How to Treat Seborrheic Dermatitis From Within & Out

For the longest, I couldn't find any information on how to deal with seborrheic dermatitis but since its becoming common with our eating lifestyle, today's society stress levels, and the unknowing elements that come in contact with our skin on a daily basis.

Yesterday, I was looking at my skin and was so tired of dealing with the effects of how I'm treating my body. I'm a smoker. I know shoot me, nag me even on here! I do exercise daily, but I know there is tons of improvement to be made. I did some digging and found that the most common problem in my situation is eggs, sugar, white flour, and gluten. Along with stress, I don't handle stress very well and I can't stop picking and scratching because that's when its the worse. The bonus is that I have acne prone skin, blackheads, blemishes, and the regular monthly spot that appears until the morning of something important.

What is Seborrheic Dermatitis?

It's the embarrassing dry patches that make your skin look uneven and pigmented, the white or yellow flakes that linger on your face, hairline, and eyebrows that you don't realize. The fact that you scratched your face because of there is an itch that you can't just relieve even after putting on the cortisone cream that doesn't do shit. The worse part of having this horrible problem is that you have a mixture of dry, oily, sensitive, and possibly acne prone skin that majority of the products out there aren't going to cover all your needs in 3 simple steps. 

What Causes it?

It's a combination of many things as mentioned above, but mostly its yeast and certain bacterial mixed with oil that's in your skin.

How do you treat it? 
I've been dealing with this annoying skin disease for over 5 years and all I have been doing is trying to cover it up using skin care products not realizing that it could be my lifestyle. Noticing this issue is when I was in high school and that is when I was given more freedom to choose what I can eat. Junk food, fast food, processed, process, sugar, caffeine, you name it. I started eating it.

You Are What You Eat... 

I even hate to admit this, but its the truth. I eat healthy about 50% of the time. I say this because I don't drink water every day all day, I eat some processed foods just as much as I eat a healthy meal. We occasionally eat out, but not a fast food restaurant and I don't always make sure what's the ingredients. Now if you aren't like me and want to know how to cure SD then you can follow the guidelines down below or use anti-fungal cream (which is basically what you have on your face) until its cured, but it can come back if you are still eating sugar, gluten or yeast. 

Here are a few guidelines...

DIETARY & LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

• Eat a diet composed of 50-75% raw foods i.e. raw fruit and vegetables, including green leafy vegetables
• Some findings suggest that many skin disorders, including eczema and psoriasis, may be related to a gluten allergy, therefore a gluten-free diet may be helpful
• Foods to avoid are chocolate, dairy products, white flour, fried foods, seafood, nuts and any foods containing sugar
• Cutting down your consumption of junk food and saturated fats and increasing your intake of fiber can help to reduce yeast infections (candida infestation)
• Increase your intake of essential fatty acids by eating more oily fish, seeds and increase your vitamin E intake by eating more avocado, seeds, cold-pressed oils. Both of these nutrients help the skin to keep its moisture intact and prevent dryness.
• Do not eat any foods containing raw egg.  Egg whites contain high levels of avidin, a protein which binds biotin and prevents it from being absorbed. Biotin is needed for healthy hair and skin. Mayonnaise and some brands of ice cream contain raw egg.
• Eat foods that are high in biotin such as liver, kidney, herrings, cooked eggs and some fruit and vegetables (sweetcorn, watermelon, cauliflower, tomatoes)
• Many experts recommend a cleansing and fasting program once a month to improve seborrhea. Many skin problems are a direct result of toxins in the blood. The liver which is normally responsible for helping to eliminate toxins becomes overloaded and the result is toxins expelled through the skin. Therefore cleansing of the blood with supplements such as spirulina, chlorophyll or chlorella and detoxification of the liver with milk thistle and dandelion, for example, would also be helpful.

I don't know about you, but I hate going to websites and finding out one thing only to have to search for another, so here's a list of raw vegan meal list for the raw vegan diet above. It's simple, cheap, it makes you get creative, and if you have kids get them involved! Even though I'm allergic to most nuts and seeds, this will be excluded out of my diet. :(

Raw, organic, local and in season, if possible:

• fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices
• sun-dried fruit
• dates for sweetening
• goji berries, raisins
• sun-dried tomatoes
• fresh veggies and fresh veggies juices
• raw nuts and seeds, preferably soaked overnight, rinsed and drained to aid digestion and raw nut and seed butters:
• almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, coconut, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds, walnuts
• buckwheat groats, chia, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, sesame seeds, wild rice
• almond butter, tahini, cashew butter
• flax seeds
• raw beans and grains, soaked and sprouted
• oat groats
• wheat berries
• mung beans
• raw seaweed
• nori
• wakame
• dulse
• spirulina
• first cold pressed extra virgin oils
• olive oil
• coconut oil
• vinegar
• raw apple cider vinegar
• others also use
• umeboshi
• balsamic
• coconut
• banana
• sweeteners
• raw local honey
• raw coconut nectar
• others prefer
• agave syrup (processed)
• maple syrup (processed)
• stevia
• yacon syrup
• dehydrated cane juice (Sucanat)
• raw carob or cacao
• powder
• nibs
• salts
• nama shoyu – unpastuerized soy sauce
• some prefer Bragg Liquid Aminos
• sea salt
• white miso, unpasteurized
• spices
• herbs

Photo From: Vegan-Raw-diet.com

Also! When you first begin the new diet you will need to add some boost to your immune system. Right now its very shot especially if you decide to do the cleanse. Yes, the cleanse will help remove anything that has damaging your body, but you need to keep your body replenished with tons of water and nutrients. I have been told by doctors and other 'internet' experts that my smoking, liver, and thyroids are causing my health problems. Have I tried to do anything? Yes, but I don't like HATE prescription medication. The fact that I have to deal with any of the side effects and take more medication to subside those symptoms isn't just no fun! Vitamins in a pill form are not essential for a well-balanced diet, especially raw vegan. Listen to your body and when you should be eating more and taking fewer vitamins. **Please consultant your doctor before taking any medication. I AM NOT a doctor and I don't claim to be one. 

• OMEGA 3 - essential fatty acids are important for healthy skin and yet it is easy to be deficient in omega 3 because dietary sources are limited and do not provide therapeutic doses. A High EPA contains 538mg of EPA per capsule. Many high street brands contain far lower levels of EPA and are not guaranteed to be free from contaminants. Directions: take two EPA capsules a day
• PROBIOTICS - skin problems can be an indication of poor digestion and insufficient levels of good bacteria in the gut. Good levels of friendly bacteria in the gut help to strengthen the digestive system and the immune system. Good bacteria are also responsible for the production of B vitamins (of which biotin is one) which are important for skin health. An absence of intestinal flora may be responsible for biotin deficiency. Probiotic supplements deliver billions of good bacteria to the gut. Make sure it contains 5 billion bacteria per daily dose.
• A SKIN SUPPLEMENT - It must includes the following essential nutrients:
• Vitamin A - needed for healthy skin and boosting the immune system
• B vitamins - for protein metabolism which is essential for healing and repair
• Biotin - an important B vitamin for healthy skin and hair
• Zinc - important for healing and strengthening the immune system
• MSM - organic sulphur helps maintain healthy skin and connective tissue
• Vitamin E - speeds healing and increases oxygen intake to the skin
• GRAPE SEED EXTRACT - Grape Seed Extract is rich in flavonoids, phytochemicals that possess antioxidant properties

Skin Care Products

It's essential that you use anti-fungal, anti-baterical, anti-septic products that is suitable for frequent use on all skin and hair types. Natural ingredients would be the best if its possible. 

• Apricot Kernel Oil
• Sweet Almond Oil 
• Jojoba Oil
• Tea Tree Oil
• Borage oil
• Rosehip oil
• Calendula 
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Comfrey 
• Thistle
• Shea Butter

Sources: 100% Nature & Holistic Online