Recently I decided to try using olive oil again to soften and remove the scales in the evenings. After several previous attempts with similar strategies with varying success, I now believe I've found a way to use it to maximize the benefits of olive oil while minimizing the side effects. It is a three-step process:

1. Massage your face thoroughly with the oil, say 10 minutes. Pay extra attention to areas covered with facial hair. Don’t be alarmed by the “blushing” effect, it should subside after a while and is probably just caused by increased capillary blood flow from the massage which is helpful.

2. Let it soak for a couple of hours. Then give your face a final massage while removing the softened scales gently by rubbing with the fingertips. You may have to accept that all scales don’t come off the first time. In my opinion you should not try to peel off the remaining scales by using the nails or something like that. Maybe a very soft toothbrush can be used if necessary but I never tried it myself.

3. Finally wash the face thoroughly with a gentle wash lotion like Eucerin (Ph5) or whatever you have found is good for your facial skin. The oil have to be removed also from areas covered with facial hair.

Use a good organic extra virgin olive oil for the added benefits of the phenolic compounds it contains – recent research suggests that it helps restore the condition of capillary blood vessels. It is worth mentioning that the Malessizia yeast that seems to be involved in SD is lipophilic and likes olive oil in particular. Hence, it doesn’t look like a good idea to let it stay on the skin over the night for instance. Also my own previous experience can testify to that - it must be thoroughly washed off with a suitable washing lotion after a couple of hours, otherwise it made more harm than good for my SD.

Thrilled by the good initial results after the first week on this regime, I modified the above procedure somewhat as my skin was healing: I added some fine-ground Sea Salt to the oil, mainly to create a peeling effect but salt also have antiseptic properties that may be helpful. The result is very promising but I guess the salt would not be tolerable if you are in the middle of a flare-up. . .

Good luck and keep experimenting to find what works for you!