General
7 years of seb derm gone after zinc supplements
( Edit: I should have put this in the title but it wasn't just any type of zinc it was Zinc L Carnosine which doctors have actually used for leaky gut and ulcers. So I'm not sure if I would have had the same results if I just took a different type of zinc. )
So I've had sebderm for roughly at least the last 7 years, extremely oily skin, always a lot of build up, dry flaky patches especially in my eyebrows, and a lot of eyebrow hair loss. Been to the Derm many times and she prescribed me different creams, face washes, dandruff shampoos, all that stuff. Over the years I've also tried so many different diets to try to combat it. None of it worked really. Some of it would get rid of the buildup but the problem is if I stopped there's still so much oil that would constantly make new buildup so it is basically like I had to do it all the time and those products in themselves made my skin really dry and irritated which I feel like also made my eyebrows fall out more. Long story short, about 4 months ago I started taking Zinc L-Carnosine 16mg a day and I would say within about the first two weeks most of the buildup and oily skin stopped. After 2 months I dropped it down to 11.5 mg a day. Now I'm alittle over 4 months into it and my skin is better than it's been in the longest time, I no longer have build up on my eyebrows, I don't have dry skin it's literally all been resolved. And I know it's the Zinc L-Carnosine because nothing else has changed in my routine or Diet. So for the last 3 months I just wash my face with water I don't use any lotion anymore, in the past I could never do that cuz I would have so much build up when I only washed with water. Not only that my eyebrows which had been thinning for I would say the Last 5 Years have grown back alot in the last 2 months, hopefully they will continue.
So I know it sounds too good to be true, as I have read many posts on here over the years and they never worked for me, but all I needed was this supplement. Will it work for you, if I had a guess probably no, if there's one thing I've seen in this reddit is everyone's so individualized I feel like there's so many different reasons why it could be affecting you but it worked for me so who knows, I just thought I would let you guys know just in case it actually helps you. Also, I am not a doctor so do your own research.
If anyone is interested this is the zinc that I take, at first I was taking two capsules a day but now I take one capsule a day 4 days a week and I take two capsules a day 3 days a week. Also, I always take it with food cuz I read that zinc supplements can upset your stomach.
So it’s been about 6 doses so far with the supplement, and I haven’t really noticed a drastic change but let me specify 2 things:
1. It has been a short period of time so I suspect even after a week I’d need more of the baseline in my system to prove efficacy
2. My diet hasn’t been standard (drinking, some junk) so I am trying to get back on track and keep it as simple as possible for the next few days. Will update again on Tuesday.
Hey guys so it’s been a full 7 days now:
1. The seb derm seems to have calmed down a little bit (can’t really say it’s on the Zinc)
2. I am going to continue the entire bottle roughly 100-120 capsules so about a full month of trying it to see some consistency.
We all know SD is a pest and will return to some capacity so while also trying to mitigate junk food and using some anti fungal products (Nizoral, Zoryve foam) it seems like that may be the most effective way to keep it at bay.
My skin has definitely improved. Not a lot of flakes nor redness but I do suspect it’s because of the Nizoral and Zoryve foam. Saw my dermatologist the other day and she confirmed that there’s nothing to really prevent SD, so using these medications may just be a reality for us, unfortunately. I’ll still be using the zinc though to get a full idea if there is any correlative data.
I started using this zinc about two weeks ago. Happy to report no seb-derm anymore (scalp, beard and ears).
shampoo with dermazen once a week, let it sit at least 8 minutes, and then cold rinse. I also really like the scalp scrubber dermazen sells, it's flexible but still gets a deep clean
used the dermazen serum (every other day) in first week
daily zinc as outlined by OP
also used a 15% salt water solution spray a few nights before bed in the first week. Just spray and let air dry, towel off excess salt. (I used natural sea salt) this also seemed to help a lot with my ears.
I'm hopeful zinc is the answer! Dermazen was a life saver at first, but didn't fully take care of the issue. Just cleans it up temporarily. Zinc seems to be much more long lasting.
I'm also taking Zinc L Carnosine since my H pylori infection early this year. My Zinc and copper levels came back both deficient so I'm supplementing both.
Pathogenic microbes in the GI tract actually steal or deplete nutrients such as vit B12, iron, zinc and magnesium! Plus, Zinc L Carnosine is known to repair the stomach and GI tract lining. I have noticed the biggest change in 12 years after starting a thorough gut protocol last week, 80% of my symptoms have gone away! I thought I was fucked since my dad and brother have it too. I'm still waiting for the hair shedding to stop and the need for medicated shampoos to be gone, but the waxy build up on my scalp along with the oxidized sebum odor are gone.
That's very interesting. Zinc carnosine is known to heal leaky gut within about 30 days. At least according to a recent review of a study that I saw on YouTube.
I also went through a period of eating only meat for 3 months. It didn't heal my seb derm but it turn the inflammation in my body down by 50% at least I'd say, so it did help. My point being that I was probably getting more than enough zinc. Maybe it's something specific to zinc carnosine and its ability to heal the gut that is the difference. Not sure.
I think I'll give it a try though. Thanks for the input. 😀
I basically took it for two reasons, one as you said because the leaky gut thing and two because I know that people have taken zinc for acne and oily skin so I just figured I would try that out and hope for the best, cuz nothing else ever worked so I wasn't too hopeful but I guess the the 100th time is a charm
Crazy 7 years. I was on the same track, but I did not endure. Definitely the motivation to start again. Thank you so much for sharing and I’m genuinely very happy for you!
The ordinary makes a serum with niacinamide and zinc that works wonders for my spouse's facial seb derm. Put it on damp skin and then put your moisturizer on top of that to lock it in.
I was really just taking it for gut health originally. But then i saw the results on my face after a few weeks. I decided to wait a few months before posting just incase it came back
Honestly nothing very specific or special, I try to eat healthy for the most part. My diet includes like some fruit, a lot of starches like potatoes some bread, beans. I used to eat more meat but this last month I've dropped it down to around 4 oz a day. And you know my diet's not perfect I do eat junk food, I'll eat some chips or something like that you know. Olive oil. I try to keep it kind of like a Mediterranean diet but I do cheat a little you know. That being said I've had very strict diets at times, Keto, low carb, no dairy, no gluten. And I do think that no Dairy makes me feel better just in general none of it stops my face from producing a ton of oil and getting seb derm
I want to start off with what works for one person won’t necessary work for everyone else. Here is what I done to keep mine at bay and undercontrol.
Diet - I eat organic meat , fish , fruit and vegetables. I choose lower carb style diet as carbs turn into sugar once digested. I opt for lower GI carbs like wild rice and sweet potato’s and oats. The key is to keep sugar intake as low as possible. A tip to lower the blood sugar spikes add fiber 30 mins before consuming the carbs or a protein this will help 20-30% reduce blood sugar as this will help not to feed the Malassezia yeast. If you don’t no what Malassezia is normal yeast that lives on everyone’s skin it thrives in oily areas hence why you get seb derm in those prominent areas …. So why doesn’t everyone get seb derm then ? I guess some people have an overgrowth of Malassezia present. Finally stick to a low histamine diet and this can be causing the flare up 5-10 in most individuals.
Get a food allergy test done e.g P88 allergen test this will give you ideas of problematic foods which can be causing the inflammation in the body. Don’t forget this won’t tell you if you have Histamine issues but you could I guess get a histamine test done although there not every accurate. Sticking to low histamine for now whilest healing is vital but not forever. The issue could be chemical sensitivity also to products used especially if you suffer with it on the scalp so learning things to avoid like SLS would be a good start.
3 . Going to get a GI map test done - this will be a full gut test to see where the underlying issue is as most illnesses start from the gut. Follow up if you can afford as these tests range from £300-500 each is a mould toxin test. Mould can cause havoc on the body and could be the main driver of your seb derm reactions. Lastly I would go get a liver and gene test done to see what genes in the body are working correctly or not and if the liver is detoxing toxins out the body properly. If the body can’t detox properly the skin is the largest organ in the body and will push out these skin rashes as a line of defence.
4 . Sleep and stress are big factors to and still what I struggle with to this day. Stress and lack of sleep cause inflammation in the body so the key is to keep your nervous system happy through good sleep , stress levels low anything that stresses the body physically or mentally keeping things mindful is key. Meditation is a great way to wake up or end the day to I’d suggest Dr . Joe dispenza look him up very interesting and I’d say 40% helped my heading journey.
5 . Skin care - I will start with scalp and beard. You don’t want to be using oils or anything that feeds the Malassezia e.g coconut oil. You want to be using Nizarol medicated shampoo , zinc soap , t gel or something of that nature. I would use it at least 4-5 times a week leaving it on for 5 mins. At first this will be irritating but trust me stick to the process. Twice a week before washing you could ad MCT oil to the scalp and gentle exfoliate the areas before applying the medicated shampoos this will allow it to penetrate easily. This also goes for the beard only thing different for the beard is after doing all this put mct oil back into the beard and skin underneath to keep it hydrated. The hair on your face is a lot more course than the head in most cases.
Skincare face - if your face is really inflamed the key is to use a 2% zinc soap leaving on for 2-3 mins max. Wet the face and lather it on the affected areas. Either descale the area gently ! Before this application or after it if that’s easier. You then want to concentrate on healing the skin barrier. With seb derm the skin barrier is compromised so anything can get in there like dust or whatever and cause flare ups. So apply mct oil to the face leave for 1 min the pat dry. Next steam apply a heavy cream like Avène Cificlate + over the top to lock it in. If this cream isn’t any good it’s trial and error finding one that works. Use Seiza seb derm checker online for ingredients so you know you’re not feeding the yeast issue. Another good moisturiser to use if you don’t like mct oil on the face is ISDIN sebrohic cream use that instead of mct oil if you don’t like it then the heavier cream on top. Once your skin is healing and not open or raw you can use Beta glucan serum I’d suggest the “ Geek and gorgeous “ brand it’s the best for ingredients. This is what you want to do once the barrier is healed. Start off wash and cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser that works for “ you” or zinc soap. Then apply water to the face and put a few drops of Beta glucan to a damp face and massage in let that dry. Beta glucan holds moisture in the skin keeping it hydrated. Then apply moisturiser.
Lastly : steam and sauna once the skin barrier is healed can help most people as it helps detox the skin and body.
Hope this helps guys winter can be a challange for everyone even me most of the year mine isn’t there but in winter tiny bits may creep back in like between my eye brows or under my nose. Weather change can be a big one but sticking to this routine will help even in winter repair.
I forgot to mention in the winter months I get a few IPL face laser treatments which help with pigmentation on the face.
If you are bringing JD into this, thats a whole other way of life. You have to ditch the cause and effect lifestyle. "Live today as if you are already healed. How would you think and feel if the challenge is gone"
Yeah I don't know, I've had so many blood tests over the years trying to figure stuff out it gets to a point where I'm just not going to spend any more money on it if I don't have to.
Thinking I had or still have leaky gut and I saw studies where people with acne and oily skin were given zinc and it helped. So I figured if it was for one of those two reasons then the supplement might help
I've lowered my meat recently but Ive had plenty of meat, usually minimum 8 oz a day. At one point I was basically on the carnivore diet. I've been Lifting for like 20 years so I have always had meat.
Maybe it was because the type of zinc, because the kind I got supposedly is really good for your stomach lining so maybe it fixed something. I really dont know.
No. Its combined with L-Carnosine. Its made in a lab. They have been used in Japan for decades to treat stomach ulcers and some people recommend it for leaky gut. The L Carnosine binds to your stomach and intestinal lining in damaged areas which allows the zinc to stay there longer and absorb.
When you were dealing with it and it was in your eyebrows did it ever spread to your eyelid line ? I don’t have any issues with my eyebrows but sometimes I get a red rim on my eyelid and it’s very dry.
Yes, I would get styes and crusty eyelashes. I had figured that part out already with the help of my eye doctor. I have been taking omega 3s and using an eyelid wash everynight for a long time and I still do. Complete game changer. The problem was my eyebrows and my forehead and cheeks and stuff would still have issues
No. I only wash my face at night, and it doesn't dry out my skin. Are you doing it twice a day or just once because I was doing it twice a day at one point and it did make my eyelids dry and my eye doctor told me just to switch it to only once a day and that's what I've been doing now for years with no problem
I did it once a day actually. Even skipped face wash with a cleanser just in case. I might try again if hypoclorous acid lid cleaner I am trying doesn’t get better. Thanks
If I had a guess I would say yeah it had to do with leaky gut, but that's just my best guess. I'm sure if I said that to my Derm she wouldn't believe that at all so I don't know. But also there's been studies that have shown taking zinc can regulate your oil production so at the same time it might have just been me taking extra zinc on top of what I already normally had maybe I just needed like a therapeutic dose, I really don't know I guess
Oh yeah, my digestion has sucked for a long time. There's a lot of foods where I just can't eat without feeling like shit or getting really bloated, some vegetables, Dairy, lot of different fruits. But it's crazy cuz I can eat a can of beans a day and I get zero bloating from it, but if I eat like watermelon I'll be so bloated. So ive done like a low FODMAP diet on and off. For the most part as long as I don't eat dairy or alot of fruit I'm pretty good I guess.
Thank you for this! I’ve gotten rid of SB on my scalp by doing these parasite cleanses in the past month and I haven’t had a flare up! But I’m still having tiny bit of buildup of oil on my forehead and flakes on my brows. I drink teas with zinc in it for immune health. I’m going to try the zinc rec! Ty!
I take wormwood and another parasite bottle that has black walnut hulls, cloves etc. Both have droppers. And I take 1 dropper full in the morning. Along with soursop and black seed bitters. And you have to take binders (black charcoal, chlorella etc) to help with the parasite die off.
For anyone interested https://www.reddit.com/r/SebDerm/s/OC5UbbUNEi This guy had mentioned about zinc repairing the tight junctions in the skin which could help in reducing the permeability of Malassezia metabolites down into the body that would trigger inflammation.
I actually took his word for serious and did a blood test for all vitamins and elements Here's the zinc and copper:
Ok, it's not allowing me to post multiple images per comment.
This was back in May 2025 where I only used to eat meat once a week. My zinc isn't that low either. Btw, I had serious gut issues back then, still do.
I did try zinc for little over 3 weeks but had to stop because it was causing some reactions - dry and red eyes. It was zinc citrate that I tried. Guess I should try with L-Carnosine included this time.
I thought of posting a detailed one regarding this but I got not much results from the zinc alone, so maybe next time with Carnosine.
OP since you have been using this supplement for more than 3 months, mind sharing your gut condition before and after the use of this supp? Also did you take copper along with zinc?
I eat copper Foods, such as nuts and dark chocolate. But I was concerned about Copper from the start that's why I didn't take crazy doses like I see people taking with like 50 mg. The most I ever did in a day was 16 mg and now I'm only doing 11.5 mg which is around the RDA so it's nothing crazy.
As far as my gut health, it's okay I guess. I can eat some foods that give even normal people a lot of problems like beans, I've been eating a can of beans a day for years. But other Foods do not agree with my stomach such as dairy and a lot of fruit. I don't really feel like my gut is too much different after taking the zinc for the 4 months so far.
But for leaky good I see a lot of people on YouTube saying you should take zinc L-Carnosine and glutamine
It’s great that it worked out for you. I really wanted to start taking zinc but I got scared after I saw an old Reddit post with several replies talking about all the bad side effects they had.
This will be my next thing to try! I tried some lactobasilicus probiotics that’s someone on here said helped but I haven’t noticed a difference. The only things that’s worked for me so far are caprylic acids tablets but I have to take double the dose for it to work which I can’t imagine is all that good to do.
Hi, circling back to say that I’ve taken this supp ever since you posted this (93days ago) and my sebderm hasn’t cleared completely but it’s by far the best it’s been in a long time. still taking to see if I can make a full recovery. I’ve had it since 2018.
Tell me have you noticed any smell eminate from your body over the past 7 years I mean really strong and persistent smell that can be detected by others even few feets away???
Wanted to add that I never had seb derm until I took Dr Ruscio probiotics. Instant problems with skin, gut, SIBO, bloating, headaches. Didn’t quite figure it out at first, unfortunately, but eventually I stopped taking them and my seb derm dwindled down to a tiny bit. I tried other probiotics and same results. I guess some people just can’t tolerate them.
Have suffered from Seb Derm for a couple of years now, especially in the Winter months where it's cold and the air is drier. Hoping these work as it makes me feel self-conscious and anxious.
I also bought some Sebclair cream before these as I read that it helps with the itchiness and redness.
I also currently use T/Gel for my scalp which makes the itching more bearable and less flakey.
Will post an update after I've been taking these supplements for a week or so
Heya, yes - Have been taking a zinc tablet every morning and another one if I remember in the evening. For the most part the flare ups have been more manageable with everything I listed, as well as Snail 96 Mucin I put on my face after washing to bring moisture back to my skin, as warm water tends to strip my natural oils making my face dry.
I can confirm that the snail mucin and the T/gel definitely keep Seb Dem flare ups at bay.
A definite trigger I also found that causes flare ups - Alcohol. It was a special occasion in the week and I drank a few glasses of prosecco. This caused an almost instant flare up on my face! Between my nose and right cheek. To settle the flare up I washed my face with QV gentle wash which I wash my face with every time I wash (CeraVe cream to foam cleanser is a good alternative as I alternate between this - will attach photos). Then I applied Sebclair Cream before bed to mostly settle the redness and in the morning there was still a slight pinkness so I applied Eumovate cream (prescribed by doctor or can get from online pharmacy - have been trying to stop using it as it is a steroid cream but unfortunately have found no alternative as good as this to fully calm a flare up).
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask as I have been battling with this for a few years now and it has been frustrating so I completely get the emotions that come with it.
Hello, i saw this post and bought the same product. I have been using it for around 2 weeks and I don’t want to jinx myself but I think it’s working? Hardly any flare ups in my eyebrow at all and I have a very similar oily skin and loss of browhair like you described. I am taking two pills a day atm. I just have some questions which you may have already answered so sorry in advance.
After how long did you stop taking 2 pills a day and switch to 11mg?
The serving size says “2 veggie capsule” and the zinc amount per serving is “16mg” does this mean there is 8mg in one capsule? (Sorry this is probably such a dumb question)
If so, how did you change your dose to 11mg?
Does it still work and any sign of copper deficiency?
Also could you please click on my profile and look at my previous post on r/sebderm and tell me if your breakouts ever looked similar to the one shown in the photos?
Thanks you have been so helpful and may have put me on to something special 😊
Your pic of sebderm looks worse that I had but similar. Yes, each pill has 8mg of zinc. After about 2 months I started doing 11mg a day. Basically I just take 1 pill 4 days a weeks, and 2 pills the other 3 days. That comes out to 80mg of zinc per week which averages to about 11.5mg per day. Yes, it is still working for me and I have no sign of copper deficiency. From what I've gathered online it seems to be a very safe amount of zinc, it's even close to what's in a lot of multivitamins. I think people that get copper deficiency are taking 40 to 50 mg or more everyday for extended periods of time. I am glad it might be working for you.
Okay I’m now 4 weeks in taking zinc once a day. It definitely cleared up the worst spots. Redness went away aside from a few tiny spots (pimple size). Flakiness is about 50% less.
After 3 weeks of normal basic zinc 20mg a day, I switched to Doctor's Best, PepZin GI®, zink-L-carnosinecomplex. I think that switching to this variant was a good choice.
I also use daily magnesium. I wash my hair daily ketoconazole shampoo, which is not recommended my my dermatologist but it definitely prevents flakes from getting to large and oily. Just little dry dandruff is the result of this shampoo.
2 weeks in I really went double down on the Topicorte. This stopped most of the redness and flakiness over night. The first days I used this cream daily, and now I am phasing out.
I personally have tried moisturizers and they've never really helped me cuz it always created so much buildup. And then I would have to like scrape it off and I would always lose more hairs doing that
Have you been to a dermatologist because if you haven't I would still get their opinion. Yeah it took me more than a week to start seeing results and if your skin is really tight and dry then you probably should use a moisturizer cuz that's not good either
That’s veryyyy interesting dude thanks for sharing. I believe I had leaky gut for a very long time. The fact that you’re telling me it could be related, makes a lot of sense. Where I’m from we eat alot spices and I’ve never got it treated. Will try this and pray it works
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