Seborrheic Dermatitis

I've just about self diagnosed myself with Seborrheic Dermatitis. I have every single symptom. I have noticed over the years, my scalp is most dry in the winter months. Couple that with a relaxer and all hell breaks loose.

That's what I'm going through right now. I thought I had common dry scalp, so I'd begun oiling my scalp with Doo Grow oil. Well, that didn't help. It just camoflauged the flakes, but also ended up contributing to more. :-(

First off, I wasn't even sure I wanted to relax my hair again in the first place since my stretch was going so well. But, I made a last minute decision to go ahead and do it. Then, the stylist did not give me the relaxer I asked for (twice) and now half of my hair feels like I never got a relaxer in the first place.

Next, within 2 days, my scalp is itchy and covered with thick, white, flaking patches attached to red, irritated skin. They're peeking around my entire hairline permiter and it's quite embarassing. So, I'm really not even enjoying a fresh relaxer.

When I was natural, I still had dry scalp, but nothing like this. It was just the rare occurrence of a little flaking. But, I washed my hair so often that that is probably why I didn't notice it much. With this condition, the more often you wash your hair, the better. It removed the buildup of sebum and flakes.

What causes Seborrheic Dermatitis?

Medical professionals really don't know what causes the condition. It can (and has) occur on the sebacceous areas of the face, like around my nose and in the eyebrow area. It's not severe on my face, but it's pretty ratchet on my scalp.

Again, I've only self diagnosed, but I'm 99% sure, this is my situation. It's not contagious or dangerous to my health, it's just gross and embarrassing.

It's known that seborrheic dermatitis can be irritated in winter months which is absolutely true for me. I just happened to relax my hair at the wrong time of year. Noted.

It's also irritated by immune system deficiencies such as HIV/AIDS, stress & fatigue, excessive yeast and sebum production, and neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

How am I treating Seborrheic Dermatitis?

There are natural treatments out there that are supposed to be antifungal, such as rhassoul clay, neem, and tea tree oil. I have just started using tea tree oil, and so far that does not seem to help. But, I haven't been using it enough to tell.

Medical professionals recommend and prescribe corticosteroids (hydrocortisones), antifungal agents (Lamisil or Ketoconazole), or shampoos with active agents such as coal tar or zinc pyrithione. This is not an all-inclusive list.)

I'm trying out Neutrgena T-Gel right now, but it requires use 2-3 times a week. So, I'm working on my next protective style to allow me to shampoo my hair 3 times a week (yikes). It's a U-Part wig I made last night and will be styling today. I'll be wearing a braided base that will give me easy access to my scalp. More on that very shortly.

I really have my eye on Nizoral because of the great reviews, so I'll let you know how that goes.

I hope to review several over-the-counter treatments for Seborrheic Dermatitis to help anyone out there who may be dealing with this annoying condition.

Posted in: Healthy Hair Growth,My hair,Skin Care