Seborrheic dermatitis linked to oestrogen depletion

[BG2015]

I've had this in my ears, back of scalp and on my face to varying degrees over the past 18 months.

Ive had all the shampoos, ointments, creams from my GP (about 6 so far) and it just grumbles away in the background making me miserable. I cope with it but it's awful.

Im 57 and after breast cancer have been on an aromatase inhibiter (Exemestane) to stop cancer reaccurance so I'm presuming my skin is now reacting (after 4 years of Exemestane) to the lack of oestrogen in my body.

Don't know if my GP has made the link but this weekend my face has been on fire - the SD is the worst it's ever been. I've got another appointment to see the GP later today and I'm going to push to be referred to a dermatologist as this needs addressing. I've got another 6 years of these tablets.

Anyone successfully had this treated - or at least made bearable.

That sounds debilitating. I have this on my scalp too but not on my face. My ears are always troublesome, I am wondering now I have seen your post whether it is SD. The only thing that helps me is Nizoral on scalp, but I have to stick to a rigid regime with it. It dries out the hair, but small price to pay. You have probably tried that. People also use as a body wash for other parts of the body and face, not sure how you reach ears. I hope someone can suggest something.

I can see you have another thread running with some interesting suggestions.

Yeah. My GP was no help this afternoon.

100 people tried raw honey but how is that practical 🤷‍♀️ I could give it a try once I can find some.

I don’t know if SD is what I’ve got, but I’ve got a patch of something on my scalp and I don’t think it’s eczema. MooGoo shampoo has made a real difference. Much better than Nizoral for me. Might be worth a try. They make a body wash as well.

I have seb derm albeit I have a bit too much oestrogen in my system (endometriosis), but either way it suggests an immune system that’s out of kilter.

For my hair, Vichy Dercos shampoo was suggested by my dermatologist. I use the one for oily hair. It does work for me at least. I will scrub my ears with it too.

For your face, you need to strip back your skincare to only products that the malassezia yeast can’t feed on. There’s huge amounts of advice on the internet for suitable products as the same yeast causes fungal acne. At my worst I cleansed with QV wash and moisturised with Sebamed Clear Gel mixed with squalane oil. The vast majority of moisturisers for dry skin will feed the yeast. My skin is currently quite clear, not irritated nor flaky after 6 months of strictly avoiding the wrong products. My face was horrendous at the start of the year, so sore and rough.

@AmIReallyTheGrownup this is actually really helpful. I have very dry skin and have always been a lover of heavy moisturisers but this is probably making it worse.

Can your doctor prescribe tacrolimus?

I too thought I had extremely dry skin but it turns out it was actually a spiral of irritation & dryness. I’m genuinely quite surprised now that my skin feels 100x smoother using much lighter products, that don’t have ingredients that feed the yeast.

ChatGTP helped me a lot finding suitable products, but you must paste the UK ingredients list into the prompt for absolute confirmation.

Thank you this is really helpful, I'm older at 61 and on HRT, my SD has been shocking this year and I just can't seem to get on top of it. Will try out these products and see if it works better on me than what I'm currently using. Very interesting about the heavy moisturisers.

DD1 is getting married at the end of September and I don't want a flaky face for the photos if I can possibly avoid it!

I’ve tried all sorts over the years but just started using an oil called Seb and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever used

I’ve had this for about 20 years now and my main thing that makes a difference seems to be zinc. There are quite a few serums containing zinc around although most also contain nicamide (the ordinary nicamide and zinc is possibly the easiest to get but I hate the formula) geek & gorgeous do one (called b bomb) naturium do a nice one that’s more of a cream but you can’t see how much is left in the bottle. Q&A do one that is just zinc but I’ve never used that one.
Also bioderma do a seb derm face wash (sensibo ds I think)

After putting the ingredients of my usual moisturiser into chat gtp it appears it's the totally wrong type of cream. Need to find an alternative now

I’ve tried 3 different relatively cheap creams that have all been okay. All available on Amazon or Boots and well under £20.

• Sebamed Clear Gel - the least moisturising but amazing if your skin simply won’t tolerate anything.
• Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station
• Purito Oat-In Calming Gel Cream - my favourite.

You can also use squalane oil on top as this won’t feed the yeast to bump up the hydration.

I also like to use hypochlorous acid as a toner spray, it seems to help with irritation. You can get it for a couple of pounds from Boots or Home Bargains.

The key for me has been to find a couple of products without fatty esters and other problematic ingredients and stick to it rigidly for a month or so.

It might mean you have to additionally moisturise during the day, but the longer your skin barrier recovers, the less hydration you hopefully will need.

This has been miraculous for me

I don’t know if this applies to you but I found my SD completely healed up when I cut refined sugar and massively reduced my wheat intake.

I tried all kinds of products and lotions but this is the only things that has consistently worked.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone.

@faithfultoGeorgeMichael I've just ordered some of this from Boots as I have to start somewhere. Chat GTP says the ingredients are good. They have an offer on too.

my skin loves cicaplast. It’s often on offer at Amazon too.