My Seborrheic Dermatitis Skin Regimen 2.0

Hi Michael,
Your job here is extremely appreciated. I’ve been fighting SB for about 4 years and the best method so far was the ACV, but somehow it really dried my skin on the affected parts. Tried some lotions after but they didn’t seem to bite.

I have now ordered Biom8 and really excited to try it out.
How do you do after you shower? Do you put some Biom8 on then as well or do you only apply it after you have rinsed your face?

Thanks for this awesome website!
Kind regards

Hi Lukas,

Personally, the ACV didn’t seem like a very good solution. I think it works as a mild anti-fungal, but I believe most of it’s potential comes from the fact that it acts as an astringent, minimizing pores and reducing sebum production. This seems to starve the malassezia. But in the end the skin tends to look quite raw as the pH shift is quite drastic.

Thanks for giving it a shot. Hopefully it works as well for you!

After the shower is actually the best/easiest time to apply it for me. Basically I just rinse my face with mildly cold water while showering, then by the time I’m out of the shower and in-front of the mirror it’s the perfect moisture level to apply the Biom8. Without the shower, I typically have to wait a few minutes after rinsing my face to let it air dry a bit.

Thanks for the kind words.
Best of luck and hope it works out.
PS. I’m shipping it out tomorrow morning, US delivery should take about 6-8 business days (I’m in Vancouver, Canada).

Hey! so i’ve had issues with Seborrheic dermatitis on both the face and scalp for some time now. I generally use a generic head and shoulders for the scalp and i haven’t had any issues with dandruff for a few years. Unfortunately nothing seems to help my face in the long term, except dry weather. I moved to California for a few months and my skin cleared up immediately it was generally around 20-30% humidity but, as soon as i moved to a more humid area my skin started getting red and flaky around my nose. This is not the first time ive made a transition from humid to dry and seen really significant effects on my skin. Any ideas or insight? thanks.

Hi Mike,

Sorry for the long delay in response.

So far from my own understanding, humidity could provide a better environment of the yeast to proliferate and may also increase sebum production. Additionally, the humidity may cause sebaceous glands to open up and allow the malassezia to better penetrate the hair follicles. However, these are just assumptions and I haven't seen any research regarding any of these.

However, I've been working on a book and the seborrheic dermatitis chapter is almost ready. It goes deep into explaining what seborrheic dermatitis is and how it's believed to operate. Basically, though from everything I have been reading I'm convinced that it is a result of fatty acid metabolism and synthesis issues. Will update with a link to the draft copy once it's ready. Bug me if I forget, as there are a lot of parallel conversions going on at the site.

If you want to keep up to date check out the community. A forum has been setup for the discussion of the book and all the chapters it contains.

All the best.

I would agree with almost 100% certainty that humidity is a huge factor for me. I travel a lot for periods of time up to two months and i always notice that very dry climates (under 40% relative humidity) seem to push my SD down to a dormant state. I believe whatever causes SD be it malassezia or something else struggles to survive in low humidity. I would be very interested to hear more about your findings and I hope you can figure out something definitive.
-Mike

I looked up the dandruff shampoo you mentioned. I was surprised to find that it has Argan oil in it. I was told by a hairstylist (who recognized the seb derm) that I should avoid Argan oil/ Moroccan oil because it would irritate my skin and cause a rash.

After she said that, I’ve been avoiding all products that had it.

Hi Kellie,

Honestly I’ve been told so many things by so many people throughout the years.
My best progress has been when I stopped listening to others and just focused on what felt right.

Hope that helps.

Hi Mike,

Just wanted to follow up.

Perhaps another component of the humidity factor is dust mites. It is possible that the malassezia weaken the skin barrier and the dust mites during sleep simply further aggravate the skin and compromise the barrier. This is obviously just speculation, but high dust mite presence has been correlated with atopic dermatitis (source).

Though I don’t think that they are the direct cause, they may simply add to the existing problem.

All the best.

Forgot to mention that they thrive in high humidity (source)

Hello Michael,

Thank you so much for creating this website! It’s been a great source of information, having just discovered that I have SD. I’ve been using Apple Cider Vinegar as a treatment and have noticed a slight difference.

I want to try the Biom8 and have gone to purchase it, however, it is telling me that the “skindrone” coupon has expired. I wanted to confirm if it is not longer available prior to making the purchase?

Thank you!

Hi Adrienne,

Thanks for the positive feedback. Hopefully you can find something on here that resolves things completely.
Unfortunately this coupon is no longer available as I had to cover the expenses out of pocket, which really started to add up.

Sorry about this.
There will be a new coupon available in the upcoming weeks for the oil free formula though.

All the best.

Day 18 of using the BIOM8 and still irritation free! Just as a side comment, I have been using it on 2 (3 month old laprascopic surgery) scars and have seen quite an improvement. Redness leaving and fading. Just wish I had taken before and after pics of both my face and my surgery scars. Great stuff Michael, I am truly grateful.

Hi Donna,

Thanks for the update. Happy to hear the results for the scars as well.
Currently using it for practically all my skin care needs as well (aftershave, random irritation, etc.).

Yeah, too bad about the before and afters. Perhaps other users may provide some down the road.

All the best!

PS. Still haven’t received the 250mL containers. If your running out, let me know! Will just mix and match the smaller volumes.

Hi Michael,

I have seborrheic dermatitis on my eyebrows. If I were to apply Biom8, will there be a risk where I will lose hair? I already have very thin eyebrows because of SD and I am very scared that what I have left will be gone as a side effect (clogging of hair follicles).
Also, another silly question, is this Biom8 intended to be a daily routine to keep SD away as long as I continue to use it or is it suppose to be short term until “cured” kinda thing? Thank you!

Hi Minh,

From my experience once the seborrheic dermatitis is under control, hair growth improves and any losses reverse. Much of the literature on commercial anti-fungal products (Pyrithione Zinc, Ketoconazole, etc.) makes note of this as well.

The Biom8 hasn’t caused any clogging for me and beard growth seems to have actually accelerated.

Currently, I’ve been using Biom8 as part of my daily routine. However, I stopped using everything else (including all faces washes and cleansers). Since I created the formula myself I feel much more confident in the ingredients that go into it. Perhaps down the road I may try to stop using it as well, but currently my skin has been loving it and the routine doesn’t really take much effort.

Hope that helps and best of luck.

hi michael,

Is this good for tinea veriscolor as well? I also have sebborric dermatitis mildly on my face and scalp. What do you think is causing it? I used to eat horribly and I drank lots of caffeinated beverages. I am trying to find a solution and right now my skin is feeling so dry after I applied Braggs apple cider vinegar. Please help!

Hello!

First of all, I’d like to thank you for putting this site together, it is awesome and the way you go through all the different treatments, etc, is very informing.

I would like to ask what has been the best method for you to reduce the redness on the face?

I went to see a doctor about my skin about a year ago for the first time, and was given tetracycline, it worked really well at first and cleared my skin completely. However, towards the end of this summer the redness started coming back on the same spots and flakes quickly followed. I went to see an actual dermatologist this time, he told me I had seborhheic dermatitis and gave me a prescription of low-dosage isotretinoin and a cream where the active ingredient is metronidazol.

I think it is the isotretinoin that has worked extremely well, and I don’t get any flaking anymore and my skin is not itchy at all. The only problem I have these days is purely cosmetical, and it is that the redness has managed to stay.

Any recommendations?

Thank you in advance!

Hey Michael, I wanted to order the 100ml bottle of biom8 today but the site said it was on backorder. Im just wondering if you have any idea for how long it will be until it is back in stock or if I burly it now, how long the entire shipping process would take with the product being on backorder, thanks.

I had severe seboris dermatitis for some time now . After seeing this site i would like to try ur biom8 oil but how do i order or buy it ? I am stsying in malaysia And been looking around all pharmacy but no luck. Please… how do i get one of it ?

Hey Michael,

I’ve heard really good things about your product from another person online. We’re both suffering from Seb Derm and are talking about solutions.

Would you happen to ship to South Korea? I really want to try your product as I’ve heard really good things so far.

Hi Michael,

I’ve just ordered the skin conditioning oil. Do you know roughly how long to get to the UK?

kind regards,

Tom Worrall

Hi Saima,

Can’t say for sure as most users who currently use it have seborrheic dermatitis specifically. However, in my research I did come across tinea veriscolor and the main culprit behind it does appear to be the malassezia as well. In theory it should work for it as well since it’s main objective is regulating the microbial community of the skin. However, there is realistically only one way to really find out.

Overall there appear to be many factors which cause seborrheic dermatitis and these can vary from individual to individual. There is lot’s to cover and the best thing you can do is educate yourself about the condition and what may be causing it for you. With enough knowledge you can decide for yourself what the best approach would be specifically for you. A good place to start are the chapters drafts of the book I’ve been working on:

• Understanding Your Skin
• All About Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Your Digestion
• Omegas and Inflammation

Lot’s of different aspects are covered.
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

All the best.

Hi Max,

Thanks for the feedback. The Biom8 has been really good at reducing redness. Currently I still sometimes get that strange tingling sensations, but when I look in the mirror everything is fine.
Additionally, I highly recommend you check out the draft chapters of the book I’ve been working on. It goes into much greater detail on the condition and I’ve tried to rely primarly on medical research instead of random information found online. You can currently find it here:

• Understanding Your Skin
• All About Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Your Digestion
• Omegas and Inflammation

It may be a tough read, but it writing it has honestly gave me a completely new understanding of the condition. Trying to explain it all in a comment would be very time consuming

All the best and hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hi Harry,

Sorry for the delay. The whole process has been taking up a much larger amount of time then I had anticipated.
Currently the 100mL is finally back in-stock, but it’s already running low because of all the back-orders.

If I have inventory on hand I try to ship it the same day that I receive the order. However, I’m planning to go on a 2 day per week schedule.
Shipping time to USA has been about 8-10 business days and international orders typically take 10-12 business day. Orders within Canada are extremely fast and average 2-5 business day.

Hope that helps and once again sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

PS. Your order was shipped October 20th and should hopefully arrive sometime next week.

All the best.

Hi Kim,

Sorry for the delay in response. Currently the Biom8 can only be purchased online through the website: www.biom8.com.
International shipping is currently $11 USD and shipping times typically take 10-12 business days for international orders.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best.

Hi Eze,

Currently the product is shipping internationally. International shipping is $11 USD at checkout and shipping time is typically 10-12 business days.
Out of curiosity, where did you hear about the product?

All the best.

Hi Tom,

Shipping has typically been about 10-12 business days to international locations.
I’m located in Vancouver, Canada.

PS. Your order was shipped today in the morning.

I heard about it from someone on Reddit. I accidentally stumbled upon him mentioning Seb Derm and we’ve kept in contact over the past few months. We’ve been sharing ideas on how to stop the seb derm. we both have the issue of losing weight as we know sugar and even basic carbs seems to flare it up. He mentioned your product and said it was the best thing he’s tried so far.

Hi Michael,

Is the oil free formula ready for purchase?

Hi Michael, I m sffering with dandruff last from 8 year after my first delivery. But during my second time pregnancy in 2013 I diagnosed with Seb derm. I used steroids.That time was horrible for me because I could find that flacky itchy red greedy skin every where means around my nose, ear, eye brows etc. But after little bit study I tried tea tree oil drops diluted with water. That didn’t work for me but I got some relaxation from inflammation in my scalp. Then I massage my head directly with tea tree oil. I continued this practice for two months mean twice a week I did massage on my head. I got very good results Now i was free with scalp problem.i put that oil directly on my face I got better results but problem is this when I changed my shampoo and used conditioner it came up again. I used Vichy shampoo it is great for Seb derm. So if I don’t use tea tree oil or I changed my shampoo it come in very bad condition. Now suggest me what I do?

Hi Eze,

Thanks for the update and letting me know.

Previously I also had a strong belief that excessive carbs and sugar played a huge role. I was avoiding bread, noodles, rice and lots of other things. Once I started to actually learn about the condition from a medical point of view I became much more flexible in dietary choices.

If you haven’t yet feel free to check out the current chapter drafts for a book I’ve been working on:

• Understanding Your Skin
• All About Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Your Digestion
• Omegas and Inflammation

Best of luck and hope you get things under control.

Hi Jamie,

It’s ready, but I’m waiting for the first batch of inventory to arrive.
However, I haven’t really been able to test it since my seborrheic dermatitis has gone away from using the original Biom8.

For initial orders I will likely either offer a large discount or simply add it to order of original formula as a sample.

Will update as soon as it’s ready to be shipped.

Hi Nisha,

If you haven’t yet I highly suggest you read through the chapter drafts of the book I’ve been working on:

• Understanding Your Skin
• All About Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Your Digestion
• Omegas and Inflammation

I believe understanding the condition is the first step to long term treatment.

Tea tree oil wasn’t that great for me. As mentioned in this post the Biom8 has been of the best things I’ve tried.

For the scalp/hair I haven’t had any real issues for more then a year now. This is the shampoo I’ve been using: Andalou Naturals Moisture Rich Shampoo
Randomly a little patch of SD may still pop-up around the hairline, but the Biom8 seems to take care of it really quick.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any updates.

Hi all,

I just found the most important article on treating the cause of skin problems, that I have come across in 10 years.

Clinical and investigative studies confirm that supplementation with a combination of flaxseed, borage and fish oils at the correct dosages during ca two months, is an important step to improving skin texture, skin complexion and the treatment of certain skin disorders (eczema, psoriasis and some cases of acne), due to their effects on promoting the production of prostaglandins PG-1 and PG-3 in the skin.

Processed foods like sugar and alcohol and so on promotes the procuction of PG-2 which makes the skin red, dra, scaly and infected.

I will try to find the correct dosage for this and go for it a few months. Will get back with results.

Hey,

I really like the Biom8 so far! Just wondering, how does one apply it with makeup? I’m a little nervous about it because I know oil-based makeup makes seborrheic dermatitis worse.

Thanks!

Hi Kay,
I wear makeup to work everyday and have not had any problem using the BIOM8 with it.
What I do is I wash my face with cool water in the morning and apply a tiny bit of BIOM8 as per Michaels instructions while my face is still slightly damp, massaging it in well (my problem skin is around my nose and chin so thats where I put the most BIOM8. I only give my forehead a quick swipe because I find my makeup can get a little shiny in that area if I put too much there). I wait a short while for it to absorb then apply my makeup. I bought the large bottle of BIOM8 (250mls) so use that to remove my makeup as well. Also use it as a moisturiser over my whole body straight after a shower again whilst skin is still slightly damp. I too was told not to use oils on Seb. Derm but find BIOM8 is an exception, my skin is clear after a very long time and has been for approx. 2 months. Good luck PS. I use an oil free makeup made especially for sensitive skin.

I’m curious, what brand of make-up do you use?
I’m wondering if my make-up/sunscreen ingredients are making mine worse…

Thanks

Hi,
I use Clinique Redness Solutions- it’s quite expensive ie AUD $50, but lasts for ages. When I am makeup free I use Cetaphil Suntivity SPF 30 (Face) which also comes in SPF 50. It’s non greasy and paraben free around AUD $15. I’ve tried the other Clinique foundations but have found the a Redness solutions is the only one I don’t react to.

Hi Donna,

Thank you so much for your help! It’s very useful. Just a couple of questions about your routine:

• Do you use foundation as well as a concealer, and if so, which oil-free brands do you use?
• When removing the makeup with Biom8, do you just squirt some of it onto a makeup removing cloth or cottonball?

Thanks again, I appreciate it! It’s so great to hear that I can potentially wear makeup again haha.

Hi Michael,

A couple of questions on usage of Biom8. It will help me to decide what size to purchase for the original formula.

Can Biom8 be used as night time cleanser for removal of sunscreen? I read a comment by Donna that she uses it as makeup remover with success.

I use Vit C serum in the day time. Should I put Biom8 before or after Vit C? I know that sunscreen is the last.

Is the oil free formula ready? If I get both how do they work? If I use the original formula, where does the oil free formula come in?

Thanks in advance.

http://www.clinique.com/esearch?search=redness
I see 6 different ones here. I know everyone’s skin is different, but if it works for someone with a similar problem, it is a good place to start.
thanks

Hi Michael, I have SD on my eyebrows which causes hair loss. I purchased Biom8 and was wondering whether it should stop the hair loss? Did you experience anything like this also? It’s mentioned as well that it makes an excellent tanning oil, what does this mean though if I wanted to apply it to my face only to get rid of the SD on my eyebrows? Also, is there a chance my skin will eventually become immune to this oil or if I stopped using it will the SD perhaps return?
Thank you!

I’m curious if there is a difference in plant based omega 3s and fish based omega 3s.

Hi Kellie,

There is a significant difference between plant based omega 3s and fish based omega 3s.
Here is the relevant snippet out of the Omega chapter from the book I’m working on:

Falling under the classification omega-3s are a large number of specific fatty acids, which we obtain from many different sources.

The most researched of theses are DHA and EPA. These omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained through diet (mainly from seafood) or synthesized within the body from ALA (alpha-linolenic acid - another omega-3). However, the conversion of ALA to to DHA and EPA is not very efficient (conversion efficiency is below 5%). Additionally, the process used for conversion of ALA directly competes with the breakdown of omega-6 fatty acids. As a result, an abundance of omega-6 fatty acids further decreases the efficiency for humans to obtain needed EPA and DHA (from ALA) declines further. Luckily, DHA and EPA can be obtained directly through diet.

Fish and marine products are the best source of DHA and EPA. However, there is significant variant among different fish species. For example, while Pacific Herring can have 1.06g of EPA and 0.75g of DHA per 3 ounce serving, Pacific Cod only has 0.09g of EPA and 0.15 of DHA for the same 3 ounce portion. As a result, some marine products are much better than others for obtaining these fatty acids.

ALA is widely available from plant sources. The most popular of these appears to be Flax Seeds, which contain roughly 50% of its oil composition in the form of ALA. As a result, a single tablespoon of ground flax seed contains about 1600 mg of ALA. At the 5% efficiency level mentioned above, this can be converted to about 80 mg of DHA and EPA, which is actually quite unimpressive. However, the pure oil is a little better as a single tablespoon contains 8.5g of ALA (425 mg ALA and EPA). Some other sources of ALA include:

• Walnuts (1 ounce = 2.6 ALA)
• Canola Oil (1 tablespoon = 1.2 ALA)
• Mustard Oil (1 tablespoon = 0.8 ALA)

However, because these plant sources of omega-3 always contain some quantity of omega-6, the final amount of obtained DHA and EPA is unclear.

The full chapter draft can be found here.
Hope that helps and all the best.

Hi Jamie,

My own approach with it is really simple. Cleanse with slightly cold water and apply Biom8 a few minutes later as a moisturizer.
However, I guess it can be used as a sort of cleanser and washed off with water after it’s usage. Would love to hear your experience with this approach.

What type of Vitamin C serum are you using (ingredients or direct product link)? The composition would determine the order.

The oil free formula will actually be arriving today.
Planning to initially send it out a discounted price in a package with the condition oil (the conditioning oil has had a really impressive success rate, while the oil free formula is brand new).
Can hopefully setup the order page sometime this evening.

When used together the oil free formula would be applied prior to the conditioning oil.
The oil free formula contains ingredients I wanted to originally add to the conditioning oil, but bonding agents and preservatives would have been required.
For this reason the formulas were separated. When used together they should compliment each other (increasing anti-fungal activity and improving skin repair rate).

Hope that helps.

Hi Hakan,

Thanks for the link.

Personally stay away from Curezone as it has provided lot’s of stress and confusion for me in the past.
Having a narrow focus regarding the skin condition has shown to provide little results. A more compounded approach to understanding the unique circumstances of your own health appears to be the key to long term treatment.

Sugar and alcohol are unhealthy in general, but a healthy immune system should have no issues with them.
Too much can degrade the immune system though.

PS. Have tried supplementing with borage, hemp seed flax seed oils. This didn’t produce any results for me.

All the best.

Hi Hakan,

Thanks for the link.

Personally stay away from Curezone as it has provided lot’s of stress and confusion for me in the past.
Having a narrow focus regarding the skin condition has shown to provide little results. A more compounded approach to understanding the unique circumstances of your own health appears to be the key to long term treatment.

Sugar and alcohol are unhealthy in general, but a healthy immune system should have no issues with them.

PS. Have tried supplementing with borage, hemp seed flax seed oils. This didn’t produce any results for me.

All the best.

Hi Donna,
Thanks for addressing the question. Personally lack any experience with it’s use alongside make-up…
But, this is the exact approach I would have suggested (apply Biom8, allow to absorb, and apply makeup over-top).

Glad to hear your results continue as well!
All the best.

Hi Nic,

From everything I’ve learnt so far the hair loss is basically the result of fungus invading the hair follicles. Once the fungal activity is controlled the hair loss issues appear to resolve themselves.
If your own hair loss issues are associated with a different cause, results may be different.

When I had issues with SD on my eye-brows I experience hair loss as well. Controlling the SD would always stop/reverse the hair loss.
Currently with Biom8, my eyebrows are very health and have not had any issues since starting it’s usage.

Anything is possible as living organism (including fungus) have the ability to mutate and adapt.
Hopefully it works indefinitely.

For long term usage, I personally like it very much so I don’t have any issues with this.
Also, since I made it myself and know the origin of the ingredients I’ve never really second-guessed it’s usage.
Many of my friends who don’t even have SD have been asking for it as well. My skin looks really healthy and vibrant, so people have been naturally asking me what I use.

Hope that helps and best of luck with the Biom8. Hopefully your results are similar to mine.
Look forward to any updates.

Yes I do use a concealer but only in the areas I don’t get Seb Derm. It’s not oil free. Max Factor Pan Stick which I use on my eye lids, as a base for my powder eyeshadow, and as a base for my lipstick (little tricks a makeup artist told me which stop eyeshadow from going into the creases and helps my lipstick stay put). I also apply a little under my eyes for occasional dark rings using the dab, dab application technique For taking my makeup off I wet my clean hands and put a little BIOM8 on them then wipe that over my face. I then get some baby wipes (fragrance free and rinsed under water for good measure to remove anything which could possible irritate my skin then remove my makeup with them. I repeat the process, rince my face with cool water then apply a tiny bit of BIOM8 massaging in well as per Michaels instructions. It all sounds like a bit to do, but it really doesn’t take long at all. I use baby wipes because they are convenient and saves washing face washers which breed bacteria anyway. I don’t use a heavy duty mascara so I don’t know if my makeup removing technique would work with that. Hope this helps!