plenty. I’m a year into treatment – still SD free (although with 1 or 2 relapses) – and I’m still on my second tube, which has plenty left.
It says on my prescription that I should use it once daily, but I’m quite sure that my dermatologist suggested that I could use it twice if I was having a rough time. For me it has never given me a burning sensation similar to those nizoral shampoos for instance. And when I’m clear of SD I tend not to use it – during summer for instance.
I think someone else asked to the specific creme somewhere else in the comments, so you should be able to find it and instructions on how to order it from Germany, if you don’t want to see a doctor about it. I don’t know if that is expensive in the US.
Best of luck, though, I hope you see some nice results either from nystatin/biom8/or whatever proves to be your solution
Hi, I have seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp for a year now and have tried all sorts of products and nothing really helped. I’m thinking about trying Nystatin on my scalp, but I read on the internet that several people who use Nystatin are experiencing hair loss from it. Mostly these people use it to treat other conditions. Do you notice any hair loss?
Hi Vincent, no Ii do not experience any hair loss. But then again I don’t apply any of it to my scalp, so that would be weird.
Nystatin might come in different concentrations, I’m not sure, so if you can, note the concentration of the nystatin when you read stories regarding hair loss. It could be that the type used in those cases is more potent than the one recommended here.
Best regards,
Joakim
I promised myself to stop putting oils to my face, but just had to try borage oil on my eye lids and in between my eyes yesterday.
My skin looked great from the moment I put it on and still does after 20 hours!
If the John Vale Skin Clear programme does not work I will try borage on the rest of my face.
Merry Christmas
Håkan
Hi Joakim,
Sorry to hear about the short relapse. Luckily the Nystatin was still effective though. And yeah your hypothesis is in-line with my research. There appear to be strains of malassezia which are able to adapt and become resistant to the Nystatin. Additionally, as Ian pointed out in one of his comments there are other micro-organisms which may be causing symptoms that closely resemble seborrheic dermatitis.
In terms of the Malassezia, I strongly believe it effects some of us due to a combination of compromised barrier function, which is related to fatty acid metabolism and/or local fatty acid synthesis. Perhaps this is cause by another bacteria or something within our bodies that prevents optimal immune function. Overall though, topical still seem to play an important role as they allow us to live life while be figure out the underlying issue (which I still believe is important for long term).
Have started work on a second edition of the book, hoping to go even deeper and really get to the core of the issue (and improve the structure of the last chapter).
Happy holidays and best of luck in the New Year!
All the best.
Hi Jay,
Just wanted to chime in on the Isopropyl Myristate and Nystatin. If I’m not mistaken, you could get a custom formulation of Nystatin cream from your local pharmacy. At-least this is how it works here in Canada. Nystatin is one of the most commonly used anti-fungals, so it really shouldn’t be a problem. Perhaps you could even get it in a water based solution.
As for the hit and miss, this seems to apply universally
Happy holidays! And best wishes for the New Year!
Hi TJ,
Hope all is well. Just wanted to chime in.
Not sure where you are located, but I believe you may be able to obtain a custom formulation of nystatin cream from your local pharmacy.
Let me know if you pursue this idea.
Happy holidays and hope you have a wonderful 2016!
Best of luck.
Hi Ian,
Interested note regarding the Crotamiton. Have been adding this topic to my research lately, will update once I have more information compiled. Did you end up trying this out yet?
PS> Also have a bit of research papers on acne, perhaps these may be useful to you. Will somehow send over via email.
All the best.
Hi Hakan,
The clear skin program looks promising and will likely have very good results. With time though, it appears the best approach is one that you can easily integrate in your daily life. Juicing was just something that I’ve been too lazy to be consistent with. Currently, I just make sure to eat a certain amount of raw vegetables every single day, drink lots of water, exercise and all the general good stuff. However, I’ve also been using the Biom8 pretty much every single day, so hard to say if it’s doing all the work.
How have things progressed since? Any updates on the Probiotic Repair Spray usage?
Hope you can finally find something that resolves things for you. Still busy compiling research and expanding the work. Will update if I find something that may be useful/applicable to you.
All the best and happy holidays!
Hello Michael,
I trust you are doing well.
Thank you for your suggestion. I live in Istanbul Turkey and here we only have nystatin for oral use. But if you think that it helps to reduce acne, I will try to get help from Germany with custom formula.
I tried not to apply nystatin directly on face but this time the risk of sd appeared which I never want to face again.
I hope I can find a way to have it in Istanbul.
Thank you,
tj
Hi Michael
The probiotic spray is great since it does not make my face worse. I find it important to always wash my face before using it.
I’m having a break from putting anything on my face a few weeks now. Except for borage oil on eye lids which works great.
The John Vale Skin clear programme is not just juicing. The 30 day programme consists of soups and sallads with chicken and salmon as well.
I will be starting it on January 4th. Will come back with results.
Happy holidays
Håkan
Just to continue with my updates here.
My routine has been mostly similar to what I’ve been doing for the past month, with a couple minor changes.
AM:
As of the past week I now just occasionally use Michael’s BIOM8 Oil as a cleanser and mix it with shampoo in the shower. I didn’t notice results from using it as a daily moisturiser after several weeks, but it works just fine as a gentle cleanser so I continue to use it this way (better than throwing it away, after all). Then I use a simple light moisturiser with minimal ingredients (Sebamed Clear Face Gel) and that’s it.
PM:
I wash my face, and then apply Skinoren gel (15% Azelaic Acid) as always (can’t tell if it’s helping my SD at all but it helps my acne, so I’ll continue to use it). I used to apply Sebclair (aka Promiseb) cream at this stage, but I replaced it with a very interesting cream I found called Ducray Kelual DS Cream. Like Sebclair it has piroctone olamine which is an antifungal, but the interesting thing is that it also happens to have crotamiton, which I mentioned in a previous post was the ingredient used in a study to treat demodex mites. The fact that they included crotamiton lends further credence to my theory that a demodex involvement shouldn’t be entirely ruled out as a cause of symptoms that manifest very similarly to SD.
Here’s the full ingredients list for the Ducray Kelual DS cream:
Aqua, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclomethicone, Dicaprylyl Ether,Cetearyl Alcohol, Acetamide MEA, Glycolic Acid, Guandine Carbonate, Glyceryl Stearate, Plymethyl Methacrylate, Ceteareth-33, Crotamiton, Piroctone Olamine, Serenoa Serrulata fruit Extract (Serenoa Serrulata Extract), Tetrasodium EDTA.
I don’t do raw honey masks anymore because they had no effect on my SD and were a pain to do. I’ve been wanting to keep my routine as simple and stress-free as possible and I’ve kept it that way, and have no intentions of doing otherwise anymore.
As for results, if there have been any it’s been quite minimal. I think the sides of my nose might be slightly less pink, but it’s hard to say.
But to echo what I said in my last post, I continue to suspect that I might have demodex involvement because my dermatitis appears to manifest itself a bit differently from the standard SD symptoms. Namely, from the photos and accounts of SD sufferers I’ve noticed that there’s this tendency towards concentrated patches of redness that look like flakey rashes. I would describe what I have as more of a diffuse pinkness across my central face (minus the forehead, which is completely clear) that gradually fades out towards my cheeks, and my nasolabial folds and chin crease are a bit redder than that surrounding pinkness. Basically, I always look like I have a mild sunburn.
Therefore I want to rule out the possibility of demodex involvement. In the study I posted previously, they recommend using a 10% crotamiton cream/lotion for 2-4 weeks. The Ducray Kelual DS cream contains crotamiton (which could be why I’m seeing extremely marginal improvement, if any) but judging from its location on the ingredient list I’d say it’s only a fraction of the 10% concentration recommended by the study. There is a cream available OTC in the UK called Eurax that does contain 10% – I ordered it a while back but then I left the country for the holiday and didn’t receive it in time, but now that I’ve returned I’m going to start using it.
So for the next 2 weeks I’m going to apply Eurax to my entire face morning and night. If I see improvement I’ll continue the course for an additional 2 weeks. If I don’t see any improvement whatsoever, then I at least have eliminated it as a possibility and can just focus on it being a case of SD.
Michael, I’ll be sure to report back about my results after this trial. Interesting that you’re also encountering more research about demodex!
Also interesting about that person who didn’t see results from the BIOM8 Oil, like myself, but noticed improvement from the Probiotic Spray. I’ll bear that in mind. I want to give this crotamiton trial a proper shot first, but if it doesn’t work out then I’d be interested in trying out the spray, because if it is indeed SD then I clearly need a different angle of attack. Beyond the Kelual DS cream I’m currently using and another cream I found that contains climbazole and piroctone olamine, I’ll be a bit exhausted for options on the SD treatment front if I end up having to return to it. I don’t suppose there’d be any discount available for those curious in trying out the spray after giving the oil a go with no results? No worries if not.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
- Ian
Hi
Here is a topical probiotic spray that looks very intresting:
Only available in US and Canada.
I think that in a lot of skin issues the skin is lacking from good bacteria to keep the bad bacteria at a low level.
Creams like antifugals and steroids will kill the good bacteria and therefor never cure the skin in the long run.
The ideal thing should be to optimise the gut health with healthy foods like the John Vale Skin clear programme. It’s free for download. And also use oil free topical probiotics.
And here is another one designen for rosacea and acne that doesn’t kill good bacteria on the skin like steroids do:
No oils work for me. The oil free biom8 probiotic spray does not make my SD worse.
The last weeks I have only washed my face with water when taking a shower. My face has improved by 50% from this.
Will start the Skin clear programme later this month.
Best wishes
Håkan
Hi Ian,
As it happens, I’m also experimenting with Skinoren gel and Kelual DS Creme right now after an (short) unsuccessful trial with BIOM8 Oil. For the time being I decided to leave the Kelual out to see what the skinoren gel does on its own. So far I would also say that it helps with pimples but not so much with the SD scaling and redness, but it is still too early to definitely tell.
I tried out the Kelual Creme in addition for some days which didn’t seem to make much of a difference. But this was not an adequate treatment period. I recognized though that the Kelual has a tendency to try out the skin, a little bit like the Skinoren gel. This was also a reason why I decided against using both compounds together.
With regard to this Demodex theory that you referred to: I think for myself I can pretty much rule that out. I applied a whole tube of Soolantra Creme (Ivermectin) over several weeks onto the affected areas of my face but had no positive results from it. But let’s see what turns out of your Eurax experiment.