Seborrheic Dermatitis

[MiMi6845]

I have itchy, sore, inflamed redness/raised bumps on either side of my nose and under the nostrils. They "crust over" with whitish flakes then start the cycle of redness, etc all over again. This has been going on for about 2 months. I have been researching this online and think it is seborrheic dermatitis. I have been using clotrimazole cream twice daily as suggested on the JUST ANSWER DERMATOLOGY site for 3 days now. My question is: what are the stages of healing of this problem? Now I have much more "crusting over" and it is very dry and more itchy than before beginning the use of the cream. By the description I've given do you think it is in the healing process? Thank you ahead of time for your opinion.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These can be due to impetigo or boils. Impetigo is a highly contagious superficial bacterial skin infection. Primarily caused by Staphylococcus aureus and sometimes by Streptococcus pyogenes. Topical and oral antibiotics are the treatment of choice. My sincere advice would be to consult a dermatologist and get prescribed oral antibiotics also because sometimes topical therapy with antibiotic creams is not sufficient for the treatment.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Caryopteris]

If your skin is oily, this is a good conclusion.  Docs aren't very good at telling this from psoriasis or atopic dermatitis or even rosacea sometimes.  You could try neem soap or tea tree oil soap.  Also white vinegar dabbed on face at night.  It causes temporary redness, so night is best.