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…
-
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Whole food plant-based diet for seborrheic dermatitis
On this blog we’ve already had a series of articles touching on dietary remedies for seborrheic dermatitis. They mostly focused on dietary supplements such us vitamin D, l-glutamine, and nystatin. In this post I would like to take a more holistic approach and discuss an entire dietary lifestyle. The whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet has been gaining a lot of popularity lately. And unlike many other diets, it’s success is supported by scientific evidence. The WFPB diet has been conclusively shown to have a beneficial effect on the top killer diseases in the world. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Surely it must have a positive effect…
-
Vitamin B12 and seborrheic dermatitis
We have previously looked at the connection between vitamin D deficiency and seborrheic dermatitis. Today we’ll talk about another important vitamin and its impact on SD. Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a complex molecule with an atom of cobalt at its center. In our body’s cells, vitamin B12 plays a vital role in the synthesis of DNA and, thus, is essential for the health of blood and bone marrow. Scientific evidence Unfortunately, very few scientific studies exist on the impact of vitamin B12 on seborrheic dermatitis. One study1 has investigated the treatment of psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis with regular doses of vitamin B12: Vitamin B complex in various…
-
Vitamin D deficiency and seborrheic dermatitis
After discussing the effects of sunlight on SD as well as a “cheat” of bringing the sunlight into our homes during the winter, let us focus today on the related topic of vitamin D deficiency and supplementation. Time and again, vitamin D deficiency is brought up both in the scientific community (paper1, paper2) and anecdotal accounts by those with SD. Let us bring forward some of those accounts: I myself have been diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency so like others with Seb Derm, I’m “proof” that Vitamin D deficiency and Seb Derm go hand in hand and I was still deficient despite taking supplements for around 2 months. Also, I…
-
A home UV bulb fights seborrheic dermatitis in the winter
Most SD sufferers will confirm: the SD symptoms are at their worst in the colder and darker seasons. In a previous post I have discussed this connection at length and have pointed to several scientific studies that confirm it. It turns out that most medical scientists believe that sunlight, and specifically the ultraviolet (UV) part of it, is responsible for the positive effects. The obvious question then is: armed with this information, what can be done in order to keep seborrheic dermatitis at bay during the cold and dark periods. Of course one can think of traveling to sunnier places, but this is not always possible, or practical. An easy…
