Seborrheic Dermatitis or Normal Skin?

[worried in toronto]

Hi Dr

I have noticed some mild peeling around my nose every few months and the odd observation of "gunk" in the nose folds. Looks like tiny white dots maybe flakes of skin. It isn't itchy or red and it subsides on its own. I have been reading your archives and it looks like its Seborrheic Dermatitis. My sexual life is healthy- no unsafe sex- and i don't use IV drugs so i don't see it being related to Aids. I don't have Parkinsons either. I do have acne though, and oily skin. It doesn't happen in any other places on my face and doesn't look much like the pictures of Seborrhea all over the net. No redness at all. Is it possible its just normal changes in skin?
I guess while I'm here i could ask you about another question. Sometimes when i have loose stools i occassionally get rashes in my anus after. What could this be?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It could be mild seborrhea. or perhaps you're just over-interpreting normal skin.  Seborrhea is very common in people who have nothing wrong with them---either way, there's no reason for you to fear HIV, Parkinson's, etc.  Please see a skin doctor.  One visit should set you straight.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[User25]

I used to be treated for seborrheic dermatitis, for about 10 years.

I had the exact same symptoms that u have.

I had thought that any kind of perfumes and sun protection had irritated my skin in the past, so I didn't use any for several years.

I put a filter in my shower to filter the water. For sometime I didn't wash my face thinking that I was allergic, most of the time I didn't use shampoos except the medicated ones I was given, and I didn't use perfumes thinking that I was allergic.

I tried shampoos, went to different dermatologists. Anytime I visited a country I tried a dermatologist there.

the answer was always the same: seborrheic dermatitis. different types of shamposs and perhaps ketoconazole was prescribed.
I used ketoconazole for several years.

My skin ( only on my face and my neck ) was very red, irritated, the skin looked thick, scaly, very scaly sometimes.

Someone asking me if I had gone to the beach was a daily experience.

One day that my skin was not as red as usual, I decided to put on sunscreen, after many years not using anything but ketoconazole and medical shampoos.


It was like a miracle, my face was very clear that day, and next day I did the same, thinking the symptoms were going to recur, I was clear again....and it has been about 2 years now, and my face has been excellent. Now I use sunscreen all the time and I'm able to use all kind of shampoos and perfumes.

I really can't believe that for almost 10 years no dermatologist thought of sunscreen, people that I see now tell me that they knew me through the years with my red, irritated face and had gotten used to it.

I have been using sunblock every day since then, SPF 30,  since I now use exfoliators, acne that I had has also gone away, and i'm sure the sunscreen has a lot to do with it as well.


I wished you could see the difference between before and after, it is just amazing, i had thought i would be like that the rest of my life.

I use a sunscreen that it's for oily skin since my skin is oily , there are many good ones like neutrogena, the one I use is hawaiian faces 30, one that has a little mirror.

So for many people outthere who might have this, use sunscreen. I've been researching now and I really don't know what I have, if it is sun allergy or sun sensitivity, but when I reasearch on those 2 online the symptoms are different like pain and ithc which I did not have.

Well I hope my life story will be usefull to someone.

You can email me if u want ***@****
JG