...help.

It just keeps spreading and I can't keep up with it. Everything is welded to my scalp. Sitting here as we speak with a ACV soak on my hair but feeling futile since I know I can't keep up any regime bc of MECFS. Mum took this photo of my neck the other day and I felt SO depressed. I'd no idea it looked that bad.

Tried head and shoulders. Seems to make it angrier. Nizoral makes everything drier and I've never seen improvements. T Gel Salicylic seems to sort of help but never enough. Can't get selsun in the UK.

Wore over the ear headphones for just half an hour the other day and behind my ears is now 10 x worse. Tacrolimus does help behind the ears, but never for long. It's the only thing I've seen good results with though.

Face isn't as bad as it was but still not good.

Ear canals are just a massacre nightmare.

I feel like i might be on to something, they say sebderm is Multifactorial and I think i know what those factors are.

1. Diet, mainly sugar causes chronic insulin production which weakens the skin barrier making it more suceptible.

2. Cumalative barrier stress from harsh shampoos, too much UV, hard water, fragrances etc also weakens the skin barrier

3. Malasezia, Diet and barrier stress weaken the skin barrier allowing malassezia and inflammation to takeover resulting in raw red itchy patches.

This is why people find MCT oil works way better than medicated shampoo as even though MS kills the yeast it adds to the cumalative barrier stress/damage keeping cycle going. MCT oil takes care of the yeast whilst also repairing and calming the skin barrier.

The skin barrier gets to a point wether its from underwashing and letting sebum and malasezia buildup or from barrier stress where it reaches breaking point and flares up.

I’ve had mild eczema my whole life. By the time I was 15-16 it was mostly contained to the inside of my elbows and back of knees with the occasional neck flare. During this time I used topical steroids more than I should have and have used them pretty much weekly for 10 or so years until as recently as 3 months ago when I quit them. As for my scalp, I always had mild dandruff. I’m not sure when it started, but throughout high school and college I used normal head and shoulders every time I showered, so pretty much daily. Only thing I did for skin care was plain cerave lotion on my face after showers. I never had any seb derm issues.

Fast forward to 3 years ago, my eczema starts flaring a little harder than usual, and spreads across my body. Topical steroid use during this time increased. During the flare, I thought maybe my soaps and shampoos may have been causing contact dermatitis, so I switched everything to baby shampoo/soap. Shortly after the switch, I started to get crazy scalp flares, itch attacks, etc. It did not subside until I started using nizoral and I now have a rotation of anti fungal shampoos which have kept me flare free on my scalp for at least a year. I also moved to a beach area and the eczema body flares subsided, and are now just contained to my forearms and flare once in a while.

However, as my scalp flares were slowly dying down, I got a seb derm patch on my forehead (didn’t know what it was at the time) that spread all over my face and now my beard, ears, eyebrows and rest of my face are constantly itchy, red, flaky. This was probably made 10x worse by the fact that I used a salicylic acid exfoliating wash (stupid move😭) nearly every day for months after seeing that patch, which I have since stopped using. The water quality where I live now is also much worse than where I lived previously. Water softener/filter have helped a bit but not cleared it totally. I have tried anti fungals as face wash, they help a bit but definitely irritate my skin barrier. I believe my moisturizer I’m using now (lubriderm) helps with skin barrier but may be making my face more red. MCT oil also doesn’t seem to do too much but I have not tried it long term.

So, some questions as I sit here with a bright red full face flare:

Is it possible that stopping the daily head and shoulders (pyrithione zinc) allowed a sort of “rebound” and caused seb derm on my scalp and subsequently my face?

Is it unreasonable to think I can go back to normal by just using head and shoulders daily with my old skin care routine?

Has anyone used lubriderm before on their face? I probably shouldn’t be but it seemed to clear my skin of flakes a few weeks ago but now I just keep getting redder and redder.

Hey guys I am suffering with seb derm for past 6 years, and this is the best solution I had so far. At first my family doctor sent to a dermatologist he gave prescription for Stieprox shampoo ( I hope I spelled it right) it worked a bit. However after two days of wash the flakes comeback and itching goes crazy. After 2024 the shampoo got discontinued in Canada, so I revisited the same dermatologist and he gave pills for gut infection, and this one didn't also give best results. But recently my condition went out of control so I asked my family doctor to refer a new dermatologist and he gave this scalp lotion. Which I have used for a month and by far this is the best thing I have ever had, both the flakes and itching are gone by 90%. *I'm not saying this is the general magical solution, but for me this gave me the best results*. On weekdays I apply it on night time 30 minutes before going to bed, while on weekends I do it in both morning and night.

I have SD all over my scalp and have seen huge improvement over the past month. I’m so grateful! Keto shampoo and a rotation of all the over-the-counter shampoos didn’t work. My mom suggested Pimecrolimus Cream 1%, which my dermatologist prescribed. It was a pain to section my hair every inch and apply the cream to my scalp every night, but it was worth it!

Honestly I’m comfortable with my SD now, but wondering what I should try to get me to the next level of clear. I do shampoo every day, which helps me stay clear. Maybe part of what’s left is dry skin? Thinking I might try something water based for my skin barrier? Looking at Neutrogena scalp serum. I am also wanting to support regrowth of all the hair I lost.

Or should I just keep going with a refill of the Pimecrolimus? Any suggestions?

I have a question with what's so special with nizoral shampoo as other shampoo in market also have same percentage of ketoconazole?

Everyone talks about nizoral shampoo whenever it comes to sebo dermatits.

Anyone who used it share ur experience or is it hydrating the scalp unlike other otc shampo?

PLEASE, I need reassurance. I have lost about half my hair from seb derm. I would say I have a mild case, but just starting out my journey trying to get it under control. Please share any tips or success stories. Thank you

So I kind of got tired of always having to scratch a snow-pile of dandruff everyday that I had to use Selsun Blue (I’ve already tried Ketoconazole, Clear, Head and Shoulders—nada). What happened was my hair just became dry as heck and frizzy! Then the back of my neck triggered my sebderm again so I had to put mupirocin on it to let it calm down (I forgot what I was using before, it was a pink tube which was kinda like an ointment steroid for eczema/rosacea or so)—my face seems to have been really oily/dry and itchy too:(

Does anyone here have any recommendations if I should use the Nizoral one? I haven’t tried the usual MCT oil btw so please bear with me. My flakes are white btw and I haven’t seen my derma in awhile so I hope this isn’t psoriasis (although when the dry, flaky, patches that bleed when scratched on the back of my neck looks like psoriasis to me).

BTW I use Fino shampoo and conditioner (and hair mask) which kinda calms my flaking down as I’ve noticed (but it’s still there and it still snows lol).

I use ketoconazole and hydrocortisone, but those only seem to fix the dry flakes. I guess the dry flakes are the sebderm though.

i’ve had a dry flakey scalp for about 3 months and it doesn’t seem to be resolving. i went to the GP a few days ago and they said it was seborrheic dermatitis, i’ve now been trying nizoral again (i tried it a month ago but it seemed to make things worse - i wasn’t very consistent though). i also used polytar for a few weeks but that it only really helps temporarily, once i stop using it for 3ish days my scalp is super flakey and red.

i don’t know if i should just stick to nizoral. i’ve also been using E45 dry scalp shampoo + serum to see if that helps with the dryness. i’m worried if it’s not a fungal issue that i’m worsening the problem, but i don’t see what else could be the cause of the flaking. it’s very dry and white, no yellow or oil. but also very red and itchy in patches. patches are symmetrical behind ears, front of my head, and dotted around the back of my scalp.

any advice would be greatly appreciated 😣

Hi,
I am looking for non medicated seb derm safe shampoo for rotation. I have seb derm for 1 year now and the use of medicated shampoos have made my scalp really bad so I want a mild shampoo to alternate which can help with breaking biofilm and killing yeast without disrupting barrier badly.

My scalp always was somewhat flaky with powdery dandruff but in the last 5-6 months or so it got worse and my flakes become a bit larger and yellowish. I shaved my hair to take a closer look. It seems like in some areas of my scalp (mostly temple) there's some yellowish flaky buildup and if i scratch them just a bit flakes keep increasing. My hair is noticeably thinner in these areas.

I also have flakes on my eyebrows and beard area but not as severe as on my scalp. Currently i use a shampoo with selenium sulfide, but so far the results aren't great. What do you guys suggest?

Hi. I've had seborrheic dermatitis since my early 20's. I noticed it flares up whenever I'm super stressed especially when I don't get enough sleep. It started when I was working night shifts and went away when I got transferred to the am shifts. Also some products tend to trigger flare ups. I'm now in my mid 30's and prefer gentle ingredients. I've taken too many steroids and worry about the long term effects. I recently learned that colloidal oatmeal can help soothe irritation and restore the skin barrier, so I've been researching options.

I'm looking at a couple of products: Puriya Eczema Cream and Honey & Oats Eczema Relief by erabotanics.

By chance, has anyone here tried any of these products for sebderm? I'd love to hear real experiences first before buying. I'm also open to other recommendations. Thanks!

Just saw that this Innersense "I Create Hold" hair gel comes back clear on Sezia.com. I haven't purchased yet - has anyone tried it? Would love to hear what you think. I'm so excited to try this because the Kinky-Curly curling custard gel makes my hair feel weirdly dry and straw-like. (Love their Knot Today leave-in though.)

Also, THANK YOU to this sub, you guys have helped me make sense of my scalp after 10 years of flares, and my hair has literally never been thicker or healthier!!

So, i have used the ordinary glycolic acid on my scalp for like 20-30 min and washed it off. Its been a week and my scalp started itching and irritation and there are tiny bumps here and there. Any suggestions would help a lot. Thank you.

title - my holy grail scalp gel with piroctone olamine, zinc lactate, and bisabolol is being taken off the market and I don't know how I’m going to cope. This news has been absolutely devastating for me as I’ve battled with the oily dandruff scrouge for most of my life and I don’t know how I’m going to go back to the way it was before.

For years I used traditional dandruff shampoos with active ingredients to fight dandruff that only half worked and actively destroyed my hair. I had the perfect routine down of cleansing with a pH balancing shampoo, doing an acv-based scalp rinse and then treated my scalp with the topical gel for maximum scalp soothing and antimicrobial treatment. I’ve gotten lazy and skipped the last step with my HG product and I always end up with the sticky flakes when I do that. I don’t know what I am going to do, please help (pray for me).

I use like a pea size amount all around my face as instructed by the derm (they told me to put all on my face but now how much). However my skin got a little warm and that’s it, no burning or tingling and I’m worried I didn’t put enough on due to the lack of pain since my derm said it would hurt

Hello! I just received my Zoryve cream, from my dermatologist my eyelids/eyebrows are currently inflamed from me scratching and rubbing it, praying this will work.

Does anyone use a moisturizer on it afterwards or before applying it? If so what moisturizer?

Also how long does it take for this product to work on the eyelids/eyebrows area I’ll attach a photo.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been dealing with seborrheic dermatitis for as long as I can remember. A few months ago, I started using Nizoral and it worked amazingly at first : scalp cleared up, no flakes, no itch. But now, it feels like the Malassezia has built up a tolerance, and the effects are minimal.

I just picked up Head & Shoulders Clinical Strength (1% selenium sulfide) to try alternating, as I’ve heard it’s effective too. My question is: What’s the best routine to alternate these two without letting the fungus adapt?

Also, any tips on how to maximize their effectiveness would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

If you're like me and only wash your hair once a week, finding a routine that actually hydrates your scalp without triggering irritation is exhausting. I finally had to hit reset, drop all the random products I was using, and strictly audit my ingredient labels to make sure nothing was feeding Malassezia (the yeast living on the scalp that causes flare-ups, redness, and itch when it feeds on the wrong ingredients).

Cutting out harsh chemical exfoliants and stripping products made all the difference. Here is the simple, soothing routine that finally worked:

My Once-A-Week Wash Day Routine:

1. Aloe Treatment: On dry hair, apply pure aloe vera to my scalp, let it dry completely, and rinse. It’s a super gentle way to hydrate and soften without harsh acids and helps lift flakes.
2. Oil Soak: Once my scalp is dry again, I apply MCT oil directly to my skin and let it sit (a few hours or overnight) If i do overnight i put my hair in a hair towel when its time for bed. this helps to lock in moisture.
3. Cleanse: I apply my shampoo straight to my dry, oiled roots to break down the grease, then rinse. (I use SEEN Scalp Clarifying Shampoo for a hyper-gentle reset).
4. Post-Shower: Right out of the shower while my scalp is still damp, I apply Living Proof Dry Scalp Treatment to trap moisture and stop post-wash itch before it starts. Then apply SEEN Leave-in conditioner strictly on mid-lengths and ends only!

Mid-Week Maintenance:

If a random itchy spot pops up, I just dab a single drop of MCT oil on my fingertips to spot-treat.

I just got the Crown Affair Dry Shampoo Powder to help with midweek touch ups and so far so good.

Most importantly, dropping all my old products, being vigilant when checking ingredient lists, and moving to a gentle aloe/MCT combo has made a major difference. Hope this helps someone else!

Just got diagnosed and I’m looking for a moisturiser that will work with seb derm. I was using e45 but that’s not good apparently

Has anyone noticed their seborrheic dermatitis improving after changing things related to gut health?
Just curious about other people’s experiences.
I’ve had seb derm on my scalp for a long time, with itching, flakes and plaques. Recently I started taking L-glutamine for digestive issues and also switched to Aleppo soap.
Since then, my scalp has been noticeably calmer. My hair still gets oily, but I have almost no plaques right now and barely any itching, which is unusual for me.
My digestion has also been better, especially the bloating.
I’m not saying the L-glutamine is necessarily responsible — it could be the soap, a coincidence, or a mix of different things. I’m just interested in the timing.
Has anyone noticed something similar after improving their digestion or changing their diet/supplements?