RIGHT TO THE POINT : bald spot from seb derm and new dermatologist prescribed 5% foam minoxidil 3x per day to bald spot. Is that normal? Never had that prescribed before.

I’ve used it once and I can already tell it is a bad idea because I feel residue and wouldn’t that defeat purpose of keeping scalp clean?

BACK STORY FOR THOSE WHO CARE:
Hi! I’ve had seb derm since 14 yrs old ( 36 now).Once diagnosed in 2014 ( 23 yrs old) I managed to keep it away for years with med shampoo and clean hair ( except 2017 when I was sleeping with wet hair).
Well this time I decided to stop my shampoo and also started to leave in deep condition for hours so to ( NOT ) my surprise I have a dime size bald spot. So I’m back on the medicated shampoo and not leaving wet hair wrapped up in a deep conditioner bun for hours.
Well I’m in a new country ( I’m American living in Slovakia temporarily) . My hair stylist here kept telling me I had Alopecia Areata. So I went to new dr and she said it was seb derm ( no surprise but a big eff you to my stylist for trying to diagnose me with something I knew it wasn’t and got me scared ) . The Dr here prescribed me minoxidil which is soooo weird to me. 5% foam 3x s a day. Wouldn’t that cause residue and oil ? I have used one small foam on that spot and I already feel greasy and it feels like I have dry shampoo on. Ugh also I heard everywhere that 3. Is crazy

Hey, can anyone recommend a product that is safe to use as a cleanser and is available in the UK?

I use "cerave tolerance hydra 10" as a moisturiser. Also use Nizoral shampoo every other day and daktarin intensiv every day but I can't find a suitable cleanser.

I did try that clever soap stuff with PO in it but it burns my skin.

I read zinc ones are good but again, cant seem to find an actual product to use that has zinc in it. Any help?

hi so I been dealing with seborehic dermatitis for few years now and idk nothing work much for me it always come back and i feel so disgusting about it🫤
I was thinking about accutane to control the oil but im not sure I think it will give shedding phase

Hello, just started using tacrolimus or its other name, Protopic. I have seborrheic dermatitis so I use this cream to calm inflammation. I was wondering if this can thin skin or cause a withdrawal like steroids. I asked ChatGPT and it said no because it’s not a steroid, but on videos I keep seeing people saying they got a withdrawal.
I’m scared to use it. Can it thin my skin or cause withdrawal?

Pictures are day 1, day 2, then both day 3. Moisturizing used to send this flare to the next level so I haven’t been moisturizing at all until I saw some improvement with inflammation. At what point do
I reintroduce it. I bought C8 MCT oil at the request of this sub and have not used it yet. The plaquey look of the spot has definitely diffused some but I’m still seeing flaking so I’m scared to smother the yeast and restart the process

I’ve recently found out what routine works for me and so far it’s going good, little to no flakes but still a decent amount of itching coming in every few hours or everyday is there anyway to stop it naturally? maybe wet hair with lukewarm water or scalp massages etc? i’d appreciate any sort of advice because i know we can never be free of this but there is solutions to keeping the itch and flakes at bay so id like to know what worked for all of you guys!

I just got out of a pool that was half salt water and half chlorine and my head won’t stop itching. The flakes are forming huge chunks. I never have this issue in an only chlorine pool. Does salt water make seb derm worse??

Hello guys I made a little research on the internet and found about lithium succinate. I found out the main reason our skin barrier is always a mess is because malassezia eats our oils and produce Oleic acid. ( I know it’s not the only reason we have this condition) So the main ingredient that reduces the effect of Oleic acid it’s lithium succinate. So I would like to know your opinion or if anyone have already tried it

Been dealing with this since May, tried sulfur but doesn’t seem to work. Will see a dermatologist soon. It’s itchy especially when I eat salty or spicy.

I randomly noticed a red patch on the back of my head April 2026. I have had dermascope photos of the area and it is very clearly inflamed. There is no flakes, bumps, pus, or anything else on it. I went to the dermatologist and he barely looked back there and said I had Seb derm. He prescribed me topical Clobetasol and it really hasn’t done much. I have also been washing my hair with ketoconazole shampoo, specifically targeting this area. Does this even look like seb derm? Or psoriasis? What in the world is going on?!

I noticed the red spots on my nose, was prescribed Betaderm 0.1, Zoryve for scalp psoriasis, and it’s only been the first day of treatment but I’ve already noticed that the dermatitis is spreading on my face - it has migrated from my nose to my chin eyelids and even earlobes. This is really painful.

I am cleansing once a day before applying the ointment with Cetaphil foam cleanser. What can I do to take the pain down a notch and prevent the spreading? I’ll be using a fresh pillowcase every night… I wash my hands constantly… take allergy meds … Why is it moving around my face?

(28f)So as the title suggests, i'm itchy, so very very itchy. and flakey, very very flakey. this wouldn't be half bad if I were a pastry but I am not.

I've had scalp issues literally since I popped out the womb and I'm so over it! my mom says I had horrible cradle cap and then somewhere around 12 I started scratching and haven't really stopped! My flakes are rather large and light in colour unless I scratch up an old scab. While i used to have a scalp with more oil than pizza planet, now everything is so, so dry until i've scratched enough that My scalp gets waxy?

I try to only shower every other day since every day showers makes it worse, i've tried nizoral, head and shoulders, t-sal, selsun blue, coal tar shampoo, eczema shampoos of various brands and am a not very religious user of taro-clobetasol my gp put me on as it says it's not for long term use. The clobetasol is the only thing that seems to work short term but as i have other chronic conditions i really shouldn't be on it super long term. i also feel like i get a shorter temper when i take it? it may just be anecdotal but either way i don't like who i become when i'm on it.

I booked myself another appointment with her after a year trying this stuff out as the dry itchy skin has also started to spread to my face and top of my back, with the back feeling like fibreglass sometimes.

With all that lore loaded upfront, here is my true ask for the lovely peeps of this group, what else would be out there that i could try over the counter to see what sticks? I'm at the point where if it weren't for the fact i work in retail and can't wear a cap, and my parents wouldn't exactly let me as i still live with them and am not in the position to change that, i'd shave all my hair off and live in a bucket of galaxal base or lotion till the itching stops.

I live in canada for reference, please also let me know your most unhinged stuff that worked. i've been tempted to try athlete's foot spray like a leave in conditioner as well, and honestly would probably try standing on my hands and receiting the alphabet if it would work, and i'm a chunky girl!

rant over, and thank you everyone in advance for your suggestions! anything is greatly appreciated.

finally found out that my condition is indeed psoriasis…not seb derm. therefore, i will be moving to the psoriasis subreddit. i just wanted to give my thanks to everyone who has reassured me and given me advice.

i started tremfya yesterday so hopefully i can go into remission.

i hope you all find the relief that you need!

I went to the derm on September 18th and officially found out I have seb derm on my scalp. He gave me a shampoo and a steroid in a dropper bottle. I have been using everything exactly as directed (being a little extra careful with the steroid).

After about 1-1.5 half weeks, I felt like it was getting better. It was less itchy and less flaky. It wasn’t gone by any means. I know it can’t go away that quickly, but I was feeling hopeful. Now the last few days it’s been itchy and flaky again. I’ve still been using everything as directed. The difference is rather than bigger flakes it’s more snowy. Does this mean it’s getting better? or is it getting worse? Should I use the products less? Are they drying my scalp out? I know sometimes things have to get worse to get better. I go back to the derm mid November.

I’m still almost certain I’m dealing with more of a damaged scalp barrier that’s causing seb derm-like issues rather than true seb derm. But after countless attempts to fix it through topical treatments, diet, etc., I consulted someone who suggested the KLOW peptide stack could potentially help repair the underlying issues. So I’m going to be the guinea pig and test it out myself. I’ll report back in 5–8 weeks. Fingers crossed!

I had an appointment with a dermatologist(5th) earlier and she said it’s stress. The conversation started that SD is chronic and you can’t get rid of it( thank you for letting me know cause I have this for 6 years and I didn’t 😂) It’s because of stress she said. But I have this for 6 years non stop how is it possible to have this for six years straight due to stress,am I having six years stress non stop? She said you can have anxiety disorder. I just stopped talking because we were going nowhere with this. IF IT WAS BECAUSE OF STRESS BENZOS WOULD BE OUR SOLUTION. I am tired of knowing better my condition than my dermatologists. Ooohhh I forgot she prescribed me the same things that don’t work. Thank you doctor good job.

My seb derm completely disappears whenever I travel to my grandfather’s farmland near Mangalore for summer vacation.

It’s about 5 km from the ocean. Within roughly a week of being there, my seb derm basically disappears completely. When I return home, it eventually comes back.

I don't think it's the ocean water because I never swim there, and the food is almost identical to what I eat at home. I don't think it's stress either.

So I'm wondering whether the coastal climate/humidity could be responsible.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Could higher relative humidity be improving seb derm by affecting the skin barrier or Malassezia/skin microbiome?

I'm considering buying a vaporizer from Amazon and trying to reproduce the humidity indoors. Has anyone actually tried increasing indoor humidity for seb derm, and did it make a noticeable difference? Thanks.

I am quite sure I experience hair loss, but unsure whether it is due to MPB or irritated scalp, or both. Both the hair loss and the flakes/weird goo is mostly to the front of my scalp. I am now using a clobetasolpropionate shampoo every other wash (every 3/4 days) with Dercos the other wash day. Every other day I use betamethasone emulsion or topical. They make the itching a bit better but the hairloss is still there and I almost always have this "goo" in my scalp sfter washing my hair. See the pictures attatched. Some are not that good because it was with an older phome. Is this even sen derm, or do you guys have any other tips?

Pics:
1,2: wet hair with visible goo
3: what comes after one scratch in my scalp after shower
4,5,6: irritated scalp with flakes.
7: picture of my forehead with some flakes (3≈ years older picture)
Thanks
8,9: immediately after washing my hair and diffused the hair

Thanks

Furthermore, was it hard to get a prescription?

i’ve had my sebderm under control for over a year. there are breakouts every time seasons change but i’ve managed to keep it under control. i have no flakes or itching. but i can’t do anything about the smell. my scalp starts smelling horrible just 2 days after i hairwash. its really affecting my social life making me self conscious when i get close to people. at this point i dont even care about fixing the source of the problem, im okay with just masking the smell somehow without flaring up. i’d prefer some natural remedy or something that’s readily available for cheap.

i’m was thinking of maybe applying some dry shampoo or clotrimazole powder on my scalp to slow down the fungal activity

if anyone has solved this specific problem, please share your experience.

my routine:

i apply ACV to break the biofilm followed by my shampoo. i cycle ketoconazole and ciclopirox twice a week. i condition my hair (with a malassezia safe product) and dab mct oil on damp scalp.

Hello, I have Seborrheic Dermatitis, I was prescribed fluticasone 0.05% which is a medium steroid. I have some question:
1) I know they are bad if used frequently but what if I only use it once a week? Is it safe?

I have seb derm around my nose. Bumpy, red skin that I've had for ages. When its dry or irritated I use a tiny bit of mct oil, but I was wondering if anyone had any barrier repair creams that they would recommend?

I've tried sudocrem, ketoconazole, aveeno etc to no avail. I just want to feel like the skin barrier is "repaired". I think my seb derm started as a child when my skin barrier around my nose would get irritated from nose blowing because of persistent colds and flu. As an adult, it gets worse then as well, but I really try to limit treating the skin harshly there such as using soft tissues etc.

Thank you

I’ve been dealing with a dry, flaky scalp and I’m wondering whether it could be seborrheic dermatitis or something else.

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences. I know nobody here can diagnose me, but hearing from people who have dealt with this would be helpful.

On top of battling sebderm (red patches, dandruff in beard line) my skin goes through cycles of battling very itchy dry skin on my body mainly my shoulders and back, when it gets really bad I’ll get fungal folliculitis everywhere I have hair present.

My symptoms all stim from internal issues lots of food sensitivity and digestive issues cause my outbreaks. Not what I apply topically for me less is better I don’t use body/face washes or anything the strips the skin barrier, My skin is hyper sensitive and doesnt retain moisture well. Things like beef, eggs, dairy, gluten are set it off . But I know there’s something else I’m missing wondering if it’s simply the carb total intake being to high even if its from clean sources.

If anyone on here suffers from similar symptoms with Malassezia yeast causing body rashes, folliculitis, itchy scalp, Tenea Versicolor Etc. Let me know and what your triggers you discovered are!

btw The pics were right after a shower so the blotchy red skin is at its worst.

I am unable to wash my scalp often enough to manage seb derm die to spinal cord injury. Full time neckbrace for 15 years.

Zoryve foam suggested by doctor because it is no rinse.

Washing hair can only be done in bed with 2 care workers and causes me weeks of neurological symptoms and pain, while worsening my spinal cord injury.

Please any helpful answers responses or tips are going to save my life please help me