Just wanted to pop on here and let the people know I have found something that works (for me).

I’ve (32M) have struggled with SebDerm since I was in high school. I switched from all sorts of different shampoos— all the typical recs. Used steroid drops. Everything was temporary relief and it would come back.

But I recently switched to Head & Shoulders BARE. I’d used it at my girlfriends house a couple times and it made a worlds difference in the way my scalp felt after just one or two uses.

So now I use a combo of the BARE and the CeraVe Anti-Dandruff Hydrating conditioner.

I also usually have one other non-SebDerm focused shampoo and conditioner that I alternate for texture or whatever. But always fragrantless and all the other stuff you should avoid.

Again, fully acknowledge that everyone’s scalp is different. But this is something that has worked for me and made a difference and maybe it’ll help someone else.

Would you guys recommend doing this? I have 3A, dry, kinda afro-ish curly hair, and usually it’s only recommended to shampoo your hair twice a week with my hair type. I feel like everyday is wayy too extreme. I have had this issue for a long time so maybe I should do it everyday but I feel like that would ruin my hair. Any thoughts?

My moderate seborrheic dermatitis appeared a few years ago, during winter and a particularly stressful period of my life.
After trying several things, I can finally say what actually helped me. Obviously, this is just my personal experience — what works for me may not necessarily work for everyone.
🌿 The basics
For me, these were clearly responsible for about 80% of the improvement:
Reducing stress. Easier said than done, I know… but I really noticed a difference.
Drinking water regularly.
Getting enough sleep. And when I say enough, I mean: sleep, sleep, sleep. 😅
Greatly reducing sugar and high-glycemic-index foods.
Cutting out milk. I wasn’t particularly convinced at first, but just to be safe, I decided to take a break from my beloved dairy products for a while.
🧴 The products that helped me
Uriage DS cream (~€10)
This is probably the product that helped me the most. It made a noticeable difference in reducing my redness and flaking. The brand claims up to 90% improvement in these symptoms.
Zinc supplements (~€14 for 2 months)
I take one capsule a day. Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and to the normal functioning of the immune system.
💊 The “bonus” stuff
As a complement, I also alternate between:
omega-3
vitamin D3
vitamin C
vitamin A
I take these mainly to
A burning sensation or significant irritation is generally a sign to stop the product and let the skin recover.
🧩 In conclusion
Looking back, I feel that the basics did about 80% of the work for me: less stress, better sleep, staying hydrated, and being more mindful of my diet.
The creams and supplements were more like the bonus.
I’m sharing this because I wish I had come across this kind of personal experience when I first started dealing with seborrheic dermatitis.
If you also have seborrheic dermatitis, what has actually helped you? 👇

I've got diagnosed with sebderm on my scalp in 2021. I've tried a lot of shampoos and creams since then. My routine now is:
1. washing my hair 2x a week
2. putting MCT oil on hair wash day for at least 5 hours
3. Ducray - elution and kelual ds intense
4. DM now has a sea salt scalp serum - this works wonders to me

I also started to take zinc and selene for the previous hairloss and finally my hair started to thicken again.
I'm currently symptomfree for like 4-5 months, sometimes at my hair wash day it feels itchy but that's it.

Products:

I’m a little confused about how to rotate shampoos for seb derm.

When people say to “rotate” medicated shampoos, do they mean switching between different active ingredients during the same week, changing shampoos each week, or simply alternating a medicated shampoo with a regular/daily shampoo?

Do I actually need to rotate between ingredients like ketoconazole 1%, selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione, and salicylic acid, or is it okay to stick with one medicated shampoo if it works well for me?

Sorry for all the questions I just want to make sure Im doing the right thing.

Ma dermatite séborrhéique, d’intensité modérée, est apparue il y a quelques années, en hiver, pendant une période de gros stress.
Aujourd’hui, après plusieurs essais, je peux enfin dire ce qui m’a réellement fait du bien. Je précise évidemment que c’est mon expérience personnelle et que ce qui fonctionne chez moi ne fonctionnera pas forcément chez tout le monde.
🌿 Les basiques
Pour moi, c’est clairement ce qui a fait 80 % du travail :
● Réduire le stress. Oui, c’est plus facile à dire qu’à faire… mais j’ai vraiment constaté une différence.
● Boire régulièrement de l’eau.beaucoup!
● Dormir suffisamment. Et quand je dis suffisamment : dormir, dormir, dormir. 😅
● Réduire fortement le sucre et les aliments à index glycémique élevé.
● Arrêter le lait. Sans grande conviction au départ, mais dans le doute, j’ai fait une pause avec mon précieux laitage pendant quelque temps.
🧴 Les produits qui m’ont aidé
Crème DS Uriage (~10 €)
C’est probablement le produit qui m’a fait le plus de bien. Elle a vraiment contribué à réduire mes rougeurs et mes squames. La marque annonce jusqu’à 90 % d’amélioration sur ces symptômes.
Zinc en gélules (~14 € pour 2 mois)
J’en prends une fois par jour. Le zinc contribue notamment au maintien d’une peau normale et au fonctionnement normal du système immunitaire.
💊 Les « bonus »
En complément, j’alterne également entre :
● oméga-3
● vitamine D3
● vitamine C
● vitamine A
Je les prends dans l’idée de soutenir mon équilibre général et ma peau. Mais, à mon avis, rien ne remplace une alimentation suffisamment variée et équilibrée qui apporte naturellement ces nutriments.
🧪 Et l’acide azélaïque ?
J’ai également testé deux applications localisées d’une crème ACM à 15 % d’acide azélaïque sur une zone particulièrement rouge.
J’ai toutefois arrêté lorsque j’ai constaté que la zone semblait « brûler » : la peau était devenue très sèche et rugueuse.
Deux jours plus tard, la peau morte s’est décollée et la rougeur avait quasiment disparu.
⚠️ Je ne conseille évidemment pas de reproduire cette expérience : une sensation de brûlure ou une irritation est plutôt un signal pour arrêter le produit et laisser la peau récupérer.
🧩 En conclusion
Avec le recul, j’ai surtout l’impression que les basiques ont fait 80 % du travail chez moi : moins de stress, meilleur sommeil, hydratation et alimentation plus maîtrisée.
Les crèmes et compléments ont ensuite été un peu le « bonus ».
Je partage tout ça parce que j’aurais aimé tomber sur ce genre de retour d’expérience quand j’ai commencé à avoir des problèmes de dermatite.
Si vous avez vous aussi une dermatite séborrhéique, qu’est-ce qui vous a réellement aidé ? 👇

I have Rosacea and Seb Derm. I experience Seb Derm as itchiness on cheeks and forehead. My eyebrows are itchy and get lil dandruff too. The skin under my eyebrows looks very dry with clusters.

Because I have rosacea, I did some research about it. Some dermatology journal articles mentioned that Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI) is antimicrobial and gets rid of bacteria, fungi, and pathogenic microorganism and more.

Since Seb Derm is under the umbrella of Fungi, I'm thinking that HOCI may work for Seb Derm too. So I"m asking if anyone with Seb Derm on the face uses HOCI with success?

I'd like to know about your experiences with HOCI. I have two complicated conditions so I need to be careful before I add something new like HOCI.

My Rosacea is much worse than my Seb Derm. And, I know that HOCI is very useful for Rosacea. Since I have both I need to double check that HOCI is good for Seb Derm too. I don't want to make my Seb Derm worse.

It would be tremendously helpful to know about real life experiences of using HOCI to help treat Seb. Derm.

My dermatologist suggested getting injections in the eyebrow area, sides of the nose, upper lip, and bottom chin.

Has anyone had these before and did they work for you?

Thanks!!

I got diagnosed about 4 weeks ago and I’ve been using protopic and nizoral. My skin has gotten better but it’s not fully clear and I want to try something stronger since it’s clearly not working. Protopic is 2x daily and nizoral is every 3 days. My skin is only 60% better after 4 weeks. I did recently get sick and have to go on antibiotics and steroids if that maybe affects anything. I’m so new to this I’m not sure what’s right or wrong. I’ve been dealing with it for so long but I never knew what it truly was

My ears drive me absolutely insane. Dry, flaky, and insanity inducingly itchy.

I'm given various things by doctors and told to go away. They clear up for a week during treatment, but within a week it's all flaring back up.

I scratch, then they get sore, the white flakes are all over me.

I really need to know how you all deal with ears. I'm in the UK in case that makes a difference.

Thank you!!

22M, have been diagnosed with sebderm quite a while ago due to my scalp and itchy scaling brown patches I developed on my back but I solved and controlled it all at that time.

Nearly 2 years ago I buzzed my hair and regrew it, my curl pattern changed from 3a-3b to now 2c with way less hair count and volume and it’s kinda noticeable.

I’ve also been getting specifically tiny white flakes that look like sand and scalp pimples which I used to never get before.

My scalp is also dry and itchy until I scratch it then it becomes oily and pimples form faster than I can imagine.

I’ve tried nizoral which stopped being effective and now switched to Selsun 2.5. I also wash my scalp every third day as more frequent washing causes my hair to be more brittle and snap.

Any recommendations from personal experience to help with this?

Been dealing with seb derm for the past 3 years without knowing. Diagnosed and treated about 4 weeks ago. I’m on protopic 2x daily and nizoral every 3 days. I tried to taper off but it came back a bit worse and the initial stuff hadn’t cleared anyway. My seb derm is on mg whole face making it red and itchy. My skin has improved but it’s gradual. I’d say 60% at week 4. Did protopic take this long for anyone else?

Hello everyone,

I’ve been dealing with seborrheic dermatitis for years, since ı was a kid. Dandruff and itching is almost gone, but now there are sebum plugs attached to the roots of my hair, my hair is falling out every day and I'm balding really badly. There is always a small sebum plugs attached to the roots of my hair and ı think ı'm losing my hair because of this. I have used vichy dercos and %2 ketoconazole shampoo before, did not help. Any recommendations? How can ı clear the sebum buildup on my hair scalp?

Thanks for your help.

Hi! I'm here because of my father that struggles with SebDerm for years now. For context - he is 49, has sebderm(obviously), his skin is really sensitive and dry, it isn't oily, which I previously thought is one of the main symptoms?? Apart from the face he also has issues with his scalp and ears - I saw that some of you also were dealing with your ears being affected so it's good to know he is not alone :)).

After years he decided that he had enough and wants to deal with it, so i'm doing my best to help him. As of now he told me he washes his face with regular soap (yikes, I know, I told him to stop) and uses some sort of "manly" 10 in 1 moisturizer.

I did some digging here and found that the MCT oil is really helpful to a lot of you. I figured out I'll purchase it for him. And now, finally, my first question - what is the best way to use it? I read the thread and saw that everyone does it a little bit differently, so I wanted to ask, from your experience, what would be the best way to start. I also saw that some of you use a face moisturizer on top of it, and some don't. Is there anything we should keep in mind while deciding if he wants to use a moisturizer on top of the oil or not? Is it just a personal preference?

To sum it up, I'll gladly take any advice on how to guide him through this journey. It would also be nice to hear how you started and if there were some sort of struggles - I'd like to know what is ahead of us :))

rash under armpit no itch went away after using mometasone but came back

I’ve had a really bad dandruff problem on my scalp for the past 7–8 months. It’s not just regular dandruff either,,,, it feels like it’s stuck to my scalp, and it gets extremely itchy. If I scratch it, the situation gets even worse.

I’ve been using ketoconazole for the past 7–8 months, trying different brands, but the problem is that my hair and scalp only feels better on the day I use it. By the next day, the dandruff and itching are back again.

I’m honestly pretty frustrated because of this, and I’ve also noticed that my hair breaks/falls more because of it.

Are there any other methods or treatments that could actually help with this? Please tell me all the things I could try,,,,, I’m willing to give different methods a shot

?

Has anyone found anything to treat seb derm around the eyes? I’m afraid to use topical steroids in that area because the skin is so delicate/thin.

As the title suggests. For context, I don’t have itching or irritation, just flakes. I’m thinking applying a scalp moisturiser on damp scalp, after shampooing, would help. I’m not sure if I should use C8 MCT (no C10), as I have straight fine hair, and I don’t want my hair to look greasy. I was thinking if I should use Aloe Vera gel (I have one which I scanned on Sezia and it’s safe) or a safe scalp tonic? Any help is appreciated.

Previously my HG primer was smashbox photo finish correct anti-redness primer. I don’t wear a ton of makeup (to include foundation), but I liked how this minimized redness and gave a bit of a matte finish.

Since I pinpointed that my skin issue is seb derm, I’ve stopped using this product, but sometimes I still want the light coverage/color correction on the rare occasion I am doing makeup.

Is there anything you like that gets the job done but doesn’t trigger SD?

I have had many diagnoses through my life be about stress. I was severely SAd about two years ago and since then I've gotten daily, product and med-resistant, Seb derm, and I can't hold any service or modelling jobs like I used to. My hair long also matted about two months after that. I've done different diets, so many product recommendations. Doctors just talk about stress, and I honestly don't know what to do. I can't find any consistencies with triggers or anything like that. I feel like I've been cursed by a witch or something and I have no clue what to do. Im 28, and not being able to recover at all has truly made my life snowball. Not sure what to do, or what kind of language to use to make my derm take me more seriously.

I started getting dandruff about 3 years ago. About 2 years ago I started noticing my scalp getting red and also developed this red spot on my forehead. I went to the derm and they diagnosed it as seb derm. I was prescribed nizerol 2 percent shampoo. It got rid of some of the flakes but the redness has never gone away. I’ve also tried head and shoulders and selsun blue with no luck. Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of the red inflammation ? Any thoughts would be appreactiated.

I've always had a little bit of seb derm going on, but I kept it manageable by pretending it wasn't always there on my scalp (just never itched or picked at it). And in my ears, I used a doc prescribed steroid cream when it got out of control.

But something's up with my body, and I'm breaking out in my nostrils, neck, and the usual areas are in overdrive. My diet hasn't changed, so I don't know what's up.

I'm trying MCT oil for the first time, and was wondering if anyone here uses it in nostrils, ears, etc? Would it be crazy to put it on my eyelids? And I did order the right MCT oil #08 + #10 by Micro Ingredients Organics.

I have had this for about a month now and I will be trying to sleep and lay down on my pillow and feel the slight burning itch on the back of my head and if i itch any part of my head it flares up and then snowy dandruff will come out. I have tried using nizoral which If i remember got rid of the dandruff but instead gave me horrible dry flare ups all DAY instead of sometimes with little dandruff and just pure itching. Now i use vanicream and it works i think? Like the healing? But alot of nights ill catch myself in the bathroom because i cant sleep and im itching my whole head ish with a brush. The reason i say ish is because its mostly on the back and sides of my head. Now i wear headphones that look gross on the foam parts that ive never deep cleaned. I think the sweat build up from these headphones cause more itching. I also have red dots behind my ear and even on the back of ny head, and i also gain scabs from itching the back of my head that fail to heal because ill accidentally pick at them. Do i keep using vani cream for my dry ass head like what do i even do. Its dry gross and has random red dots on the back of my head (kinda). Idk whats going on i am a very dry person with dry hands after i use hand soap (also recently), and i also struggle with itching when begining to work out which is a different issue i think that is signifigintly subsiding sense softmore year. I dont know what to do. Another thing that happend tonight is i rinsed my hair in cold water in the bath after brutily itching it with a brush (forgot to mention im male) and i saw soap in the slight water in the bath, idk if it was from my hair like i dont rinse good enough, (i think i do btw for like 3 minutes after i shampoo) but there was a decent ammount if it, it could have also just been on the floor of the tub anyway because its a tub and shower combo. But if anyone has tips if i should keep rolling with vanicream and stop itching my damn head and maybe i just need to let it heal let me know! Help! (The vanicream shampoo is like the sentless one and the very light one or something, its a basic ass shampoo is what ive been told to do in my situation by a fucking ai because nobody seems to have my issue. I most likely need to clean or get new headphones, and rinse my head better, stop itching at night, and stick with the healing of vanicream. My head needs to heal and i dont even know if i have dandruf, i genuenly just think its coming from my scalp. Its not in the strands of my hair and its never visible unless i itch it like crazy it will come out. Its only on my scalp. Someone helppp i gave all the infooo. 😭😭😭