Dandruff/dry scalp

[Corporate Thug]

Does anyone have either? I always thought I had bad dandruff but recently, I've been noticing red/dry spots on my scalp and I'm pretty sure most of the stuff that is flaking off is dead skin. Any recommendations for shampoos/treatments? Somebody told me baby shampoo helps a lot.

 

[Childs]

You'll get more relevant responses in Health and Fitness.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Sounds possibly like psoriasis. Try using T-Sal shampoo and using a soft brush through your scalp as you are washing it to loosen up the dead skin.

I had a bad run of it for awhile.

 

[KidNiki1]

could be eczema, seborrhea, psoriasis, skin allergies... or just plain ol dandruff.

see a dermatologist first, otherwise, you may not be treating the right thing.

 

[Corporate Thug]

could be eczema, seborrhea, psoriasis, skin allergies... or just plain ol dandruff.

see a dermatologist first, otherwise, you may not be treating the right thing.

I asked my doc for referral to a derm and he looked at my scalp and said its dry but its not psoriasis. He said if it was psoriasis, there would be at least some SOME dry skin on other parts of my body, which there isn't.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I asked my doc for referral to a derm and he looked at my scalp and said its dry but its not psoriasis. He said if it was psoriasis, there would be at least some SOME dry skin on other parts of my body, which there isn't.

Not really true...depending how bad it is, but he's right, see a derm first, normal doctors don't usually diagnose skin conditions correctly.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Not really true...depending how bad it is, but he's right, see a derm first, normal doctors don't usually diagnose skin conditions correctly.

therein lies the problem with the HMO...can't see derm until doc authorizes it! So I'm trying to look into over the counter treatments and if they don't work, I'll bring it up again to him.

 

[KidNiki1]

I asked my doc for referral to a derm and he looked at my scalp and said its dry but its not psoriasis. He said if it was psoriasis, there would be at least some SOME dry skin on other parts of my body, which there isn't.

that would have been good info to know in the OP.

depending on your schedule, try rubbing some baby oil into your scalp about 15/20 minutes before you shower. also, try washing your hair every other day if you can. shampoo really dries the skin out. could also try using baby shampoo, as it is a little gentler on skin.


edited to add: if you want, do some research on your own, often times skin conditions have other side effects on the body. for example, if it really is psoriasis, you may have small pits in your fingernails. if you have seborrhea, you may get small bumps on your skin. which is also a symptom of skin allergies.

 

[Gooberlx2]

You might have Seborrhea Dermatitis, or something similar. I have that on my scalp and parts of my face.

Anyway, something like Denorex with coal tar or salicylic acid is good for when you're having a flare. Head and Shoulders Intensive care for the everyday shampoo. Also use some sort of moisturizing conditioner. Occasionally rotate shampoo brands.

After your shower, don't be afraid to try to work in some sort of lotion. CeraVe is the latest stuff my dermatologist has recommended to me. It seems to work really well.

Beyond that, my dermatologist has prescribed topical ointments and hair moose for when I can't get flares under control, and a ketoconazole shampoo to use a couple times per week prophylactically.

 

[ichy]

Try Head & Shoulders shampoo.

 

[Imp]

I use to... then I started losing my hair and just shaved it all off. If there is dandruff now, there's no hair to actually attach to and be seen on.

I do have red spots though... Maybe I should see a dermatologist.

Before the shaving, I tried Nizoral and conditioner only washing. Both did nothing. Nizoral actually made it way worse - if I ever wanted to feel like I bleached my head, that was the stuff I went for.

 

[rayfieldclement]

Try head and Shoulders shampoo and a conditioner.

 

[Exterous]

Occasionally rotate shampoo brands.

:thumbsup: I found I need to rotate my shampoo/conditioner every two bottles otherwise it seems to loose it dandruff control ability

 

[KoolAidKid]

I asked my doc for referral to a derm and he looked at my scalp and said its dry but its not psoriasis. He said if it was psoriasis, there would be at least some SOME dry skin on other parts of my body, which there isn't.

That's incorrect. As others have said, see a dermatologist. Coal tar shampoos help with a variety of problems, you could try them in the meantime.

 

[lokiju]

I actually thought I had dandruff and was using dandruff shampoos but it wasn't going away and almost seemed like the scalp flaking increased.

I did some digging and came across this Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo that people online seemed to swear by as solving scalp issues like I was having so I ordered some from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Mitchell-.../dp/B000MD65FO

My issues are solved.

First used it tingled like crazy and a few after that but now it doesn't feel like that so much but no more scalp issues!

 

[Gooberlx2]

I did some digging and came across this Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo that people online seemed to swear by as solving scalp issues like I was having so I ordered some from Amazon.

:thumbsup: Forgot about this one. Tea tree oil acts as an anti-fungal, which is thought to be a cause of chronic dandruff/dermatitis...basically a yeast infection on the scalp. Dr. Bronners would be another brand soap I personally like.

 

[pelov]

I had seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp (quite common) and it was a huge pita to get rid of. Using head&shoulders didn't help and the problem persisted for a while. The one thing that worked wonders are the coal tar based selsun blue shampoos. It hasn't cured the issue but if I use the shampoo once every two weeks I notice absolutely no dandruff or itching at all. So while the problem persists, the shampoo has done wonders

 

[tommo123]

i had (have) this. not sure if it was excema or psoriasis but some gel stuff fixed it for me within a few days. do it every month (leave the gel in overnight) but no probs otherwise

the gel has calcipotriol in it

 

[Dallascisco]

get a clue and get the blue...........

 

[Iron Woode]

Does anyone have either? I always thought I had bad dandruff but recently, I've been noticing red/dry spots on my scalp and I'm pretty sure most of the stuff that is flaking off is dead skin. Any recommendations for shampoos/treatments? Somebody told me baby shampoo helps a lot.

is your scalp rather bumpy, too?

This sounds like eczema. I get it bad in the winter because the air is so dry.

To treat it all I did was cut my hair shorter and use a good shampoo that's not harsh and a good conditioner applied every other day for a week or so. This got rid of my eczema.

 

[rayfieldclement]

Does anyone have either? I always thought I had bad dandruff but recently, I've been noticing red/dry spots on my scalp and I'm pretty sure most of the stuff that is flaking off is dead skin. Any recommendations for shampoos/treatments? Somebody told me baby shampoo helps a lot.

You see red/dry spots? Go to a doctor. It MAY be ringworm!