Overview of Seborrheic Dermatitis Face Treatments

Hi Adam,
Still using the Restoraderm, and my technique hasn’t changed form the original posting.
Simply just do regular daily washings before bed. Here is an outline of the routine:

  • Rinse face with cold water
  • Wash face with small amount of the Restoraderm wash
  • Let air dry for a few minutes, during this time I typically brush my teeth
  • Massage in a small amount of the Restoraderm moisturiser while face is still moist and let air dry

That's all I do now.

I’ve stopped the Glutamine supplementation because I feel like it finished it’s job.
Hope that helps, and let me know if you need any more details.

If you find the time, would love to hear any updates you may have. Best of luck.

Thanks for the clarification Michael. As of right now Im on the Honey/ACV/DermaZinc Lotion routine. Day 4 right now. Funny thing is, as Im typing this, I have my face smothered in Honey at the beginning of the 3hr mask. Im seeing good results so far. 5 days ago I got off of Elidel so my skin is going through the stages of getting off of a suppressant and flaking lots, but redness and itching has gone down dramatically.

This might sound like a weird question but I have to ask. If you only wash your face before bed, what do you do when you wake in the morning? I imagine you dont splash your face with water because that would rinse off the RestoraDerm from the night before. Do you just do nothing and keep ur skin untouched? How do you get ur hair wet in order to comb or style it without getting ur face wet?

See. Weird questions for sure haha!!! But it would help me out a lot…

Adam

Hi Luis,

Yeah the one you have looks like the same one I saw on Amazon.com (not sure if that is an older formula, newer formula, or a US formula).
That formula you pointed out seems to be mainly sold in the United States. All the Canadian retailers seem to carry the formula I’ve got here.
Since Cetaphil is a Canadian company, I would imagine the would have their most recent SKU available to the Canadian market.

Also unsure if the slight change in ingredients makes a difference.
Maybe as other readers report their results, it will become clear if the small differences have an impact.

If it helps I saw the exact formula I’m using on Amazon.com as well, however it was from secondary suppliers.
US Wal Mart doesn’t include the ingredients on their online listing, so not sure which one they carry. CVS and Wal Greens have the same ingredients as mine listed.

Perhaps if your still not seeing any improvements I can try to send you one of my samples (could show if the ingredients make a difference).
Look forward to hearing any updates. Hopefully it works out in the end.

Hi Adam,

Yeah it’s really not that strange of a question actually :). I do have a bit of a special approach.

Basically I wash and moisturise at night and let it do it’s thing while I sleep. When I wake up my face is good to go.
In the morning shower I just tilt my head back and wash my hair, without getting the face wet.
Perhaps using the stuff morning and night might be allright as well (I believe another reader here is doing that). My own goal was going as minimal as possible.

In terms of other swimming activities (pool, sauna), they seem to be okay.
If anything I just wash my face with the Restoraderm at my last contact with water during the day (if I shower or go to the pool early in the evening I just use the Restoraderm then).

Haven’t gone swimming in the ocean since everything balanced out. In the summer I’ll update on how that goes.

Thanks for the clear response. Now I know how to go about it.

Yeah, I thought I read in one of your posts you were from Vancouver. I just got a bottle of the Restoraderm moisturizer from London Drugs, so now I have both. I find that if I moisturize the nose fold area (only area red and flaky) it flakes very little. Since we’re both from the same city, likely using the same formula.

I just started, I’ll post back in a couple weeks and let you know how it’s working. I’m hoping it goes away completely.

The shampoo seems good. Smells good. I have a bit of Nizoral left, so I’ll just finish it while alternating with the Andalou stuff. I know the first time I had dandruff bad, Nizoral worked completely and I stopped. This time it doesn’t seem as effective, but I’ll finish the bottle. My scalp isn’t bad right now.

Thank again.

BTW, I bought the gluatmine for recovery from weights. Weird that you stayed sore while on it. Seems like the opposite of what it’s suppose to do.

Great to hear from someone in the same city.

In terms of the glutamie, when I first started supplementing with it, I felt the usual effects (quick muscle recovery). Things only changed after about 6-7 months of practically daily supplementation.

Also found this reversal strange. My explanation for this was that my body was just telling me it had enough. Maybe everything was sore for others reasons, not sure. Either way I took that cue and stopped supplementation.

Also maybe because I was taking it on an empty stomach every morning, it absorbed differently (as opposed to someone taking it right after training and/or with food).

Overall though I felt great when taking it. Especially seemed to have great energy in the morning.

Look forward to hearing back from you and hope it works out.

Hi MICHAEL

My gluten free diet ended after 20 days with a flare up so i guess gluten free doesnt work for me.

i am currently testing raw organic honey method . I started today actually . I will share results asap .

i’m also planning on buying the 2 products (cleanser and moisturizer that helped you so much) .

I would like to ask you about glutamine supplementation.

How much did you take each day in terms of mg ?

i read here ( http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/glutamine ) that doses as high as 500-1500 mg are generally safe

for how much time should i consume it order to heal my gut?

Hey Michael, thanks dude! It’s been about a week using the Cetaphil Restoraderm, and I guess I was lucky because the redness and flakes on my nose fold is gone. Pretty much started looking better right away.

I suppose it wasn’t too bad of a case to begin with but it wasn’t going away on it’s own. Hope it stays gone. Fingers crossed.

I just use the wash and moisturizer like a normally do, when I wake up and when I go to sleep. The moisturizer seems to really work to keep the flakes away, I apply it liberally in the area.

Still have the dandruff, but the shampoo seems to help. Guess it moisturizes my scalp. The Nizoral just made my scalp ultra dry, itchy and dandruff got worse.

I never did start with the glutamine. Been lifting a bit more lately so just started taking 5 mg a day. Figure it can’t hurt. Have taken it before for working out.

Anyway, thanks man. Appreciate it.

BTW, do you use the moisturizer sparingly because that’s how you usually do it, or are you concerned it may lose it’s efficacy through overuse?

Hi HopeDiesLast,

Thanks for the update.
My “gluten free” results were similar to yours. Personally it seems the initial improvements were more mind of matter for me.
Let me know how the raw honey method is for you. Typically it was quick to calm my skin down.

Most of all I am interested on how your results from the Cetaphil products turn out.
So far there have been a number of positive outcomes form others. Hope it helps you as well.

Each morning I would take a teaspoon to a glass of water. That’s about 4-5 grams of pure l-glutamine powder.
On the container it says to take 1/2 teaspoon (~2 grams). The dose I was taking was based upon reading some stuff on scholar.google.com (this study was using ~16g/day) and reviews on Amazon.
Perhaps you may want to look around scholar.google.com for some more specifics on dosages. Personally I didn’t want to take much more than recommended on the packaging, but from what I read, higher doses might be needed to restore intestinal barrier.

Overall I supplemented with the glutamine for roughly 6 months. In total I went through about 1.2kg of pure powder.
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any further questions.

Best of luck and look forward to any updates.

Hi Scott,
Great to hear that it worked out so well for you and thanks for checking back.
Yeah, hopefully it stays away for good. Mine’s been gone for ~9-10 months now.

In terms of the shampoo, glad to hear it might be helping as well. Sometimes I get a few flakes on my scalp still, but nothing too bad.
Typically though my scalp is clear and I wash my hair almost daily. Maybe the specific shampoo doesn’t even matter, maybe it was the glutamine, hard to say exactly.

As for the moisturiser, I guess it’s a bit of both. The thought of it loosing efficacy has definitely crossed my mind before.
But also, I just feel like less is more. When the face is still moist, the tiny amount I use seems to do it’s job adequately without leaving much actual product on my face.

Best of luck and hope your results continue!

I have tried a lot of the above home remedy methods, and found that: ACV seemed to work a bit in calming it, but irritated it overtime. Baking Soda though is not a good idea. I read somewhere that SD is due to yeast, and while baking soda calms it at first, it actually makes a more livable ph level for the yeast.

My current method:
Wash with tiny amount of Restoraderm Wash using cool water, pad dry, pea size amount Restoraderm lotion all over my face, go to school :slight_smile: 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. I feel like this helps a lot.

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. I will try the diet changes next.

Dear Michael.
great site. Clear writing. Awesome person (you are).
6 years since SD is a part of my life - and as we all know - a big big part unfortunately…
I tried it all. some stuff didn’t work, some stuff made things worse… I used to pill off the flakes and rub my face daily with my Baird hands - and it gave me more reasons to be worried - dark spots… Fustrating toke control in many points during this six years… What I got left is hope - and your site gives hope. Now a days, my SD is not that bad. I simply wash it with a gentle face cleanser. No muistriser at all. Sun block in the morning (are u using any son block? What kind? - it’s seems to help a bit soprisingly, but some times cameos with burning sensation…). that’s it basically.
The truble is, that its not enough off course. After few days the flake and redness build up and take over… When they does, I use head n shoulders, but it’s make my face dry and stiff. As you see, things are quite fragile… but it’s the best I can do.
Now, I want to buy the restodarm you suggested. I’ll give it a try. Really, got nothing to lose… I have to order it cos I couldn’t find it here ( they only sale the regular one in Israel - and its not good for me). I’ll let you know how it goes… By the way, have you heard of Serna lotion? It’s sounds like the same ‘family’ of restodarm lotion. Maybe you saw the YouTube film white the guy who hade a good result with it…
Sorry fore the long post - I have so much on my chest : ) thanks again (and again…)
Kaye.

Hello, your journey sounds so much like mine. I have tried so many things and I have spent so much money trying to find a cure for my seborrheic dermatitis. I have been taking the l-glutamine for six days now and also using the Dead Sea salt for six days. I’m not seeing much improvement. How long does it take to start seeing results from the l-glutamine and the Dead Sea salt? I have looked for the cetaphil restoraderm but can’t find the one that you are using. I bought some at cvs but it’s the skin restoring moisturizer for eczema. I’ve tried other cetaphil products in the past and they seem to be harsh for my very sensitive skin. My rash or dermatitis is on my forehead, between my eyes and on my nose. I am not getting any of the flakes or scales but in seeing two different dermatologist they said I had seborrheic dermatitis. I’m tired of spending so much money on this lotion, pills and the steroids and everything else to only see no results. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as I am sick and tired looking online for something that will take this rash or dermatitis as I have been told off of my face. Thank you.

Hi Nikki,
Thanks for checking in here as well. I’m going to try to write a new post on the whole mental aspect of this thing soon.
All the best.

Hi Kaye,
Thanks for checking in. Glad to hear that things are somewhat under control for you now.

I’m personally not using sun screen at the moment. However, I’ve noticed it does help. This is likely due to the zinc present in most sun screens. The zinc seems to be responsible for helping control any bacteria that might be present.

A really big aspect of seborrheic dermatitis seems to also be a psychological one. After reading so much negative information on the internet, it is really easy for the mind to get stuck in a negative feedback loop. If you believe something you eat or do might trigger your seborrheic dermatitis, the negative thought process that occurs seems to be strong enough to trigger inflammation alone. This further enhances your belief. For example think about a person who turns red from blushing when they are nervous. Hopefully, I can put together a post looking at this phenomenon in more detail. The above comments relate to this as well.

As for the cleanser you inquired about (Serna), I was only able to find one called Sarna Anti-Itch Lotion. However, I have not tried this one, so I can’t comment on its effectiveness. Looking at the ingredients page it is definitely different from the Restoraderm, as it contains things like Menthol and Camphor. Haven’t seen the video either. Quick search pulled up this one, but it’s a women who touches upon it.

Yeah, I would definitely give Restoraderm a try. Several others have reported that it helped them as well. Let me know how it goes for you. Hopefully it helps.

Best of Luck.

Hi David,
It seems like the journey of many seborrheic dermatitis sufferers is quite similar. Personally I believe this is actually part of the problem. The amount of personal testing and daily analysis most people with seborrheic dermatitis go through is quite intense.

The dead sea salt was almost instant for me. However, it didn’t last for too long (2-3 weeks). Also I actually found that regular sea salt from Trader Joes was actually more effective for me than the expensive dead sea salt I bought on Amazon. When it stopped working it actually seemed to make things worse when I attempted it.

I think the skin restoring moisturizer might be the same. Several people here have pointed out that it goes by several names (particularly in the states). Here are the exact ingredients from mine:

aqua (purifed water/eau purifée), butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), sodium trideceth sulfate, glycerin, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, sodium chloride, sodium lauramphoacetate, cocamide MEA, citric acid, niacinamide, sodium PCA (filaggrin BP), tocopheryl acetate, 1,2-Hexanediol and caprylyl glycol, disodium EDTA, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, allantoin, potassium sorbate, arginine (filaggrin BP), methylisothiazolinone

Let me know if it’s the same one.

Also I believe a big part of it is psychological. It’s as if people get stuck in a negative feedback loop. Hopefully can put together a post on this subject in the next few weeks. Check the comments above for some more discussion in this area.

Keep in touch and let me know if you need any other information.
Take care and thanks again for checking in.

Hello I have read your above posts and the Cetaphil I have is not the same ingredients. It seems like they don’t carry this specific kind in the United States. I have looked at the pictures of the bottles you have shown and i am not seeing this specific brand of restoraderm in any of the stores that I am going to. Just the restoraderm for eczema, the kind I bought but have not used because it is not the same kind that you are using. I am having a lot of itching going on with my forehead but I’m not sure what to use on it. I am very sensitive to so many things I have tried on my face and it gets frustrating trying to figure out what do to next. I am still taking the L-glutamine and probiotics and using the Dead Sea salt but I haven’t cleared up very much. I have redness and I wish I could find a way to get rid of the redness and the itching.

Hi David,
Sorry to hear that. Strange why they would sell a different formulation in the states.
If you like, I’m going down to Bellingham (US) and can try to mail you a sample pack (need to see if that paediatrician still has any available). Just contact me using the “Get in Touch” and we exchange details.

As far as the dead sea salt washes, if your not seeing too much results maybe it’s not the right thing for your skin. For me it only worked initially and started actually causing more inflammation later on.

Just out of curiosity, what pro-biotics are you taking?

Hey Michael, just found your website the other day due to a recent flare up that seems to be the worst one I’ve ever had. Been dealing with this for roughly 12 years (I’m 27 years old), and for the last 3 or 4 years I’ve been prescribed Desonate gel by my dermatologist, and for awhile before that I was prescribed Elidel and something else. I’ve been using mostly Head & Shoulders and sometimes Selsun Blue (just finished a bottle yesterday) and today I even tried my roommate’s Axe Dandruff Shampoo that does seem to work for his scalp dandruff (whereas mine is scalp, face, and sometimes behind my ears).
Earlier today, I ran to my local Walmart and picked up some Cetaphil Restoraderm “Eczema Calming” Body Wash as well as the Cetaphil Restoraderm “Skin Restoring” Moisturizer “Formulated For Eczema” after running across this website and seeing your recommendations. It’s been roughly 3 hours since I put it on and so far so good! I live in Auburn, Alabama, so obviously I would have the USA formula (if there is a confirmed difference).

For the sake of keeping up with how comprehensive you are, which I GREATLY appreciate, here’s the ingredients list on the back of my Cetaphil Body Wash:
-Water
-Butryrosepermum ParkII (Shea Butter)
-Sodium Trideceth Sulfate
-Glycerin
-Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
-Sodium Chloride
-Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
-Cocamide Mea
-Niacinamide
-Tocopheryl Acetate
-Allantoin
-Arginine
-Citric Acid
-Methylisothiazolinone
-Sodium PCA
-1,2-Hexanediol
-Caprylyl Glycol
-Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
-Potassium Sorbate
-Disodium EDTA

I also picked up a bottle of Denorex “Dandruff Control” shampoo, which I had never seen before but figured maybe it was better than the other shampoos I’ve tried. Fingers crossed that this Cetaphil stuff returns the same great results for me that it has for you! I’ll be sure to report back after awhile. Thanks again man!