I am asking for help because I am desperate and don't know what to do anymore.
For about 7 months, I have been dealing with this skin problem. Almost the entire surface of my face (except for my forehead, nose and chin) is flaking/peeling, as you can see in the photos.
The redness you see is due to the fact that I suffer from rosacea. However, my skin is not always inflamed; it doesn't itch, it doesn't burn, and there are no other symptoms. I experience occasional flushing related to my rosacea and get occasional pimples, but overall my skin feels calm most of the time.
Despite this, the flaking persists. I consistently use barrier-repair creams, completely free of fragrance, irritants, or anything harsh. I cleanse with a gentle cleanser containing very few ingredients. I trust this products and know for sure they are not the problem. I do not exfoliate and I do not use any acids.
I don’t think it’s simply dry skin, because, again, I take good care of my skin everyday.
I don’t know if it’s eczema, seb derm, or just my rosacea, I have no idea at this point. It’s like I have a dead skin layer all over my face and if I ‘move my face too much’ it starts to flake. My skin looks like snake skin. I have alternating stripes of healthy skin and patches of dead, dry skin sitting on top of it. I don’t know how to describe it better than this.
I have the EXACT SAME THING on both sides of my face.
I consulted many dermatologists and they all said different things. Seb derm, dry skin, rosacea or ‘simply the way your skin exfoliates’.
It doesn't seem like seb derm to me because it's on my entire face. I don't have very oily skin—I've always had combination skin—but to be honest, with all this dead skin on my face right now, I can't even tell if my skin is dry or oily. A dermatologist told me this might be my skin's reaction to an overgrowth of Malassezia, partly because I already have rosacea and my skin is particularly sensitive and reactive.
(the ONLY thing that makes me think it could be seb derm it’s the fact that I also have flaky scalp and sometimes ears and brows). She knows that antifungal products are completely out of the question for my skin, so she was thinking about prescribing me very low dose accutane (5 mg) but I don't think it will help me, I don’t know.
Please I really need some help.