My skin is fucking ruining my life.

[Daffodil12321]

3 years ago I developed seborrheic dermatitis completely out of the blue and it very quickly spread across my scalp. It’s now across my whole scalp as well as inside and around my ears. There isn’t a single mm of my scalp with it.

i visited a doctor who was utterly shocked and said they had never seen seborrheic dermatitis as severe as this. They were completely lost for words and immediately we did blood tests to check my immune system which didn’t show any problems thankfully.

since then we have tried everything imaginable. All the over the counter products for example t gel, nizoral and hibiscrub (among millions of other things). We have also tried antibiotics, steroid creams/solutions, steroid tablets, Anti fungal creams/shampoos/solutions and anti fungal tablets. I was also under a dietician and have done every elimination diet possible from sugar to dairy to gluten to yeast to literally everything.

Nobody knows why this happened so suddenly and why it’s so severe. And sadly nobody seems to be able to treat it.

its obvious and embarrassing and also extremely uncomfortable too.

does anyone know anything about this and why this has happened? And what I can do to fix it?

I had something similar and the GP prescribed coal tar shampoo. Because its prescribed its a higher strength than Tgel etc.

How long are you testing each thing before giving up? I was on that shampoo for six months before it really starting getting rid of it instead of calming down the itchiness/bleeding. Its never come back but I do use a medicated shampoo all the time.

I use Nizoral shampoo on my face OP, but I feel it is not as effective as it used to be.

@HeadClear I'm interested to know more about Healpsorin - do you think you can use it on the face too?

In my youth, I had this condition so badly I was contemplating shaving my head. My son has it now. I discovered I had low thyroid function so definitely get checked. Also the shampoos and steroids only offered short term relief. However, I found taking a zinc tablet daily helped, and I would cover my head in olive oil and wrap in a towel overnight. I did that one or two nights per week, and it worked wonders. It is not great having greasy hair so I would shower for a long time the next day to remove the oil. My son finds the same approach works too.

OP , it sounds miserable.
I developed a form of eczema years ago, tried loads of creams, steroids and others, nothing worked. I eventually realised that the only thing that had changed was that I had come off the pill. The eczema went away when I got pregnant, and flared up ( more lightly) when I had more hormonal changes - I was pregnant and breastfeeding and then back to having periods a few times over the next decade, and it seemed to be linked to that.
Could it be anything like that in your case?

It’s probably trial and error.

my dc it was dairy. But in hindsight there were other indicators as well as skin. Have you had allergy testing?

I work in scientific research and we have a lecturer in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Many of my colleagues have been to a clinic recommended by him for them and their children, and all say they have seen very good results. Quite a few use it for their animals as well.

if you want a recommendation let me know. You need a proper medic with additional training as it’s not regulated.

Water.

😁

I had this as a teenager, no idea what caused it but Chinese medicine cured it. I have no idea what was it was made of but remember it being tiny stinky black balls. It took around 2 months for most to go away and another month or two to be completely clear

I've had this for years and then went on an immunosuppressant for an illness and the SD completely disappeared. I've been off it for about 5 weeks and my face is literally peeling off and my eyebrows are something else. My scalp ok so far but that used to be the worst when I was younger. Nothing really helped. Hopefully back on my meds soon but I'm interested if anyone with an inflammatory arthritis also has it.

@Inkblue yes my active psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis is mostly held at bay with Adalimumab injections (a biologic immune-suppressing drug), but I also still do need to use Enstilar foam and Betnovate scalp lotion for my skin outbreaks. It's a lot of hard work, and a lot of damage had already been done before I got to the biologics stage; and so I also do need pain killers and other therapy too.

I second light therapy.

Nowhere nearly as bad but I developed insanely itchy psoriasis patches on my torso.
The usual route of medications were not helping so I did my own homework by reading the latest scientific research.

I (fashionably) had been avoiding the sun for years...
A couple of minutes on a sunbed two times a week, cured my scaly patches in under a month.

There are quite a few types of psoriasis so can't say if it would work for everyone.

Roaccutane/ Isotretinoin! You will probably have to pay for a private derm to get a prescription. If you google there are lots of studies and also Reddit is a good source of info onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.13408

I have it too, same areas . I hate it being in my ears, makes me feel dirty. I got mine under control with a prescribed 2:1 shampoo alphoysl from the dr but it is no longer made and goes for around £40 a bottle on eBay, I also started taking a super green powder which is my five a day . I also never go to bed without my scalp being bone dry. I know it could flare up again but for the moment I have it under control.

I had a horrible and similarly sounding problem over the postpartum period. I tried every shampoo, and my scalp was falling to pieces. I noticed it cleared up a little over the summer when I was taking antihistamines for hayfever. I finally figured out for me it was a combination of allergy to SLS and potentially other coconut derivatives which are now in many products. I needed antibiotics to help clear up my broken skin, while also avoiding these. I now use the minimum possible amount of e45 itchy scalp shampoo every few days or co-wash only where I can. Instead of foaming washes I use oils or bath salts. For me, itchy skin after a shower was the warning sign I had of this pre- having a baby, but all the long relaxing baths and showers I had as “me” time after baby weakened the skin and allowed the allergy to get out of hand. I really hope you find a solution to this as I know how horrible it is.

Different to you but I suffered terribly (out of the blue) with eczema herpeticum during lock down and was hospitalised a couple of times. Seeing a dermatologist was life changing literally and not only sorted it out but did allergy testing and turns out I'm allergic to limonene so has almost completely solved my eczema as well that I've suffered with since a small child.
I had to wait nearly a year on the NHS to do this but I can't recommend highly enough seeing a specialist dermatologist. good luck!

You may have already tried this but have you tried a plant based diet? I had/have an autoimmune condition and I tried everything! It only eased when I turned vegan

I'm so sorry, op. I have it but not nearly to the extent you do and can't imagine how miserable it is for. Have you had allergy tests? I wonder if you're coming into contact with a chemical that's setting it off.

Have you tried Betacap ( steroid gel) ?

If this doesn't work try rinsing your hair/scalp with apple cider vinegar, may not work the first time, after a few applications you may see an improvement.

Hi - I have scalp psoriasis and found this to be the only shampoo that helps me. Everything else means my scalp flares up!

Could this be covid related do you think? Covid can damage parts of the body you wouldn't expect. I recommend you see a herbalist if you haven't already. Preferably one with lots of good reviews. Herbs are so healing x

I am, from what you describe, in a very similar situation to you. I don't think mine is as visibly bad as yours sounds like it is. However I have tried everything you've tried and nobody knows what else to try.

So far the best of the unsuccessful bunch, is prescribed Betnovate Scalp Application, Capasal shampoo from online pharmacy or Asda pharmacy - this used to be prescribed also but my NHS Trust no longer prescribes shampoos - and The Inkey List's Salicylic Acid pre-wash scalp application which you put on 20 mins before you wash.

Also Cocois Scalp Cream (also can be prescribed but I just buy it) is also quite good.

Does your scalp get really oily like mine?? I'm SO SO tempted to just shave my scalp completely and give myself a break

I know nothing about your specific condition, however when my DS had a skin/scalp issue and the GP couldn't resolve we got a referral through to dermatology (1 year wait). I paid £295 to see the same person privately and she diagnosed and treated the problem immediately. It took 6 months to resolve and I had to pay to see her twice more, but worth every penny. Oh and the private prescriptions (about £75)...

You need to see a specialist.

Like another poster I had this in the post partum period, 3x. It did just spontaneously clear up each time, but I found that keeping on top of vitamins, minerals etc really helped; particularly B vitamins:

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/solgar-vitamin-b-complex-50-high-potency-vegi-capsules-60001395?skuid=001395&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6rCgBhDVARIsAK1kGPIAiMLXpRHgpJpa5z_9yVasFxTClu_7GeSKdWFuPn85PwbwzpWPrXsaAjYTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

This is gonna sound mental but test an area with thrush cream and take the tablet and see if there's any improvement.. trust me

Spend £200 on a private appt with a dermatologist and forget the GP