Flaky skin on the sides of nose.

Hello Doctor,

Let me start by saying how much I appreciate this site and your valuable advice.

As I have stated a few weeks ago, I'm currently on accutane and it has worked wonders on me.  It has elimintated all of my acne and most of the flaky skin aorund my nose that also use to spread into my eyebrows.  Is the cause of this a fungus?  I assume that it feeds off the sebum since the accutane seems to have eliminated most of it.  However, in the creases of my nose it's still quite persistant - could you please tell me if there is a cure for this, if so what is it?

Thank you in advance.
Cara

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Cara:

What you describe sounds like seborrheic dermatitis.  This causes scaly skin in the nasal folds and eyebrows.  Even babies get is sometimes.  It has nothing to do with sebum (despite the old-fashioned name), dryness, or Accutane.  It comes and goes.  1% hydrocortisone (OTC) usually takes care of it fast, though it may recur.

Best (and thanks for your kind words.)

Dr. R