For roughly three years now, I've suffered from what my dermatologist refers to as, "seborrheic dermatitis". Some people who have this type of dermatitis get relief from many of the products or shampoo's available...but for another class of people such as myself, finding relief can be elusive if not impossible.
Some of the shampoos I've tried that were recommended, are the shampoos from Neutrogena. I've had some success from the coal tar shampoo and the T/Sal product. Another shampoo brand is called Nizoral and touts the ingredient, ketoconazole. I was able to determine that the only way that any of these shampoos were effective for myself, was to be sure and allow the shampoo to stay on the scalp for awhile. I also rotate between three or four different types of shampoo. This seems to help more than just using one exclusively.
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I wish I could tell you there is a definitive "cure" for seborrheic dermatitis, but there isn't. The actual cause remains a mystery to doctors and researchers. With no known cure, the best you can do is to try and "control" the symptoms. Personally, I've had extremely limited success with most of the products I've tried or been prescribed, and that success usually only lasts perhaps a week?
Not trying to be totally discouraging...but the facts are what they are...some of us just haven't been able to find the relief we're looking for. Does that mean you should just give up and give in? Absolutely not! First of all, research is ongoing and there are new products being developed, so the one that helps you may be available in the not so distant future.
If you haven't tried them, you may also want to try some homeopathic treatments. These are typically all natural/herbal type treatments which may provide relief. Some examples are, topical zinc, apple cider vinegar, various B vitamins. A search of Google is likely to produce a lot of additional results.
And I hesitate to offer this as the last glimmer of hope, because quite frankly, it may be something that should be checked out in the beginning. Research has shown that "stress" has a lot to do with dermatitis outbreaks. Think about it for a minute...even though you may have SD all the time, do you find that it can be better or worse at certain times? Can you relate the beginning of your condition to a time in your life when something pretty drastic changed? "Skin Deep" is a great book by Dr. Ted Grossbart, which discusses the mind/body connection as it relates to your skin. Dr. Grossbart discusses how our emotions and feelings can be reflected through our skin.
Think about this...what happens when you get embarrassed? Your skin flushes and turns red. What happens when you get scared? Your skin will get "goosebumps". It's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility to believe that you may have other feelings and emotions that are being "played out" through your skin?
If you feel like you'll never find something to help your seborrheic dermatitis, don't give up hope! We all get discouraged at times, and that's probably the worst thing we can do. Take time out of your day to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and just relax. This may not make your SD go away, but it certainly won't hurt and will most likely make you feel better about yourself which is a step in the right direction!
Controlling Seborrheic Dermatitis
Chris Hoit is a freelance writer and webmaster that suffers from seborrheic dermatitis. Chris has found that the mind/body connection is often more powerful than any prescription medicine. In an effort to share experiences and help others, he created the website, http://seborrheicdermatitistreatment.com