Seborrhea (cont.)

Treatment of seborrhea (dandruff) is directed at fighting the skin inflammation. This is done either directly, by using cortisone-based creams and lotions (which reduce inflammation), or by reducing the yeast that builds up on scaly areas and adds to the problem. Note, though, that seborrhea is not a yeast infection.

• Moisturizing: Moisturizing lotions don't do much more than smooth out scales and make patches look redder.



• Switching brands of shampoo: Shampoo doesn't cause dandruff. However, medicated shampoos (see below) can help.



• Changing hair-care routines: There is no "right" shampoo or conditioner, nor is there a "correct" number of times to shampoo per week; seborrhea and dandruff are not caused by excessive shampooing "drying out the scalp." Hair dyes and conditioners do not cause or aggravate dandruff.



• Switching antiperspirants: When underarms are red from seborrhea, almost anything will make them redder, including antiperspirants, even though they are only aggravating the seborrhea and not causing it.

1. Shampoos: Here are some ingredients in medicated shampoos that you can look for to help control dandruff of the scalp. All are available over the counter.

• tar (T/Gel)



• salicylic acid



• zinc pyrithione (like Head & Shoulders)



• selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue)



• ketoconazole (Nizoral)

You can use any of these either all of the time or just once or twice a week, depending on how severe your symptoms are. If the problem quiets down or disappears, stop and use nonmedicated shampoos. If one kind of shampoo works for a while and "runs out of gas," switch to another. For resistant cases, you can even alternate two different types.

2. Creams: Two additional types of medication that help seborrhea are cortisone creams and antifungal creams.

• Cortisone creams reduce inflammation. You can buy them over the counter in either 0.5% or 1% concentrations. They are safe to use on the face and will often help in just a couple of days when applied twice daily. These products also are available as scalp lotions that are applied once a day, preferably on damp hair after shampooing. You can use scalp cortisone creams together with medicated shampoos.



• Antifungal creams are often effective, apparently because they reduce the number of yeast organisms living on the skin. Over-the-counter creams include 1% clotrimazole cream and miconazole cream 2%. Antifungal creams also are applied once or twice a day.

As with shampoos, creams should be applied until the seborrhea subsides. When the seborrhea comes back (and it will, sooner or later), the creams should be used again.

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/seborrhea/article.htm