Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dermatitis

My scalp itches all the time!

stewiethegreat — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:27:31 -0800

I have seborrhoeic dermatitis/dandruff and my scalp itches so much it is often painful. The dermatologist recommended OTC shampoos help, but only turn the problem from impossible to ignore to bad. Can you help? seborrhoeic dermatitis runs in my family. The dermatologist who I saw said that I have it too, and that I should use T-gel and Nizoral. I do that, but if I miss a single day (and I like to go a day without shampooing my hair, or camping, etc) my head is itchy and painful all day.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because it itches so much. I don't itch, I know that would aggravate the problem, but gently massage to try to stop the sensation.

I've tried moisturizing my scalp by rubbing in tea tree oil or just plain olive oil- it gives temporary relief, but the angst comes back as soon as I don't shampoo every 24 hours. Is there anything I can do to alleviate these symptoms?

I can go back to the derm, or to another derm, but my insurance doesn't cover it so it is out of pocket and given that I just dropped $120 on my last visit, I'd prefer not to repeat the experience too soon.

Can I have dreads if I need a specific shampoo to keep my scalp under control?

baphomet — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:01:24 -0800

Question about dreading my hair if I (think I might) suffer from seborrhoeic dermatitis (sort of like dandruff). First, why I think I have this condition:
1) About a year and a half ago I started getting wicked dandruff.
2) Tried Head & Shoulders and it did literally nothing.
3) Tried other methods recommended on AskMe, also did nothing.
4) Read up on dandruff on Wikipedia and it was suggested that trying shampoos containing selenium sulfide (as opposed to zinc pyrithione, which is the active ingredient in most dandruff shampoos like H&S), which is usually used to treat this form of dermatitis, might be useful.
5) Bought some Head & Shoulders Intensive Care (containing selenium sulfide) and it worked like a charm- as long as I wash my hair 2-3 times a week with it I have no problems whatsoever and my hair feels and looks great, but if I go longer than a week my scalp freaks out.

From what I've read, if I do have this condition my case is very mild, but I'd like to keep it under control. I haven't seen a doctor about it due to lack of insurance and the fact that the selenium sulfide shampoo works just fine.

I've been thinking about putting my hair in dreadlocks for a while now, it's long enough and I think I'm ready to do it. I'd use the backcombing/wax method. Most sites I've read up on suggest that you should wash your dreads once a week for the first two weeks and 2-3 times a week after that, but that you should use a residue-free shampoo-- is there a good residue-free shampoo that contains selenium sulfide, or if not is there a good way to follow up washing with my SS shampoo to cleanse my future dreads of potential residue? Or is this just not going to work out in any way, regardless of what products I use?

Recommend hypoallergenic shampoos and conditioners

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:20:09 -0800

Please recommend hypoallergenic and non-irritating shampoos and conditioners. I am having some dermatitis on my eyelids and eye area. I moved to the U.S., and a couple of weeks later I started experiencing the symptoms, so there are a number of changes in my life that might have caused it. I had new shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, laundry detergent, changes in diet, and obviously changes in residence.

I switched to Cetaphil and began applying hydrocortisone, which only addressed the symptoms during use. This isn't great since it's not something you want to use on sensitive skin long-term. I saw a dermatologist who prescribed topical tacrolimus to address the symptoms. I have another appointment in a month. I don't know what is causing the dermatitis, but I am running out of conditioner so I might as well try something new.

I am currently under the care of a dermatologist and will ask her at our next appointment whether we can figure out the cause more systematically, or if she has specific recommendations for products. Until then I wanted to see if there were recommendations from MeFites. It would be best if these recommendations were backed by evidence-based medicine, but anecdotes will work too.

I have access to a university medical library so if you have suggestions of stuff to read, I will look it up.

Anonymous because I don't want everyone to know about my medical issues. If you have other thoughts you can contact me at cleverpseudonym106k@gmail.com.

Seborrhea management tips?

MrVisible — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:58:19 -0800

Have any tips on successfully managing seborrhea? I've been diagnosed by a doctor and a dermatologist, and it's one of those medical conditions where there's no cure, and everyone has to find their own routine using a wide variety of treatment options. I just don't think mine is working very well.

I'm at the stage where my face is really red across the nose and cheeks and partly on the forehead, and the skin tends to get somewhat flaky. I use a ketoconazole shampoo once or twice a week, and a coal-tar shampoo occasionally too, lathering up my hair and face and leaving it on for about five or ten minutes at a time. When things get particularly bad, I have a prescription for 2% hydrocortizone cream, which I use sparingly and not very often, as it can cause its own problems. I use various lotions and moisturizers often, but none seem to make any long-term difference, though they relieve the flaking for a while.

Has anyone gotten a routine down which has their seborrhea under better control? Has anyone gotten back to where they don't look like they're blushing madly all the time, or have just gotten off a three-week bender? Seriously, I think I'd be pretty handsome right now if my hue wasn't a few shades off; help me get to like my face again.

Thanks.

Hot spot -- the dog kind, not the T Mobile kind.

katemonster — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:50:53 -0800

Does my dog have a hot spot? What should I do about it? Poppy, my miniature Australian shepherd, has a spot she's been chewing at for the last couple of days. It's on her back, just to the right of her spine and about 4 inches above her tail. I clipped the hair around it, some of which has gotten kind of matted and nasty. The skin underneath feels kind of stiff and scabby/cardboardy -- not much wet exudate, and the only color difference I can see is that it's darker (but not red) than the surrounding skin. The spot seems stinky, but I can't tell if it's that or her stinky butt I'm noticing.
I plan to take her to the vet as soon as possible, but in the meantime I'd like to know if there's anything I can or should do for her, given normal household items. (I've seen recommendations for specific pet-related products, or witch hazel, etc, but I don't have any of those things on hand). Does this sound like a hot spot? Does the location suggest any possible causes? (Could this be an anal gland issue?) She doesn't have fleas, but she spends a fair amount of time outside, and her favorite hobby is herding the cat, which means she sometimes comes out on the losing end of the cat's claws.
To repeat -- I'm calling the vet first thing in the morning, so unless you think I need to rush her to the 24 hour animal hospital, be assured I'm not relying on you for her only medical care. But my vet is very popular and thus very busy, so I'm afraid we might not be able to get in for a day or so, and I don't want to let this get any worse; I've read horror stories of how fast a hot spot can go bad. What should a first-time dog owner do?

How can I treat contact dermatitis?

newfers — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:56:02 -0800

I get pretty severe contact dermatitis on my hands. Is there anything other than Triamcinolone cream which might help? I work in the produce department of a Kroger store, and for years I have had what doctors tell me is contact dermatitis on my hands from handling fresh produce. I wear latex gloves, but through seepage or ripping, my hands still get raw and sore, until I mercifully have a couple days off for the healing to begin. When my hands are at their worst, they are red and blotchy, with slight clear oozing. Yuck! I keep myself clean when I get home from work, and try to moisturize and get my hands as clean as possible, which usually keeps them from getting worse.

Soaking my hands in VERY hot water gives an almost orgasmic feeling, but is probably not a healthy thing to do (often). Is there anything other than Triamcinolone cream which might help? Over the counter Cortisone creams don't seem to do much good.

I will be making an appointment with my doc for some more of the cream, but in the meantime, I thought I'd ask the real experts (mefites!) for any suggestions.

New products for sensitive skin?

LunaticFringe — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 09:27:25 -0800

Skin care products filter: I have recently overcome a bought of perioral dermatitis and am looking for ultra-gentle, hypoallegenic skin care products. Heaps more inside. Warning: Extensive explanation!

I used to use Estee Lauder's Perfectly Clean light cleansing lotion followed by the Clear Difference moisturizer (light green bottle). I've been using this for years but am now in the market for more "natural" products. As stated above, I have just managed to "cure" a case of perioral dermatitis (by me I mean my doctor cured it with a prescription of antibiotics) and am now looking for skin care products for my clearly sensitive skin. I am aware of the toothpaste link and have changed to a fluoride-free toothpaste so please don't tell me it's my toothpaste. Now while I don't think my current cleanser/moisturizer was the cause of the rash, I do think it exacerbated it as both are quite heavy on the perfumes.

I have an oily T-zone but dry patches on my cheeks and around my mouth. I'm starting to get fine lines (gasp!) and have what I would say are medium to small pores, you can see them but they're not that big (yet). I tend not use soaps as I find them over-drying and need light moisturizers because of the oily tendencies of my skin.

History: I dislike Cetaphil immensely, I don't like the filmy feeling it left behind and my skin never felt clean after using it. Please don't tell me to use it, I won't. I've used the cleansing milk and hydrating lotion from Phytomer, both of which I really liked and were really nice to my skin but would like it if I could find cheaper-but-equally-good products. I may go back to them but it means sacrificing food for face-care. I have also tried the cleansing lotion and moisturizer from Aveda (supposedly from all natural sources, hence why I bought them) but was unhappy with both. The cleanser was over-drying and the moisturizer far too heavy leaving way too much oil on my face.

While the rash was clearing up I have not been using a cleanser but simply rinsing my face with water and using an exfoliating scrub (Apricot something from St. Ives) twice-ish a week. This works well but I constantly have that "heavy skin" feeling (same one I had with Cetaphil but not as bad) and my skin is starting to show signs of pore-clogging fun.

I would prefer to get non-biased opinions from the MeFi community as opposed to the clearly biased opinions of skincare "experts" at the drug store or makeup counter. So, hope me find new things to wash and moisturize my sensitive face with! Gah, sorry about the length. Thanks in advance!