As we have already discussed in earlier posts (see Success story: l-glutamine and Seborrheic dermatitis significantly improved by E. coli Nissle probiotic), scientific evidence shows a clear association between skin disorders and gut problems. The most prominent gut issue is the intestinal permeability, also known under the popular name ‘leaky gut syndrome’. It is basically a loosening of the junctions that stop undesired food components from getting through the walls of the intestine directly into the bloodstream. Intestinal permeability causes both systemic and local inflammation, which in turn contributes to skin disease. If you want to heal the skin, you have to heal the gut! Zinc is known to be…
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Skinesa: a probiotic with scientifically proven effects on skin health
In the recent years there has been a growing interest, from both the medical community and the patients, in the effects of probiotics on the course of seborrheic dermatitis (SD). In a previous post we have discussed the effects of Vitreoscilla filiformis probiotic applied to the skin. A double-blind study1 involving 60 patients with SD showed a reduction of itching, erythema and scaling. In two other posts (this and this) we discussed how clinical studies involving the oral administration of respectively ST112 and E. coli Nissle3 probiotics demonstrated a significant reduction in SD symptoms. These examples confirm the benefits of using various strains of probiotics when treating SD. Today, we’ll…
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What’s working for me: internal and external therapies for seb derm
I am happy to announce today that, three years after this website went live, we have a first guest post. Tim, a reader of the website, kindly agreed to share his story with our audience. Tim, the page is yours. Hello. I turned 50 earlier this year which means that I’ve been dealing with seb derm for 26 years, more than half my life. The first year was really tough because I had no idea what I was dealing with and the Internet wasn’t the source for medical information that it is now. My skin was red, raw, cracking, flaking and very oily. It was diagnosed as seb derm right…
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Healthy skin with daily movement
On this website we promote a holistic approach to healthy skin. It is a lifestyle consisting of healthy eating, keeping your gut flora healthy, keeping your skin flora happy, spending time outdoors, taking cold showers, and cold exposure in general. One important habit that we did not discuss yet is regular exercise. It might sound obvious, but daily movement is extremely important for a healthy body. Today we’ll discuss why it is especially important for people who are trying to heal their skin. The lymphatic system The lymphatic system is the system that benefits most directly from daily movement. It consists of narrow tubes called lymphatic vessels, which collect and…
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The Wim Hof method clears up seborrheic dermatitis and eczema
Last time we talked about taking cold showers to heal seborrheic dermatitis. While doing research for that post I came across the Wim Hof method, which is basically a combination of cold exposure and breathing exercises. Let’s directly jump in and start with an amazing story from James Skuggedal. James has successfully used the Wim Hof method to clear up his eczema! Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete known for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness world records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice. Wim still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow. Some decennia ago Wim…
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Take cold showers to heal dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis
Did you ever think that the solution to seborrheic dermatitis could be as simple as replacing your hot showers by cold ones? In this article we’ll discuss this surprising approach. We will bring up a few success stories from real people, discuss the possible underlying mechanisms, and as usual, we’ll have a look at the scientific support for the benefits of cold showers. Success stories Let us start with a few testimonials from across the internet: My dandruff which used to be severe is nonexistent since switching to cold showers. It could be that cold water strips less oils away from the scalp, thus having the same effect on dandruff…
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V. filiformis probiotic on the skin improves seborrheic dermatitis
Probiotics – the good bacteria living in our guts – have a strong impact on the health of our skin. We have previously discussed two specific bacterial strains that have been scientifically shown to be efficient in treating seborrheic dermatitis (see the articles on lactobacillus paracasei and E. coli Nissle). In both cases the treatment consisted of orally ingesting the bacteria as a dietary supplement. However, starting around 2005, scientists have been investigating the effects of applying probiotics directly to the skin (instead of ingesting). Their results show that such an approach can treat various skin conditions, such as acne, rosacea, yeast and bacterial infections, psoriasis, and dermatitis1. Clinical study…
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Seborrheic dermatitis significantly improved by E. coli Nissle probiotic
In a previous post we have discussed probiotics (bacteria living in our gut) as a promising treatment for seborrheic dermatitis. That post mainly focused on the l. paracasei bacterium and its positive effects. In this post I want to briefly discuss a recent study1 that shows that oral ingestion of another probiotic, known as Escherichia coli Nissle, is very effective for treating seborrheic dermatitis. Facial dermatoses, including seborrheic dermatitis, are often associated with gastrointestinal diseases2. The mechanism by which intestinal diseases induce skin issues is not known. It is known however that intestinal-borne dermatoses are accompanied by a shift of gut bacteria population towards more aggressive types. Due to their…
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Probiotics promise a cure for seborrheic dermatitis!
Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is often seen as a condition that should be treated locally, directly at the surface. On this blog we have discussed a number of such treatments: sea salt, selenium sulfide (in Selsun), zinc oxide and zinc sulfate (in Avene Cicalfate), zinc pyrithione (in DHS Zinc Shampoo), and piroctone olamine (in Sebclair/PromiSeb). These products can definitely be very efficient and many people have reported great results. However, products applied topically (on the surface of the skin) only affect the top layers of the skin. And, as we know, those layers are shedding away constantly. To achieve positive and permanent improvements, the skin needs to be affected from the…
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Success story: Selsun on face
Dandruff is recognised by the medical community as a light form of seborrheic dermatitis (SD). Both conditions are known to be caused by the malassezia yeast that lives on the skin. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that shampoos with active ingredients that are effective against dandruff will also be effective against SD. The most well-known anti-dandruff shampoo is Head&Shoulders (active ingredient: Zinc Pyrithione 1%) and was discussed in a previous post. Another popular and very effective anti-dandruff, that we are going to discuss today, is Selsun (or Selsun Blue). This shampoo contains Selenium Sulfide 1% as active ingredient. Testimonials Countless users with SD across the world swear by the…
