Question for people with seborrhoeic dermatitis...

[Kayleigh]

Hello lovely people!

The Dutch hairforum I normally am on seems a bit deserted at the time (it might be because almost everyone has the flu), so I thought I might ask here. I mostly just read the topics (with a lot of interest) and don't participate as much as I would like to. But because of that I know you are always so nice and you all know so much! I really hope you can help me out with this, because I'm kinda lost at the moment.

I've been experiencing scalp problems about over a year now. I thought it was seborrhoeic dermatitis, but recently I've started wondering if it may be something else. Especially because I stopped having it for a while, but now it's back with a vengeance.
So therefore I wanted to ask the people here with seborrhoeic dermatitis on their scalp or people with other scalp problems if they recognize the symptoms I have.
This is my current 'symptoms list':
- Flakes (they come loose after a day if I rub my scalp, but they aren't actually visible on my scalp)
- Sand (tiny white granules)
- Sore skin, some specific spots tend to hurt worse than the rest of my scalp (my scalp isn't red)
- White gunk (it feels like a combination of sebum and the sandy granules)
- My scalp feels terribly dry even though my hair is greasy
- My hair gets greasy within hours after washing (I've had this for years btw), and the greasier it gets the worse my symptoms get
- If I go too long without washing (mostly on the second day after washing) the flakes and itching start to spread over my face
- The worst area is my hairline

Does this ring any bells for anyone? And do you have any advice? I'm contemplating on trying WO while continuing my scalp rinses in hopes it might do some good, but I'm fearful because I've heard from a lot of people that washing with shampoo is key when you have seborrhoeic dermatitis.

[lapushka]

I think it sounds as if you just have flakes. Try Head & Shoulders. Seriously. If it works, then fine. Problem solved, but if it's not enough to cure whatever it is your scalp is experiencing, then it might be SD, in which case I really recommend Nizoral shampoo.

[Peggy E.]

I have sebhorrea and this sounds very much like what I go through. It is actually caused by over-active oil glands, though we tend to think it is dry skin/scalp and have this desire to moisturize - which only proves to make it worse.

Mine is much worse in the winter, though as I'm aging, the summer condition is catching up. I use a prescription ointment which really helps, but I don't know if it is available in the Netherlands, though I can't imagine there would be a similar ointment you could try:

Fluocinonide Cream, USP, 0.05%

Sure hope you find something that helps. And speak up again once in a while - even if there isn't a flu epidemic! :o(

[Kayleigh]

Funny to see that two people give two completely different answers. I've tried Head & Shoulders in the past, it was a disaster! It made it worse for me. :( I'm really hoping there is a more natural solution out there. Maybe I should just give WO another try and see what it does. It sounds like a sensible thing to do if you take in consideration that for some people it actually helps make the sebaceous glands less active. If it doesn't work than too bad, I can always try something else right?

[schweedie]

Kayleigh, have you ever tried vinegar rinses? My scalp issues are very similar to yours, and when they start acting up vinegar rinses sometimes help. :)

[lapushka]

If you're really that worried about it and it won't resolve itself on its own, then it's about time for the dermatologist.

[Kyaatje]

If I were you I would go and see a dermatologist. It isn't save to self diagnose. The moment he tells you what kind of condition you have (or haven't) got, you can still come here and ask for advise.
Going from your description I would think it could be psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis and maybe a couple other things.
Getting professional advise is always best, but that doesn't mean you need to take/use what he suggests if you don't like it.

[Kayleigh]

I have been doing ACV rinses for a while now and it does really help a lot. I've tried switching to white vinegar, because ACV makes my hair more red than I want to. But my scalp isn't responding too well to that.

This may sound a bit silly of me.. But I have a chronic illness and this seems such a minor problem compared to that. I think of my scalp problem as a nuisance. And I'm not really the person that goes to the doctor for things like that, unless I'm sure I've tried everything I can. I'm aware that if I want a diagnosis I should see a dermatologist, heck I've seen one many times before, but I just don't want to right now.:undecided Please don't get me wrong, I don't want to offend anyone in any way. I'm glad you responded to my question. But I'm more interested in if there are people on here that recognize the symptoms and want to share their story and what has worked for them with me.

I'm pretty sure btw that it's not psoriasis, I've seen cases of psoriasis before (I'm a beauty therapist) and it doesn't fit.

[Kyaatje]

No problem, I'm not one to go to the doctors myself unless it is absolutely necessary to be honest.
But I do not have anything else to offer to help. Unless maybe infusing your vinegar with herbs ? You can look up what kind of herbs go with your hair and the problem you have and then infuse them in the oil (or if you can't get them fresh use some EO's)
Hope you can find something that helps

(BTW as a former sales person for beauty products I saw a lot of people with psoriasis as well, but it is hard to 'diagnose' something by description only, I think)

[starlamelissa]

My husband has sebhorratic dermatitis. Water only washing worsened his condition. He needs daily washing with a dandruff shampoo and daily washing of his facial skin with a soap bar. He spot treats any spots/scales on his face with hydrocortisone cream that was prescribed.

This is a problem that needs a doctor. Especially if commercial dandruff shampoos aren't working. I would recommend trying a "clinical strength" dandruff shampoo, like nizoral or dandrene or selsun blue. And use it everyday, lather full strength and let sit for a good long while, maybe 5 mins. Then rinse.

[lapushka]

My husband has sebhorratic dermatitis. Water only washing worsened his condition. He needs daily washing with a dandruff shampoo and daily washing of his facial skin with a soap bar. He spot treats any spots/scales on his face with hydrocortisone cream that was prescribed.

This is a problem that needs a doctor. Especially if commercial dandruff shampoos aren't working. I would recommend trying a "clinical strength" dandruff shampoo, like nizoral or dandrene or selsun blue. And use it everyday, lather full strength and let sit for a good long while, maybe 5 mins. Then rinse.

I fully agree, about the need for a doctor and about the Nizoral. SD is something that needs to be treated. This is a serious scalp condition.

[Teazel]

I have seborrhoeic dermatitis. Peeling skin on the top of my scalp (more like the result of sunburn than dandruff) and to a lesser extent on my forehead and in my eyebrows. It's not sore.

Some home remedies help: ACV is quite good, and applying coconut oil before washing. Medicated shampoos such as Nizoral don't make any difference.

My dermatologist prescribed a steroid lotion (and a cream for the problem spots on my face) and they're really the only thing that helps when the dermatitis flares up, as it's doing right now.

The thing is, even if you do have seborrhoeic dermatitis it might not respond to treatment in the same way anyone else's does. Your symptoms sound pretty severe and I do think a trip to the dermatologist is in order to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Best of luck!

[Catladyintown]

Kayleigh I have sever Seborrhoeic dermatitis and what helps me is 3 things. One is Flax seed oil take 2 pills a day. I also take MSM that helps too,
plus it's good for my arthritis. Last I use either Bhringraj oil or Camellia oil on my scalp. I have tried ACV, it make my scalp flake more and
I get very red pumps on my scalp. But everyone scalp is different. Please google Flax seed oil and seborrhoeic dermatitis there is a lot of information
on how Flax Seed oil taken internally helps. HTH

[Kayleigh]

Thank you for all your comments and advice, I'm going to take it into consideration. I'm definitely going to look into flax seed oil supplements, I hadn't heard of that yet.
But I must admit it sounds worse than it actually is in my case. I do have all those symptoms I listed, but not constantly and always in a mild form (like flakes, I have them, but you can't see them and they only come lose when I rub). ACV has made a huge change and I think my switching to a different vinegar might have been the cause of this up-flare I'm experiencing right now. Because it's not so severe that it's affecting the permanent state of my hair or skin (I actually have tons of new hair growth) that made me doubt if it is something as bad as seborrhoeic dermatitis. When I started this topic I was mostly wondering if I wasn't being irrational in thinking it's something worse than just dandruff.

[Mahars]

I have the same condition. Here's what has helped me over the years. Cutting out sulfates and synthetically fragranced products has helped the most. I've noticed that they seem to irritate my scalp and cause more flakies. Washing more frequently also helps. If I skip more than two days, the flakes and soreness comes back. I've also had good luck with tea tree oil scalp rubs. A drop of tea tree oil on my hair brush usually does the trick, and for really bad sore spots, rubbing a drop directly onto the painful area brings instant relief for the sore spots. And Finally, ACV rinses help too. Good luck!

[somethingducky]

I've been having this same problem over the past few months and since I also tend to pick at my scalp it has become very sore in areas. I'm beginning to think of just biting the bullet and spending $30 on the nizoral shampoo (no medical coverage at the moment so a Dr. is out of the question).

[lapushka]

I've been having this same problem over the past few months and since I also tend to pick at my scalp it has become very sore in areas. I'm beginning to think of just biting the bullet and spending $30 on the nizoral shampoo (no medical coverage at the moment so a Dr. is out of the question).

Oh my gosh, $30 for Nizoral? We pay about €11 for the strongest kind (2%). Over here that one's over the counter too, in fact it's the only one we have, we don't have the weaker kind in Belgium.

[somethingducky]

Yep $30 there's a supply issue in the states at the moment and the only place to get Nizoral is online, the cheapest I've seen is $25 off amazon. Can't find it anywhere on the store shelves.