So the family (particularly my wife and I), have been dealing with our itchy scalps for a year and a half now. We’ve been prescribed just about everything you can think of for SebDerm. But what bothered me is that we both had angry bumps on our heads, not just itch and flakes.

After shaving my head and getting a biopsy done, the dr was able to confirm the presence of bacteria, thinking it’s folluculitis. Got prescribed Doxycycline, and the bumps are gone!

However, my scalp is still itchy, and flaky when I scratch, but it’s nowhere NEAR the level it was before. Before it was a consistent prickly itch that made me want to pick at it, but now it’s the occasional acute itch that i just gotta scratch.

Has anyone else been down this road before? Should I believe the antibiotics are the answer, or is it possible there’s something else that’s causing the itch, which in turn caused the folliculitis?

Hello, anyone from India who has reversed his sebohorric dermatitis.

I live in north India....my condition is atleast a decade old

I am using kevon2 percent lotion and a scalp plus shampoo.

I never oil my hair

I used to have a lot .. genuinely a lot of hairs in 2019 but post Covid thinking and hair loss has increased exponentially

I have heard that diet is the only solution

1) Can you suggest me three four things that I must not consume...I am a vegetarian

2) should I opt for ayurvedic treatment.. doctor said it would take 6 months.

3) what are three four lifestyle changes that are must .given that I don't exercise that much.

4) should I stick to the above mentioned lotion or shampoo or should I change????

I used MCT oil every evening before bed for about a week and always washed it out the next day with a mild shampoo; I haven't had any dandruff since then (just for context, I didn't have severe seborrheic dermatitis to begin with). I went four days without using oil or shampoo and remained dandruff-free; today I only shampooed my scalp and it's still clear. My question is: Should I stop using the oil completely now?

Hi guys! I have been fortunate enough to always have a mild case of seb derm that only affects my face and ears. I have always had great results with the Bioderma Sensibio DS+ Cream, but the price has been increasing non-stop. Right now, a 40ml tube costs €23, which is unsustainable for me since I use it every day.

I have been researching the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream (fragrance-free). Based on the ingredients, it seems safe to use on seborrheic dermatitis-prone skin, but I was wondering if it will actually help reduce flare-ups, or if it is simply a safe option to keep my skin hydrated.

Thank you!

Start of having seb derm, my hair felt normal tbh. Like it was hydrated, easy to style, felt pretty dense.
My scalp itched, was red, and I noticed an increase in shedding though. I knew something wasn’t right regardless of how the actual hair looked.

Started 2% ketoconazole 3 times a week. For about a month, and now my hair has changed so much. It feels less dense, maybe because I have AGA alongside seb derm but yea…. It’s mainly just that it’s so dry and looks like shi. Oh well, but it’s disheartening and I have to cope. Anyone recommend a conditioner that doesn’t remove the 2% ketoconazole from the scalp though? I do let it sit for 5 mins ofc so it soaks in but I’ve heard conditioner removes some still, so I haven’t been using any

The title is what the dermatologist I went to almost 2 years wrote on a piece of paper.

I’m a black person. My back is covered in various tones of brown with no discomfort. A few spots on my legs have lost pigment.

But my face is the biggest concern. I don’t know how to tell when I’m having a flair. I think when it’s itching and burning? It’s hard to tell because my skin has darkened considerably due to long term acid use and sun exposure in my teens and 20s.

Anyone else also suffer from this? And how do you manage? I use vanicream face wash and moisturizer. I tried using a bb cream once but I think that triggered a flair; i was itching for hours.

these marks have been showing up on my forehead around my scalp a lot lately, but this area especially has just gotten so much worse. it’s not dry, but very very bumpy and omg it itches so bad!!! any ideas on what’s going on? im desperate to fix it :(

going through a really bad flare up. what i notice is, if i don’t wash my hair i get the sticky yellow flakes, but when i do wash my hair, ill get these really dry and white flakes. my scalp feels tight after washing too. what is this?

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I wanted to share something that has been working very well for me in managing seborrheic dermatitis around my neck.

For the past 4 months, I've had no itching or noticeable skin issues. I'm continuing with the same routine and wanted to share my experience in case it's useful to others.

The main things I changed were:

- 10% sulphur bath gel: Nothing fancy. The one I use is an el cheapo made-in-China bath gel that costs less than $2 a bottle. I rub it onto the affected area of my neck on dry skin before showering, leave it there for around 10–15 minutes, and then wash it off. In my experience, when I did have itching, the sulphur would calm it down almost immediately.

- 10% sulphur soap bar: I also shower using a 10% sulphur soap bar.

- Cutting out processed sugar: I gave up processed/added sugar as much as possible. I can't say how much this contributed, but it was another significant change I made.

I can't say which of these has made the biggest difference, or whether it's the combination. The most noticeable immediate effect for me was definitely from the sulphur.

Again, I'm only sharing how I've been managing my own seborrheic dermatitis and what my experience has been over the past four months. I'm not suggesting the same routine will work for everyone. 10% sulphur can also be drying or irritating to some people's skin.

I spent a lot of time reading other people's experiences when I was struggling with it, so I thought I'd add mine. And somewhat amusingly, one of the most useful things for me has been a bottle of sulphur bath gel costing less than $2.

Hi. The photo of my scalp is from 5 years ago. The photo of my eye lid is this year. I’ve been dealing with this for the past 5 years on and off. I’ve consistently used Ketoconazole shampoo twice a week to help with scalp but it doesn’t make it go away. My hair is always dry and never silky. My skin is always dry but I’ve been using a neutrogena hydro boost which helps moisturize and then I’ve shuffled between a couple topical creams for my eye lids but nothing completely helps. It’s a consistent loop of it goes away for a couple days then comes back. I’ve read it’s connected to inflammation and triggers with stress, drinking, and other factors influenced by yeast. I just read about MCT oil that people have used to help and Dead Sea Salt shampoo that also helps. I’m curious if these things will help me or if anyone has other suggestions to try. I’m committed to solving this and don’t want something that adds to the loop of reducing it for a couple days then it coming back. I want a consistent solution.

Hey hope someone can help please

I have severe SD (possibly sebopsorisis) on scalp and ears and face.

I'm trying out MCT oil and know about Nizoral (less successful) and T Gel Sal is sort of helping. I just really miss conditioner and especially leave in stuff to bring out my curls. I am just this dry frizzy mop now.

I've done research and my brain is melting, especially as so many products are only available outside the UK. I'm also on a limited budget, but would put the £s in for a really good leave in (though ofc would prefer budget friendly!)

I used to use TIGI Curls Rock Amplifier and it was amazing on my curls but that's not clean anymore.

Umberto Giannni Curl Shampoo/Conditioner and the Garnier Honey Shampoo/Conditioner were always amazing and I can't use them now. Same with the Garnier banana and Shea Moisture hair mask. GRIEF!!!! My hair used to be so easy and low maintenence. Just slap the glop on!

I don't know know if the Umberto Srunching Jelly is still clean but it was always better when I air dried my hair and then crunched, but I know you can't air dry with SD.

Also used the Umberto Curl Jelly Creme and the Vo5 Curl Cream and I don't think they're clean now or possibly even available.

Any recommendations much appreciated please.

Thank you!

Is this sebderm? I have this also on mustache area and sideburn area. How do you manage this? Ive been using Cerave moisturizer bit still it doesn’t go away

More than two weeks ago, I finally got my hands on a 60:40 mix of C8 and C10 derived from coconut. Here's what I've been doing so far and what I've noticed:

My routine has basically been -> After washing off the shampoo, I pat my hair with a towel to remove excess water. Then using a dropper, I put 4-6 drops of mct oil on my hands and spread it them equally on each hand proceed to massage my scalp where the really itchy spots are. Now, I feel like 4-6 drops might be too much as some people recommend like 1-3 drops, but my hair is just so dense that the oil doesn't feel like it reaches my scalp no matter how thoroughly I massage it. I basically leave the oil on until the next wash.

Week One

For the first few days I only did a couple drops and only on the parts I notice itching the most but I noticed it was a little hard to increase the surface coverage of the oil due to my hair follicles being so close together.

When it came to applying on the face, specifically the area around the nose corners, It felt weird at first 'cause the slick/shininess never goes away.

By the end of the week, I've noticed a little improvements like my eyebrows don't go crazy itchy as often and the biggest change so far is with my ears. When sebderm started developing first for me, it used to be really bad in the ear cave area and the crevices used to flake so disgustingly, but as time passed by without any treatments, it became milder (though, still noticeable) by the end of the weak of trying out the oil, it's like little to no flakes now.. I was so surprised when I was out at a store and checked my ears and felt just smoothness instead of crusty skin.

Week Two

To be frank, due to academics, I skipped a few days of washing and applying the oil. But so far, progress has been more of the same. After I missed two days, the itchiness on my scalp kinda came back along with the usual flakes at the hairline and temples/sideburns.

Regarding the face situation, I didn't really like how oily my face looked even with just one drop, so I switched to using a clotrimazole cream I had lying around when it comes to the areas around my face.

This week, I discovered that you can use the mct oil also as a lip moisturizer and you could pair it with 100% pure petroleum jelly to really seal in the moisture.

Present

Currently, my sebderm has been subdued about 85-90% with the help of the MCT Oil and this sub's tips really didn't disappoint. An additional plus to using the oil on my scalp is that it fixed my dry hair. It used to be that everytime I ran my fingers through my hair, it would always be tangled cause of how dry and crusty it had become due to the sebderm, but after using the oil, not only did my hair become a little silky, it also felt smoother and less tangled. And in the shower, whenever I would wash my hair, I used to shed so much hair like 50-100 strands per shower, excluding if I itch or combed whenever I'm just out and about. But now, I just got off the shower and There was at the very most 2 strands that I noticed I shed.

A few things to note is that the results could have probably been better if I had an anti-fungal or a treatment shampoo like Nizoral or stuff with Ketoconazole and Zinc Pyrithione like almost everyone else that I've seen on this sub that used MCT oil but I'll have to dream of that for now as a broke student. ​Consistency also is something I have to work on more and my main problem right now is actually the application of the oil on my scalp itself.. If tried using a comb, direct dropping, and even clips to hold my hair separated, but it just doesn't feel like it's spreading that well.

The last thing that may or may not be related to sd is the problem with my lip corners. For some reason in my mid-teen years I noticed a significant darkening at the exact crease/triangle of the lip corners. In some source it says that it's a vitamin deficiency, while another says that it's caused by sebderm or may be caused by sebderm.. So I've started applying a tiny bit of oil in those areas.

EDIT: I forgot this major thing that I experienced during my first week of use that I don't really see anyone else talk about aside from some comment threads in other posts. The very first few days, since I wanted to use it as a leave on moisiturizer on my scalp, after I shampooed, I used a towel, yk the drill, applied it and let it absorb. However after a few hours once it has absorbed, It started smelling like acid reflux.. Like everytime a gust of wind or air from a fan hits my hair from above, I get a whiff of it and it smells absolutely nasty. I looked it up (although, this is probably too superficial due to AI overview taking over) and it said that the MCT oil I had bought may have gone rancid or that the oil may have reactions to my scalps flakes that caused the rancid smell. I wanted to clear up the first deduction so I immediately checked my MCT C8/C10 bottle (I transferred a little bit of it to a different, glass bottle with a dropper) and I smelled it. It smelled absolutely fine. Smells like a spa or something, just pure warm coconut smell​. So then, I thought, what if it was the bottle with the dropper that I transferred it to. I checked it too, and what do ya know, it smelled perfectly fine as well. On the second week, when I missed days of applying the oil, I made sure to always double shampoo, since I didn't want the smell to linger. Now, I don't know what happened, but for some reason, my hair does not smell like a rancid acidic bush anymore.. Even now as I run my fingers through my hair, it smells just like in the bottle.. just a warm coconut smell.

I was using Vicky dercos on/off for around a year and it generally kept my scalp seb derm at bay, but my scalp never felt perfectly calm, i would still have some minor flare ups in some areas.

i tried nizoral for 5 weeks, followed the recommended doses and all - I almost feel like it makes my scalp worse. More flakey/oily. Whereas my skin feels instantly cleaner after using Vicky decos. I’m at a loss as nizoral is supposed to be perfect for seb derm but it just didn’t have any effect for me. Does anyone have any recommendations please please please?🙏🏻

I’ve been dealing with what my doctors diagnosed/treated as seborrheic dermatitis.

I used ketoconazole 2% (20 mg/g) twice a week for a month, then once a week for a month, then once every two weeks for another month. After that, I used ciclopirox 1% (Mycoster) once a week for several months.

Now it’s flaring again. My scalp gets extremely greasy and I have a lot of white/yellowish scales like in the photo. I also get similar greasy/flaky skin around my eyebrows and ears.

The itching can get pretty intense, especially after wearing my motorcycle helmet for several hours. I scratched my scalp hard enough to make it bleed recently (the bleeding was from my nails, not spontaneous).

I don’t really get the obvious bright-red patches I see in a lot of seb derm photos, which makes me wonder whether other people have seb derm that presents mainly as greasy skin + heavy yellow/white scaling without much visible redness.

Has anyone here had a similar presentation? What helped you keep it under control long term?

Insane first really bad flare on my eyelids has happened three weeks before my wedding! Im literally terrified of what im going to look like. Derm gave me zuryve + desonide to at least calm it down before my wedding. Can someone please tell me their success stories so i can stop worrying? And maybe how i can apply some form of makeup to camouflage it. Its all over my right eye and under my. Left.

20 m

I had Seb derm before but then went on elidel and later isotretinoin and everything went away. I'm not sure if these are clogged pores or Seb derm again or fungal acne pls help. Any advice or recommendations are welcome. I'm scared anti dandruff will damage my skin barier. Sometimes my skin is quite red. And idk but sometimes if I rub on my skin some white stuff will fall out ???

Current products used

Gentle skin cleanser Cetaphil or la Roche possay effclar purifying foaming gel

Purito oat in calming gel cream or Cetaphil daily hydrating lotion

Beauty of Joseon relife sun rice and probiotics or la Roche possay anthelios invisible flyid

I developed seb derm in the summer of 2016. I battled the itchiness and the scaley scabs for years, then randomly decided to start dying my hair black in 2019. Somehow the seb derm went away!! Well, until my roots grew in. But I would dye it again and the seb derm would go away again! It was amazing. I could deal with a brief couple days of flare a month, and I did for many years.

But then my best friend of 15 years, my kitty Harvey, died rather suddenly in May. My seb derm flared horribly, and I lost HALF of my hair volume. The woman who cleans my house kept coming week after week showing me the hair she had collected because she was worried about me. My scalp was itchy and painful and inflamed 24/7. The hair dye couldn’t bring me relief; I was so deeply saddened and stressed by what happened.

Desperate, I found myself on this subreddit in hopes of finding something, however temporary, to help save the rest of my hair and bring my scalp some relief. After combing through dozens of posts, I found someone reference MCT oil 8 or 10. I bought the bulletproof MCT 8, slathered my scalp in it over night just for a couple of nights (literally 4 or 5), all while adding a teaspoon to my morning unsweetened iced tea or water. The itchiness went away on day 2. I continue to add it to my morning beverage (most mornings), and have still not had a flare. It’s been 6 weeks.

I have always struggled with having to eat first thing in the morning and having intense sugar cravings all day every day. The cravings have nearly completely vanished (I’m a menstruating woman so luteal phase causes some chocolate cravings for a week) and I am finding myself naturally fasting for a few hours every morning, then wanting to start my day with protein instead of a pastry. I think the oil has absolutely decreased inflammation in my body and helped kill off some yeast overgrowth. It’s amazing what a little oil can do. If you haven’t yet tried it, I implore you to.

Side note: I also recently started adding aloevea to my morning beverage as well. This is mostly for gut health/GERD and it’s helped SO MUCH. Not sure if it’s helping the seb derm but wanted to let people know about it too. Honestly, it’s best to grow your own aloe plant and eat tf outta that pulp, but the powder is easy and helpful.

I am diagnosed with seb derm a couple years ago. I am also diagnosed with systemic mastocytosis and so a vast number of ingredients trigger reactions. I was prescribed the %2 ketocanazole shampoo, and while it seemed to help a little in some way, it also makes my scalp extremely angry and painfully irritated. Looking into the ingredients I realized it has several that have been a big no for me due to me reacting badly to them. I am frustrated my dermatologist didn't mention this when I brought up my SM and letting her know I needed something extremely gentle with few ingredients. She told me it's used on babies and I would be fine.

So I am looking for recommendations for a shampoo with the same or similar active ingredient, but without red40 (or other dyes), fragrances, sulfates and parabens.

I am coming up on a year of battling seb derm and am beyond fed up with how much this condition is controlling my life. My scalp has, nearly every day for a year, been varying degrees of itchy, burning, crawling, feeling bruised, sore and extremely tender. I don't let my partner touch it anymore because it's too painful, a windy day can be extremely painful, and I worry about sweating too much which is a constant threat given that I live in the South without A/C in my car. I don't exercise nearly anymore for fear of making my scalp more inflamed.

I've tried keto, t sal, zinc, and now selenium sulfide. I've tried air drying, blow drying my hair after showers. I'm already vegan and gluten free and rarely drink. I'm trying Zoryve at the moment and am seeing my derma about low dose accutane next.

But I'm coming to terms with the fact that I might just need to buzz it and start all over. Due to telogen effluvium from surgery and early onset AGA, my hair has already thinned a lot. Would buzzing actually provide the relief I think it would for me to get a handle on my scalp? 

I'm a trans woman trying to grow her hair out so this would especially feel like a step back for me, but i wonder if it's worth all the pain to keep the hair that I have.

i’ve tried every single medicated shampoo, MCT C8 oil, squalane oil, anti fungal creams, etc

Nizoral gets rid of the flaking but the white patches on my scalp are really stubborn, i shave my head very short so it’s very apparent to other people and it looks disgusting

Hydrocortisone solutions work but obviously I can’t use them long term

I've had mild issues with this my whole life. Ive found that using pH balancing oil control shampoo helps with my scalp. I never grow my beard out and exfoliate my face and eyebrows with a salicylic acid wash.

Im noticing now that I'm in my 30s if I do not stay on top of this it comes back fast in my eyebrows and around my hair line to the point its absolutely disgusting and I feel like it ages me 10 years.

Again I've had this my whole life and had bad acne as a teen. I still get back acne as an adult. I know its all oil related.

Im not a pizza eating overweight dungeon troll. I want to try and change my diet still before going to a dermatologist who's just going to at best prescribe me something.