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…)

Just read that article,nits likely to be salyic acid in the Body Shop cream.

** it's not nits

The best shampoo for this was L'Oreal men's anti dandruff with selsun which they discontinued,the bastards.

Just to add there is actually a Clever Soap shampoo bar which I might investigate.

I use Cetaphil oily skin cleanser on my face for this and it works really well - you can order it online

Moo goo eczema cream has completely cleared mine up on my eyebrows and cheeks.

Another vote for nizoral here, I followed the instructions initially and now only need to use it once every couple of weeks or if I have a flare up. I also used to get it in nose creases but since I started using retinoid face cream that's really cleared, obvs not appropriate for a child though.

I have this on my back, I read that rubbing alcohol can work. It cleared my back up and I use it every couple of days to keep it clear.

I appreciate that it may be less painful to do that with he skin on the back rather than face. Not saying it will work for everyone but certainly cleared mine and stopped the itching completely, if I forget to it it every 5 days or so the itch comes back.

Is rubbing alcohol surgical spirit?

Can you rub it on your head?

Mine goes insane if it gets wet in the rain! I just turn into a huge head itch monster.

I'm using hand sanitiser which is from B and M at the moment, it has a high alcohol content and does the job just fine. I have included the pic, its this make but comes in a spray, I can't find it on the website. Hope it isn't discontinued as its so handy to spray on.

@Goosethemoose...........do you know definitely that it is seborrheic dermatitis?
And - is it an permanent ongoing issue for you, or a one-off, or a periodical problem?
I'm in my 60's now, and only ever had 2 episodes of what my GP diagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis, and both occurred during extremely stressful times in my life, although it can be caused by other factors/reasons.
On both occasions, she prescribed a liquid called Betacap, (not available OTC), and the result was miraculous!
I could almost feel the cool liquid soothing my scalp the first time I applied it. Strongly recommend.

You can buy Betacap now on line, I just googled, looks great!

Well, that’s the diagnosis the GP gave me… via an online consultation, so I’m not entirely convinced, but will assume they are correct for now. It’s been ongoing for a couple of years - I had thought it was just dry skin from winter air and kept moisturising but to no avail.

I’ve bought the E45 Dry scalp shampoo as a starting point (was in a rush in Boots and got overwhelmed by the options in the aisle), so let’s see how that goes for a week and then get something else if necessary.

Nizoral. 20 years of it and tried EVERYTHING. Nizoral kills the yeast. It works.

If you actually have scalp psoriasis not SD, TGel Coal Tar works.

I tried all the itchy scalp things, Kingsley, Moogoo, Tgel, Eucerin dry scalp treatments etc etc.

The only thing that makes any difference is Nizarol. I hate using it, it wrecks your hair, but it stops the hideous itch itch itch .

How old are you @Goosethemoose? I had it for years. (The longer I had it, the worse it became. It even went to eyebrows and I believe it caused rosacea.) My hair became so thin I had bald spots. I was prescribed Spironolactone to assist with the hair loss. This is an anti-androgen of medication and it reduces sebum production as well. (Great for acne also. Wonderful for sufferers of PCOS - not an unrelated illness, btw.) Might be worth asking for a prescription.

What l just don’t understand is seb derm is in areas with lots of sebum.

My skin and scalp is all very dry and always has been. None of it is remotely greasy. But l still get seb derm. I really don’t understand it.

I’m 30, and I’ve had this issue for probably 2 years now although it took me a long time to notice. Quite concerned now because I’m losing a lot of hair at the hairline as a result, so keen to get it resolved ASAP.

Clever soap helped me a lot, along with Solgar folic acid tablets for a few weeks. (Gave me migraines but I battled through). I use a sulfur ointment called Bioeel for the occasional flare ups I get now but they're nothing near as bad as they were for years. Because mine affected my face too I did some debriding of my eyelashes twice a week for a few weeks with tea tree oil (you have to be very careful with it but I was determined) and also used tea tree cream as a barrier at night to stop demodex mites migrating to my hairline. However, the biggest game changer for me was figuring out that the constant cycles of what I was told was either seb derm or eczema for years was actually staphylococcus aureus in my nostrils. I got my GP to prescribe me naseptin cream (an antibiotic) and after 2 weeks the change was like day and night. All that awful sore red flaky skin around my nose and mouth and in my eyebrows that I struggled to control for years was a bacterial infection, not fungal or yeast. Not your problem OP but may help others reading the thread. Nizoral will definitely help you, and folic acid. Best of luck.

Sounds very familiar @Goosethemoose. Nizoral, etc. help with the symptoms, but the cause is usually a hormonal imbalance. I developed mine around the same time. Skin sensitivities became worse and worse. Hair thinner and thinner. I recommend you request a prescription for Spironolactone for hair loss rather than specifically advice for treating the seborrheic dermatitis, as it will treat both.

Update: the E45 has helped a lot (I’ve started washing my hair every day and using it daily), but I would say still not 100% so will give it more than 3 days!

Interesting about the hair loss requiring a different approach. I’ll wait a bit longer and probably come back to this thread in a bit!

Nizoral made me far worse. Kerastase Dermo Calm shampoo (the clear, blue one) has been a miracle!

Had it on and off for years - worse when really stressed. Ive found alternating Nizoral or Selsun shampoos works for me (I've even diluted it sparingly in warm water and used it as a facewash with really bad facial/eyebrow flareups - just don't get it in your eyes). Seeing PPs above I've ordered clever soap to try out when washing my face.
Definitely replace bed pillows regularly and wash bedding on a high temp to kill the mites/fungus.

@Goosethemoose I had seborrheic dermatitis for years. I believe that the constant irritation permanently damaged my hair follicles. My hair thinned considerably from around 30 and while it’s better today because of medication, it’s not the same texture at all. It used to be long, thick and wavy. It’s now fine like cat hair, straight, and I can get it to shoulder length at a push.