Hi,

I was diagnosed back on October 11th 2007. Prior to that (about 4 months prior)I started getting really dry flakey skin on my face. It was obvious and embarrassing. Once diagnosed I went on to medication straight away, and although my stats have improved, I'm still getting terrible skin on my face. I've tried every moisturiser on the planet and still can't shift it. I'm a 38 year old male and my stats at diagnosis were VL 385,000, & CD4 211. My stats now are VL undetectable, CD4 310. I was hoping the skin condition would disappear with improved stats, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I know this is really trivial compared to what others are going through and have gone through, but I'm very conscious at work that I have a face like a snake shedding its skin. Any ideas?

Skin problems particularly seborrhea and folliculitis can be very vexing in the context of HIV infection. The response to treatment is variable. I recommend seeing a dermatologist with HIV experience to try and make the most specific diagnosis possible (and thus the most targeted treatment recommendations). Anti-fungal shampoos/soaps and creams are often helpful for several seborrhea. KH