Seborrheic dermatitis, arghhh

[Goosethemoose]

Ahhh I want to pull my scalp off, it’s so itchy! What’s the best treatment?! Google is giving me lots of options, just want to know what to try tomorrow (having so far ignored it and hope it’ll go away… spoiler alert, it hasn’t…)

Nizeral - works brilliantly on scalp and skin inc. face. Massage in with warm water. Leave to work for 10 mins. Rinse off.

If you need anything stronger than this, you should ask GP for referral to a dermatologist.

Nizarol is the best. Don’t apply directly to face! Dilute it first!

People will come on here suggesting all sorts of stuff. The only thing that has ever cut it for me is Nizarol. And Betacap on prescription.

@Goosethemoose I've had this off and on for years. I saw a brilliant dermatologist and his recommendations were:
Dermax Shampoo (available behind pharmacy counter for approx £10). GPs won't usually prescribe this because of the cost. It doesn't smell too bad.

Avoid all of the medicated shampoos like Nizorol and the tar based ones. They are not suitable for seborrhoeic dermatitis.

Use Dermal 500 lotion on your face and behind ears, as seborrheic dermatitis can migrate to the face and make it sore.

Avoid using toiletries containing essential oils as they can aggravate it.

Use Eucerin urea scalp treatment for relief from itching.

Sleep wearing cotton gloves if you have to to break the cycle of touching the scalp and transferring oils from fingers which then irritates it again.

My own tip is to use a tangle teazer brush to gently brush your hair and loosen the flakes on your scalp. Then wet hair and use Yes To Tea Tree Scalp scrub before shampoo.

Always blow dry hair as leaving it wet keeps the scalp damp and can irritate the dermatitis.

Hope that helps.

The dermatologist l saw advised Nizarol…

Joining here as have this issue, have just filed nails to nothing to stop the itch/sore cycle

My daughter has this in her nose creases and nothing has helped. It’s been almost three years now and even though it’s not widespread or bad I wish I could find something to help her. Following for suggestions.

Nizarol is an anti fungal though, it’s not tar based. And it’s yeast that causes the itching.

How strange! Maybe it was his personal preference to advise against Nizorol. I found it made my scalp worse (prescribed by GP before I saw the dermatologist) so I must have been unlucky if others find it really helps.

@ScarlettDarling has she tried washing and moisturising her face with Dermol 500 lotion? I don't get it on my face at all anymore. I buy it from the pharmacy (behind the counter) for approx £10-12 and it lasts ages.

Is Dermax good? The itching drives me insane. I sit and pick bits of it out of my hair and scalp😧

I find anti histamines help.

DS has it, and Nizarol has worked wonders on him. He's no longer scabby and flaky.

I 'd also recommend Dermax shampoo as CurbsideProphet suggests. My GP prescribes, although at request of private dermatologist - she said it was better for sensitive skin than some of the other options available. Contains coconut oil so does smell quite nice.
Would also agree with Dermol 500 as a soap substitute for face/neck/ears - good for all types of eczema.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Is Dermax good? The itching drives me insane. I sit and pick bits of it out of my hair and scalp😧

I find anti histamines help.

Same 😳going to try antihistamines, I get it in my eyebrows, (yep am fabulous...)

[quote CurbsideProphet]@ScarlettDarling has she tried washing and moisturising her face with Dermol 500 lotion? I don't get it on my face at all anymore. I buy it from the pharmacy (behind the counter) for approx £10-12 and it lasts ages.[/quote]
Yes, Dermol stops the flaking but doesn’t get rid of the redness. It’s so stubborn, nothing seems to shift it.

CurbsidePhrophet- my derm is totally against Dermol!

It’s amazing how we have the same condition and are being given totally different advice!!😁

The only thing that's ever completely sorted mine is actually Head and Shoulders. If I use anything else I have giant flaky bits and awful weeping but as long as I use H&S I'm fine!

Interesting… and thanks for engaging with me on this slightly gross topic! Sounds like Nizarol or Dermax, and the Dermol 500 cream? I already use Head and Shoulders and I’m getting flare ups and a resulting receding hairline as a consequence. Very glam…

Body Shop ginger shampoo is the BEST for this

I use Selsun every couple of weeks and the Body Shops ginger shampoo in between.

I have this on my face and after some stress it got really bad, I did some research and used a combination of canstean and hydrocortisone cream. - used sparingly but it worked

My daughter gets seb-derm on her face and scalp. We use ketoconazole shampoo but what has really helped on her face (but I don't see why you couldn't use it on your scalp too) is a wash by Clever Soap containing 2% zinc pyrithione. It's not available on prescription so I buy it on amazon.
I found the recommendation on a really helpful website about seb-derm. I'll post a link in a minute but it basically explained that the fungus which causes seb derm flourishes on things containing certain fatty acids of a particular "chain length" - it's like a food for them. So I was slathering my daughter in various lotions (Aveeno, cetraben etc) all containing these fatty acids to soften the crusty scabby bits but all I was doing was feeding it!
This is a great article, good luck!
www.dandruffdeconstructed.com/seborrheic-dermatitis/#section-three

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow it's so annoying that they've given the opposite advice! Surely they all have access to the same science?!
It just shows that it's probably best to try one thing for a month yourself and then move on if there's no noticeable improvement.
I've just realised my scalp is worse recently and I've not been taking my antihistamines, so I'm going to take your advice and restart them tomorrow.

This thread is so useful! My 5 year old has a very flaky scalp and has recently started to get reddish sore patches on his cheeks and chin. Identifying and treating it has been really tricky as the GP has refused to see him and had just kept prescribing different creams!

There's something miraculous in the day cream Drops of Light from the Body Shop, no idea what it is but if I get flaky on my hair line or at the side of my nose it clears it almost immediately. I keep it for emergencies as it's expensive.

I use moo goo shampoo. However I think drinking kefir regularly helped to clear mine so may be worth a try. It’s good for your gut anyway.