Re: Doing Porridge! Oatmeal for Seb Derm/cea

[Guest guest]

Hi Aimee

I hadn't realised that you were using a corticosteroid spray. I don't have

the internal nose symptoms and the Rynacrom really helped with the itching

of the skin. I have read that sodium cromoglycate is less effective than

corticosteroids for rhinitis and seasonal allergies but it also has much

less side effects and should help with the itching of the skin (it has in my

case) as well as the seasonal allergies. Depending on the severity of the

symptoms it could take some days to start having an effect.

In my case, the effect was immediate and when the symptoms have recurred

they have been much milder. I think I have only used it about nine or ten

times in all in the two weeks since I bought it.

One thing I have found (and this might be interesting to you also) regarding

the itching of the skin of the nose is that this may well be to do with what

is being applied to the skin, i.e. moisturisers, etc, as well as any other

underlying skin conditions aside from rosacea.

It took me months and dozens of wasted purchases to find even one

moisturiser that I thought I could tolerate due to extreme skin sensitivity.

I also have seborrhoeic dermatitis which complicates things still further

because this can cause itching. I was unable to tolerate the Nizoral cream

for the seb derm so I use the shampoo to wash my face with.

The problem with all this is that one has to ask the question does this

extreme skin sensitivity (which can be induced by seb derm) cause the

rosacea or is the rosacea causing the skin sensitivity? It is a bit of a

chicken and egg situation. I had a gut feeling that, as the seb derm came

first (two years ago) but wasn't treated because it was misdiagnosed as an

allergy, it was the seb derm that actually precipitated the rosacea (any

long-term low grade inflammation can induce rosacea) and it was only by

addressing the seb derm that I would get any real improvement with the

rosacea.

This, however, is easier said than done because I am only able to use the

shampoo. The problem with the shampoo is that it can only stay on your skin

for five minutes then you rinse it off, so it just keeps the seb derm at bay

without having any real impact on it. It is a vicious cycle because if, as

proposed, the seb derm causes the sensitivity which causes the rosacea and

that sensitivity that the seb derm causes is the very thing that precludes

using the treatment to get rid of it, then what does one do? Dr Nase

suggested compounding the ketoconazole (active ingredient in Nizoral) into a

gentler base such as Noritate and I was planning to try the Noritate on its

own initially.

When I first discovered I had rosacea, I chose to go with the conventional

treatment until such time as I could work out what to do. By controlling

the flushing aspect, damage to the capillaries is avoided or at least

minimised, and this I did with Clonodine. I took antibiotics to help with

the tiny inflammatory papules and lumps and bumps until I realised that

these came and went and improved and worsened in response to what I was

applying to my face, i.e. trying out new products, etc. I then reduced and,

have now, stopped the antibiotics and noticed no change, i.e. the condition

has not worsened. Finding the remedy for the itching nose in the Rynacrom

was a big step forward because it helped me to lead a more normal life but I

knew this was not the answer - it was however helping to control the

symptoms and making this condition easier to live with which, in itself, I

think is very important.

I hope you will bear with me with my story because I don't know if you have

seb derm which might be contributing to your itching nose or it might be

that you are sensitive to what you are applying to the skin.

Anyway, recently I read that oatmeal is good for sopping up the waxy flakes

that are present in seb derm. Since this condition my nose had become

greasy looking but also scaly with a very congested feeling which I'm sure

contributed to the inflammation and itching. It's as if the seb derm causes

all these flakes to lay on top of the skin but the sebum is still being

produced underneath. So, I bought myself some fine oatmeal and used it as

was suggested in a book I have on old fashioned natural cosmetics. I just

dampened it and used it gently as a sponge. All of those flakes disappeared

and I could see the skin underneath and felt that my skin could breathe.

What a wonderful feeling. It also says, in this book, that oatmeal is an

excellent dirt remover and can be used to clear blackheads.

I then thought if oats are so good for this troublesome seb derm/rosacea

hybrid, then I was going to do what I had been intending to do for ages and

that was to try yet another moisturiser = Aveeno - which contains colloidal

oatmeal.

I am not kidding you, Aimee, this stuff for me is wonderful. I am crossing

my fingers that it continues to be the answer. I have only been using it

since Saturday. The little spots, lumps and bumps have completely gone and

my skin feels literally as smooth as a baby's bottom. Any redness has died

down to a very pale pink tinge at its worst. The itching has completely

disappeared and my skin feels wonderfully comfortable and not inflamed at

all. The moisture seems to stay in the skin without any horrible greasy

look or clogging feeling.

I have come to the conclusion that the moisturiser I had decided was

tolerable after trying dozens and dozens was not tolerable; just more

tolerable than the countless others I had tried. It is easy when one's skin

is so volatile to lose sight of the fact of what is normal and it is only

when one finally finds something that is not only tolerable but actually

seems to be healing as well, that one notices the difference. Not only are

the oatmeal and the Aveeno tolerable but I think they are also helping with

the seb derm. I was having to use the Nizoral shampoo every day to keep the

seb derm at bay and this was causing my skin to become very dry. Now the

skin is moist, comfortable and not itchy and I will not be using the Nizoral

shampoo so frequently. I hope I will not have to use the Rynacrom either.

I have explained all this because I think it might be worth your while,

Aimee, to look at what you are putting on your skin. It may not be a factor

in your case but, then again, it may be. Also, if you have not been

diagnosed with seb derm, could this be a factor?

As regards your seasonal allergies, apart from using nasal sprays I found

that a lot of my patients in the past got relief from using a natural

supplement - Quercetin and Vitamin C. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid which

inhibits histamine release and leukotriene formation, which trigger the

physical manifestations of allergic reactions. Vitamin C helps the body to

detoxify histamine, and enhances the effect of bioflavonoids. In Britain,

we have a company called Solgar which produce a Quercetin/Vitamin C complex.

Maybe you have something similar in the US? Also cutting down on mucus

producing foods can be helpful - sugar, refined carbohydrates, dairy,

alcohol, tea, coffee, chocolate, etc - some of which I suspect you avoid

anyway due to the rosacea.

I am really interested to know how you get on and I hope that the Nasalcrom

you bought will give you some relief and that you can resolve this

distressing symptom. I hope also that some of the other information I have

given will be of help to you.

Wishing you well

Hazel

P.S. I keep seeing references to A/R cream. What is it?

Aimee wrote:

Hi Hazel,

Flonase is a nasal corticosteroid. I am not sure if it is a decongestant.

It is used for seasonal allergies which I did not have until diagnosed with

rosacea! It works by reducing the inflammation of the mucosal lining making

it easier to breathe.

I bought the Nasalcrom yesterday and used it 3x. The instructions say it

may take several days? for it to work. I know the results for you were

immediate and dramatic. Do you use it every day and how many times? I am

hoping it works as well for me. I am really trying to alleviate the

itchiness of the skin on the nose. I take an antimistamine in the AM and am

using the emu oil and A/R cream. All this helps but hasn't alleviated the

problem. I, too, have been to many dermatologists as well as an allergist.I

have found the most help from people like you who post their experiences.

The doctors don't have any solutions....

I thank you for explaining Nasalcrom to me.. I appreciate your time and

will let you know how it goes today.

Take care,

Aimee

l

[Guest guest]

Hi Aimee

Good! I am so pleased for you. If my results are anything to go by you

should find that awful itching on the skin of your nose should go, too. I

use the Aveeno cream morning and night and I am using the oatmeal cleansing

every other day (roughly three times a week).

Hazel

Aimee wrote:

Hazel

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!

I don't want to sound like a blubbering idiot but I think you are onto

something with the oatmeal!! Used a little bit like you said and I CANNOT

believe the difference in my skin. Most, not all, of the flaking is gone.

The skin itself is smooth. Used a little bit more in the shower and for the

first time in days I applied the Zinco with ease. The Nizoral did nothing

compared to this. I will definitely now buy the moisturizer. I am keeping

my fingers crossed that this is a lifetime solution. How many times a day

do you apply it?

THANK-YOU, Hazel... , very much

Aimee