Co-existence of Rosacea, Seborrheic dermatitis and Blepharitis

[Apurva Tathe]

There have been a lot of reports on accounting other chronic skin conditions with rosacea and it is true that you can have multiple conditions simultaneously with rosacea.

I have experienced rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis and blepharitis together with the combination of erythema and telangiectasia. The very first time this condition appeared as a lesion on half part of nose and cheek and then covered the other part of the face with having scaly torn skin and inflamed eyes.

After years of my experience and dealing with these conditions, the symptoms include :

Swollen flushed skin, visible dilated blood vessels with stinging and burning sensation on face.

SD can cause skin scaly and flaky and can burn with itch and appears mostly on front hair line, forehead and eyebrows that if you itch the flaky and crusty skin falls off like dandruff.

Blepharitis usually involves upper eyelid and causes inflamed eyelids, teary red eyes and the most important visual aspect is greasy dandruff like scales form on eyelashes covering half of it.

The conditions can go beyond your cheeks and nose and affect earlobes and chin area and can cause flaky and rough chin area with small bumps.

The flare ups can last anywhere from few minutes to one day or to one month and they again come back but when it goes you can feel the temperature decrease but it can leave red bumps that looks like acne but gradually the red appearance goes with time but it waxes and wanes.

Co-existence :

The occurrence of other chronic inflammatory diseases like seborrheic dermatitis and blepharitis are common in patients with rosacea and the good news is, the treatment of other condition does not aggravate the signs and symptoms of rosacea and lessen the flare ups in the meantime.

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids in which the base of the eyelids are swollen and red and flaky greasy like crusts occur around the eyelashes with frequently mildly sticking eyelids and flaky dandruff of eyebrows sometimes called seborrheic blepharitis.(1)

It is reported that demodex can worsen the condition of rosacea but it can also aggravate the condition of seborrheic blepharitis.(2)

SD can typically occur as rash on the face and a sheet of lesion on back and middle chest area and middle and underneath breast lines. The underlying cause of seborrhoeic dermatitis is not clear, but a type of yeast called Malassezia furfur is involved.(3)

 

I will emphasize these conditions thoroughly in later posts but for now I will explain the treatment I had with these three conditions :

When my doctors diagnosed these three conditions, first they prescribed me low dose oral doxycycline capsules (100mg) daily at night.

1.    Doxycycline is an antibiotic used for treating bacterial infections.The drug is also sold under the brand names Oracea, Doryx, Monodox, Periostat, and Vibramycin. Doxycycline is in a class of medications called tetracyclines, and it's a broad-spectrum antibiotic, it works against a wide range of bacteria.This medication is used to prevent malaria and treat a wide range of infections, including: skin infection.(4,5)

     Side effects: stomach upset, constipation, nausea, heavy head.

2.    You can apply topical metronidazole gel 0.75% on the affected skin area.  Apply a thin layer of gel once or twice daily.I used to apply once at night daily.

It is an antibiotic and it works by decreasing redness and inflammation by stopping the growth of certain bacteria and parasites.This antibiotic treats only certain bacterial and parasitic infections. It will not work for viral infections. (6)

      Side effects : burning and eye irritation if it gets close to the eyes.

3.        Ketoconazole 2 % and Zinc pyrithione 1 % (Shampoo) for the fungal and yeast infections of the skin. Ketoconazole an active ingredient works by interfering and weakening with the formation of the fungal cell membrane. It better works with seborrheic dermatitis and blepharitis.

 

Thoroughly apply on wet hair and massage and leave it for 5 minutes and then rinse it out. It does not make lather like other shampoos. Take a drop on finger, rub it and apply gently on eyelashes on tightly closed eyes and rinse it properly. With 8 weeks of proper use twice in a week completely cured me of SD and blepharitis.

      Side effects : itchy and dry scalp

4.       If you have dermatitis on your chest and breast lines and back, you can use the composition of Boric acid and  Clotrimazole cream together. It works by reducing inflammation and inhibiting the growth of fungi.

Apply a thin layer of this base and rub until it absorbs completely twice or thrice daily. I applied this on my front and back area for four to five days and it worked wonder and the lesions gradually disappeared.

Note : before taking any above medication consult your doctor or physician and alcohol should not be consumed during any medication it can worsen the condition of rosacea and if you are pregnant or on breast-feeding and any other condition like diabetes or heart problem, take this medications as directed by your doctor.

Instead of relying on oral and topical steroids my doctor prescribed me bacterial and fungal medications because taking steroids for SD and blepharitis can exacerbate the condition of rosacea and relying on antibiotics and anti-fungal treatments can lessen the condition of SD and blepharitis and keep the rosacea at bay.

 

References :

https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems/glossary-of-eye-and-vision-conditions/blepharitis.(1)

http://eyewiki.aao.org/Blepharitis.(2)

http://www.londoneyeunit.co.uk/services/blepharitis/.(3)

https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/doxycycline.(4)

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-8648-7073/doxycycline-hyclate-oral/doxycycline-oral/details.(5)

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6426/metronidazole-oral/details.(6)

[Guide]

Hi Apurva, 

I was reluctant to download a docx file since it is an odd way of posting instead of simply copying and pasting your document into the post?  I checked to see if your file contained any viruses or malware by using VirusTotal and it passed, so I opened the file and I am copying and pasting your article here for the benefit of everyone else not having to go through this process. It might be best to simply write your posts. Here is the contents of your article below: 

begin article___________

Co-existence of Rosacea, Seborrheic dermatitis and Blepharitis
There have been a lot of reports on accounting other chronic skin conditions with rosacea and it is true that you can have multiple conditions simultaneously with rosacea.
I have experienced rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis and blepharitis together with the combination of erythema and telangiectasia. The very first time this condition appeared as a lesion on half part of nose and cheek and then covered the other part of the face with having scaly torn skin and inflamed eyes.
After years of my experience and dealing with these conditions, the symptoms include :
Swollen flushed skin, visible dilated blood vessels with stinging and burning sensation on face.
SD can cause skin scaly and flaky and can burn with itch and appears mostly on front hair line,forehead and eyebrows that if you itch the flaky and crusty skin falls off like dandruff.
Blepharitis usually involves upper eyelid and causes inflamed eyelids, teary red eyes and the most important visual aspect is greasy dandruff like scales form on eyelashes covering half of it.
The conditions can go beyond your cheeks and nose and affect earlobes and chin area and can cause flaky and rough chin area with small bumps.
The flare ups can last anywhere from few minutes to one day or to one month and they again come back but when it goes you can feel the temperature decrease but it can leave red bumps that looks like acne but gradually the red appearance goes with time but it waxes and wanes.
Co-existence :
The occurrence of other chronic inflammatory diseases like seborrheic dermatitis and blepharitis are common in patients with rosacea and the good news is, the treatment of other condition does not aggravate the signs and symptoms of rosacea and lessen the flare ups in the meantime.
Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids in which the base of the eyelids are swollen and red and flaky greasy like crusts occur around the eyelashes with frequently mildly sticking eyelids and flaky dandruff of eyebrows sometimes called seborrheic blepharitis.(1)
It is reported that demodex can worsen the condition of rosacea but it can also aggravate the condition of seborrheic blepharitis.(2)
SD can typically occur as rash on the face and a sheet of lesion on back and middle chest area and middle and underneath breast lines. The underlying cause of seborrhoeic dermatitis is not clear, but a type of yeast called Malassezia furfur is involved.(3)

I will emphasize these conditions thoroughly in later posts but for now I will explain the treatment I had with these three conditions :
When my doctors diagnosed these three conditions, first they prescribed me low dose oral doxycycline capsules (100mg) daily at night.
1.    Doxycycline is an antibiotic used for treating bacterial infections.The drug is also sold under the brand names Oracea, Doryx, Monodox, Periostat, and Vibramycin. Doxycycline is in a class of medications called tetracyclines, and it's a broad-spectrum antibiotic, it works against a wide range of bacteria.This medication is used to prevent malaria and treat a wide range of infections, including: skin infection.(4,5)
     Side effects: stomach upset, constipation, nausea, heavy head.
2.    You can apply topical metronidazole gel 0.75% on the affected skin area.  Apply a thin layer of gel once or twice daily.I used to apply once at night daily.
It is an antibiotic and it works by decreasing redness and inflammation by stopping the growth of certain bacteria and parasites.This antibiotic treats only certain bacterial and parasitic infections. It will not work for viral infections. (6)
      Side effects : burning and eye irritation if it gets close to the eyes.
3.     Ketoconazole 2 % and Zinc pyrithione 1 % (Shampoo) for the fungal and yeast infections of the skin. Ketoconazole an active ingredient works by interfering and weakening with the formation of the fungal cell membrane. It better works with seborrheic dermatitis and blepharitis.

Thoroughly apply on wet hair and massage and leave it for 5 minutes and then rinse it out. It does not make lather like other shampoos. Take a drop on finger, rub it and apply gently on eyelashes on tightly closed eyes and rinse it properly. With 8 weeks of proper use twice in a week completely cured me with SD and blepharitis.
      Side effects : itchy and dry scalp
4.    If you have dermatitis on your chest and breast lines and back, you can use the composition of Boric acid and  Clotrimazole cream together. It works by reducing inflammation and inhibiting the growth of fungi.
Apply a thin layer of this base and rub until it absorbs completely twice or thrice daily. I applied this on my front              and back area for four to five days and it worked wonder and the lesions gradually disappeared.
Note : before taking any above medication consult your doctor or physician and alcohol should not be consumed during any medication it can worsen the condition of rosacea and if you are pregnant or on breast-feeding and any other condition like diabetes or heart problem, take this medications as directed by your doctor.
Instead relying on oral and topical steroids my doctor prescribed me with bacterial and fungal medications because taking steroids for SD and blepharitis can exacerbate the condition of rosacea and relying on antibiotics and anti-fungal treatments can lessen the condition of SD and blepharitis and keep the rosacea at bay.

References :
https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems/glossary-of-eye-and-vision-conditions/blepharitis.(1)
http://eyewiki.aao.org/Blepharitis.(2)
http://www.londoneyeunit.co.uk/services/blepharitis/.(3)
https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/doxycycline.(4)
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-8648-7073/doxycycline-hyclate-oral/doxycycline-oral/details.(5)
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6426/metro
 

end article_________________

 

[Apurva Tathe]

Dear Admin,

Thank you for the information of posting article. I did not know about that. Next time I will copy and paste my article in the given space.

[Guide]

On 11/2/2018 at 6:46 AM, Apurva Tathe said:

Dear Admin,

Thank you for the information of posting article. I did not know about that. Next time I will copy and paste my article in the given space.

Thanks Apurva, and also thanks for your article on co-existence. 

[Ralar]

gosh, I have all three of these issues - only starting to make all the connections (new to this site) I have had (very minor) rosacea since my 20's but gradually becoming worse - i think, scrolling the internet, i still probably have a mild case but i find it so sore when it flares up and worried about how quickly it seems to be getting worse now im nearly 40.. I have been struggling with my scalp which im pretty sure is seborrheic dermatitis (also v.sore when it flares up) and have been getting really sore itchy eyes, mildly bloodshot and now blepharitis!

I do believe (in my case) there is a link between all of this and my gut - currently working with a naturopathic practitoner as i'm determined not to take meds - I feel like a lot of my issues are to do with heavy doses of antibiotics earlier in life, poor diet and extreme stress..

Thank you - I wish you luck on your journey with this & hope you find results soon.

[Guide]

1 hour ago, Ralar said:

gosh, I have all three of these issues - only starting to make all the connections (new to this site) I have had (very minor) rosacea since my 20's but gradually becoming worse - i think, scrolling the internet, i still probably have a mild case but i find it so sore when it flares up and worried about how quickly it seems to be getting worse now im nearly 40.. I have been struggling with my scalp which im pretty sure is seborrheic dermatitis (also v.sore when it flares up) and have been getting really sore itchy eyes, mildly bloodshot and now blepharitis!

I do believe (in my case) there is a link between all of this and my gut - currently working with a naturopathic practitoner as i'm determined not to take meds - I feel like a lot of my issues are to do with heavy doses of antibiotics earlier in life, poor diet and extreme stress..

Thank you - I wish you luck on your journey with this & hope you find results soon.

Rylar, keep us posted on your progress. Might want to read this post on GUT Rosacea. One treatment that may help which is natural and inexpensive is ElaineA's borax bath. Probiotics are another subject to consider. 

[Ralar]

Thanks!

[Apurva Tathe]

13 hours ago, Ralar said:

gosh, I have all three of these issues - only starting to make all the connections (new to this site) I have had (very minor) rosacea since my 20's but gradually becoming worse - i think, scrolling the internet, i still probably have a mild case but i find it so sore when it flares up and worried about how quickly it seems to be getting worse now im nearly 40.. I have been struggling with my scalp which im pretty sure is seborrheic dermatitis (also v.sore when it flares up) and have been getting really sore itchy eyes, mildly bloodshot and now blepharitis!

I do believe (in my case) there is a link between all of this and my gut - currently working with a naturopathic practitoner as i'm determined not to take meds - I feel like a lot of my issues are to do with heavy doses of antibiotics earlier in life, poor diet and extreme stress..

Thank you - I wish you luck on your journey with this & hope you find results soon.

Yes do not heavily rely on heavy doses of antibiotics (read here)without doctor's prescription.but do it with your own body's balance and understanding and use natural things more like the one above suggested you can read this gut connection with SD or yeast overgrowth for more understanding and do let us know about your post implementation status.