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!