An interventional study of Petroleum Jelly in Seborrheic Dermatitis, sponsored by Ascension Health. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-05-20.
Sponsored by Ascension Health · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this research is to demonstrate the use of petroleum jelly in prevention of nonscalp seborrheic dermatitis exacerbations at the first signs of a flare. In doing so, it will decrease the chronic use of topical steroids. The use of petrolatum should have favorable outcomes for patients, without the side-effects.
Nonscalp seborrheic dermatitis (NSSD) is typically a benign inflammatory process of the skin that affects oil rich areas including in and between eyebrows, paranasal area, behind ears, over the sternum, and groin. While these lesions typically come and go without proposing a threat to the patient, they can be socially debilitating, and psychologically distressing.
The mainstay treatment for an exacerbation of NSSD is topical steroids. Topical steroids are very effective and useful to patient's who are desperately seeking treatment. However, most family practitioners are reluctant to prescribe or recommend topical steroids for chronic conditions like NSSD due to the potential side-effects including permanent atrophy of the skin.
NSSD has an unknown etiology. However, one of its biggest risk factors appears to be dry skin due to its increase in incidence during colder seasons, and with use of alcohol-containing topicals. Naturally occurring skin yeast (ie Malassezia) are also thought to play a part.
Petrolatum is considered a skin protectant and has a strong ability to hold moisture in skin. Along with restricting water from leaving skin, it also decreases most air from contacting the skin. This may slow the growth and activity of skin yeast that are typically considered facultative anaerobes.
A patient diagnosed with nonscalp seborrheic dermatitis will be consented into the study and given instructions on the petroleum treatment. This includes wetting the affected area, blotting dry, and then applying petrolatum to the area before bedtime. This regimen is to be followed every other night until symptoms diminish. The patient will come back to the office for follow-up at one week, two weeks, and four weeks after treatment begins to see the outcome. Pictures will be taken at each encounter and used to measure progress through one mm graphs. Patients will not be identifiable in these pictures, and they will be labeled with the patient's given ID number.
54 studies on the registry are indexed under Dermatitis, Seborrheic; 7 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 3 is below the median of 80 across 45 interventional studies indexed under Dermatitis, Seborrheic.
Browse Dermatitis, Seborrheic studies →Ascension Health is the lead sponsor of 21 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Every patient will be applying petroleum jelly to the affected areas per protocol.
Biological: Petroleum Jelly
Every patient will be instructed to wet the affected area, blot dry, and then apply petroleum jelly to the area before bedtime. This regimen is to be followed every other night until symptoms diminish. The patient should follow-up at one week, two weeks, and four weeks after treatment begins to see the outcome.
Also known as: Petrolatum, Vaseline
Measuring the Effectiveness of Petroleum Jelly in Treating Nonscalp Seborrheic Dermatitis
Petroleum jelly will be applied to the areas of the face affected by Nonscalp Seborrheic Dermatitis every other night for four weeks. Patients will be seen in the office at one week, two weeks, and one month during the course of the treatment. Pictures will be taken at each visit to determine the progress of the treatment.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Patient Satisfaction ofTreatment
Patients will be surveyed initially when they are consented asking about their personal history of nonscalp seborrheic dermatitis including triggers and previous and current treatment measures.
Time frame: 4 weeks
This study is terminated, as verified in May 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Petrolatum
Ascension Health