Can Seborrheic Dermatitis Turn Into Psoriasis and Can I Take Steps . . .

• By bennysmom
• Reply 3763420
• February 1, 2013 at 12:56 pm
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I don't know if it can turn into psoriasis, but my doctor said something interesting. She told me that eczema, psoriasis and Seborrheic Dermatitis are different, but that people who are prone to have one often have the others, too. Said "People with skin like yours often have the other conditions, too, at different times in your life. It is just like how you have allergies, which is common for people with psoriasis." I have been diagnosed with all three conditions in my life. I think there is a yeast component with Seborrhea and psoriasis is autoimmune. The medical treatments all seem the same or similar, though. Sometimes I feel like doctors don't know much about these conditions and they are just giving it their best guesses. It is frustrating.

• By plsnotme
• Reply 3763989
• February 1, 2013 at 4:03 pm
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Mine did!

• By MonicaPz
• Reply 3764149
• February 1, 2013 at 4:57 pm
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Dear Bennysmom and Plsnotme,
Thank you for your feed back. I believe all three are autoimmune diseases. The yeast overgrowth is a sign of an underactive immune system. As a child, I was the first to get the flu (for two weeks) and then everyone caught it after me, then I caught it again (also for two weeks!). Did not have allergies as a child, but a lot of colds. Learned that children who get a lot of colds tend to have many allergies as an adult. Now, in my 50's, have allergies galore, and many severe. Seem to have one illness, then clears up, then develop another illness. It almost "moves around." Feel this is an autoimmune problem, and these different "diseases" or "syndromes" are only symptoms of an underlying autoimmune disorder. Again, thank you for reaching out to me. I will keep you posted!

• By courage34
• Reply 3764964
• February 1, 2013 at 9:56 pm
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Hi MonicaPz,

I had seborrheic dermatitis before i had Psoriasis, my derm said, there is only thin line between SD and P. After treatment it went away or was kept under control for 2 yrs, but SD came back and derm said it was Psoriasis and not SD anymore, cause lesions went down to my neck and back. Well I think early treatment can keep SD under control.

• By MonicaPz
• Reply 3765278
• February 2, 2013 at 12:48 am
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Dear Courage34,
I agree with you. I think there is a thin line between SD, P and Eczema, and that they are all related. Treating the SD aggressively with Ketoconazole 2% Shampoo (mornings, 5 minutes) and Fluocinonide topical solution twice a day. Thanks. I'll let you know how it works.

• By heartofamother
• Reply 3765710
• February 2, 2013 at 8:29 am
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My daughters seb derm became psoriasis. Psoriasis is much more difficulty to treat and control. Stay on top of your treatments, eat healthy, take care of your skin with natural mostuirizers, soaps and shampoos. my daughters psoriasis started after using a steroid (kenelog spray) spray for 2 weeks to treat her seb derm. I hate steroids, the rebound effects can be horrible. There is a great treatment her seb derm using raw honey. There are some med journal articles about it. Basically you use 10 parts honey , I part filtered water (2 tbsp honey, a drop of water), mix, spread all over scalp. Keep on scalp for 3 hours then rinse. Do this every other day for 4 weeks. Scalp might get a little irritated the first week, stay with it. Google this treatment, so many petiole have had great results and full remission.

• By Brightonmum
• Reply 3766447
• February 2, 2013 at 11:57 am
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Mine did. And was joined by Psoriatic Arthritis which is awful. Watch your diet, and take time to reduce your stress levels

• By MonicaPz
• Reply 3767010
• February 2, 2013 at 2:57 pm
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Dear Heartofamother and Brightonmum,
Thank you for responding. Not only had sudden onset of buildup above right ear on January, 2012, this past two months had salmon colored raised rash under left armpit and clear drainage out of right ear (doctor says all three related). Put Fluocinonide topical solution 0.05% on swab (at doctor's suggestion), placing medicine in right ear canal, along with rubbing it on buildup above right ear and on left armpit and am seeing improvement. Though crust in right ear was ear wax and was treating both ears with 50/50 alcohol/hydrogen peroxide (did work, but drainage returned). Was confused because left ear had no drainage nor "dry, crusty wax." Following doctor's instructions carefully. Will keep everyone posted. Thank you for hanging in there with me!

• By Geriann
• Reply 3767221
• February 2, 2013 at 4:19 pm
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Got diagnosed by a dermatologist with SD - scalp- Prescribed Ketocanizole shampoo and treatment spray Kenalog - It doesn't work! What else is there for stubborn SD? Tar shampoos - nothing! I also used a tree birch shampoo- and it hardly has any effect. I also had something for scalp psoriasis and it seemed to help more but that derma moved and of course I had to go to another derma who said it wasn't that and that it was SD. I have PsA also so not sure which doctor is right. It's confusing and I continue to struggle with the dandruffy, scaley stuff. The first derma said it was psoriasis on the head and feet which was where it seemed to reoccur after a bout with Guttate Psoriasis. The feet are better but the scalp is not. Not sure what to think-- I guess I'm just venting because I dot expect anyone to figure out this confusing mess I am in. Very frustrating!

• By heartofamother
• Reply 3767231
• February 2, 2013 at 4:21 pm
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MonicaPZ, I am sorry you are dealing with skin issues! Please look into the raw honey treatment for your ears, armpit and scalp. My daughters ears are completely healed from using the honey. She used topical steroids behind her ears for years to treat seb derm and is would make it go away but it always came back. The honey treatment has been so great for her ears and the sores and ooze on her scalp. All her sores are gone and her head no longer oozes (answer to prayers), if she has cracks or problems behind her ears, we just put the raw manuka honey there and leave it overnight and it clears up.
I hope you find treatments that help you!!

• By MonicaPz
• Reply 3767513
• February 2, 2013 at 6:09 pm
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Dear Geriann and Heartofamother,
Tried "tar shampoo" decades ago when I had an itchy scalp and it worked. A few years ago, had an itchy scalp again, and the tar shampoo did not work. Don't know if this is related (when I got the acute symptoms, two internal medicine doctors blew me off), but when I got the acute symptoms in January 2012, noticed my palms and knuckles of my hands had an orange color. Already diagnosed with osteoarthritis, but noticed my arthritis has gotten much worse this past year. Rheumatoid arthritis has been ruled out (thank God!). Don't like to make too many changes at once so I can keep track of what works and what doesn't. When I finish this course of treatment, will go to a health/naturopathic/organic food/medicine store, if symptoms return. Am keeping all of everyone's correspondence and took notes as well. Glad this website is here!

• By Christine67
• Reply 3768480
• February 3, 2013 at 3:42 am
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High doses of Pantothenic acid is known to treat SD.

• By Margel
• Reply 3769083
• February 3, 2013 at 10:36 am
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I was initially diagnosed with SD. I then had a flare of guttate and they switched the diagnosis to P. I think these skin conditions are really difficult to diagnose, as they all look similar. My biopsy wasn't even conclusive. It's very frustrating since I'm a person who needs to know all I can about my body and what is happening to it.

• By Christine67
• Reply 3770306
• February 3, 2013 at 5:53 pm
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Hi Margel,

Do you only have P on your face ?

I was also first diag with SD, but the guttate on my face is not SD. My nails are also affected a bit, which is also not SD.
But you are right about the diffuculty in differentiating when it's on the face.

I was doing very well when I followed no gluten/dairy regimen, with supplements, but when my mom was battling cancer last year, I went off diet. I was binging on ice cream! Then I finally relapsed when she passed away last month. Now I'm flaring really bad.
What's strange is my skin was ok when I was dealing with the stress of mom's cancer while eating crap, the crash came later.

I'm back to no gluten/dairy plus enzymes. My food testing shows I'm sensitive to both, so I know this is an issue for me.

• By MonicaPz
• Reply 3770328
• February 3, 2013 at 6:01 pm
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Dear Margel and Christine67,
Also noticed itching over entire scalp since January 2012 and drying and thinning of the skin on the face. Have brown crepey skin above and below the eyes. Also, at age 21 (I'm now 55) suddenly developed severe allergies to ALL BRANDS of makeup, except for lipstick. Since age 50, developed all kinds of allergies to many different things. Will let everyone know what happens when the course of medicine is finished, then will start trying different things "out of the box." Found more help here than anywhere else!

• By Ihaveittoo
• Reply 3770475
• February 3, 2013 at 7:08 pm
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I have tried apple cider vinegar and it helps. What has helped me the most on my scalp is coconut oil. Really soothes and gently loosens the scales. It's very good for you. Can't hurt to try.

• By Margel
• Reply 3770943
• February 3, 2013 at 10:10 pm
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Christine,

I don't have P on my face. It's about the only place that hasn't ever flared. I got the guttate on my lower back. Mostly my flareups are on my arms and lower legs.

• By Geriann
• Reply 3771357
• February 4, 2013 at 1:50 am
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Monica PZ,
They ruled out RA for me too- no RH factor-- but I still got another auto immune that is very similar- Psoriaric Arthritis- I did NOT have the psoriasis at all until 4 yrs into having PsA. At that point, I had Strep and I broke out in Guttate Psoriasis. After that, I developed SD head and feet-- If your symptoms are significant enough and you start to see any joint damage, check with a rheumatologist. I hope that you don't have PsA but I'm just kind of mentioning it because PsA is very aggressive and causes joint damage very fast. So I'm just mentioning it so that you're aware. I thought that I was out of the woods when I checked out well/no RH factor but it was PsA - non positive RH factor for Psoriatic Arthritis yet it can be just as destructive. I don't mean to scare you or anyone just hopefully make you aware because you don't want to let PsA cause too much joint damage before you
realize that it might be that-- because that happened to me and it was galloping so fast and caused much joint damage in my hands mainly before I went in to a doctor and they could control it. This website is about helping each other - I hope what happened to me does not happen to anyone else. That is why I wrote this. I wish I would have known and gone in to a doctor sooner. The joint damage is irreversible. Psoriaric Arthritis is an auto immune disease -- can be just as bad as RA.

• By MonicaPz
• Reply 3772980
• February 4, 2013 at 2:34 pm
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Dear Geriann,
Thanks for the heads up. I believe RA and PsA are both autoimmune. Even Osteoarthritis is autoimmune, in my opinion, but there is an overuse component to it. I was a serious athlete from elementary school to college. Thinking the bitter cold winter is aggravating my arthritis. Thus far, the treatments are controlling the Seborroheic Dermatitis.
Yours,
Monica

• By Geriann
• Reply 3773966
• February 4, 2013 at 7:42 pm
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Monica Pz, Osteoarthritis is not an auto immune disease. It is caused by wear and tear over time. I hope you feel better.