Seborrheic dermatitis or most commonly known as “dandruff”, is an inflammatory skin condition that affects many people all over the world. This is a common condition that makes the skin look greasy, scaly, and flaky which gives a very unpleasant appearance to the skin scalp. This skin condition doesn’t only appear on adults, but also on babies (the incident is called the cradle cap). Although it usually affects the scalp, seborrheic dermatitis can also appear on the chest as well as the creases of the arms and legs. Here are tips on how to treat dandruff in different ways.
How to Treat Seborrheic Dermatitis
Tip # 1 – You can treat seborrheic dermatitis with Vitamins.
Just take 10 mg. of folic acid daily, because folic acid has been shown to improve around 85% cases of seborrheic dermatitis in recent medical study. But it doesn’t seem to be effective for treatment of cradle cap. You can also apply B6 topical ointment on the skin with seborrheic dermatitis. This treatment is very effective in treating seborrheic acid in adults. Another option is Vitamin B12 taken by injections. Ask your doctor about this. Vitamin B12 taken by injections has been shown to improve seborrheic dermatitis of nearly 90% of cases.
Tip # 2 – Treat seborrheic dermatitis with natural remedies.
Put some Borage oil twice per day to the affected area. Borage oil is very effective in helping treat seborrheic dermatitis. This works best in treating cradle cap. If you have a baby that suffers cradle cap, take biotin supplement if you are breast feeding. Biotin has been shown to be effective in treating cradle cap in babies.
Tip # 3 – Use a coal tar shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis in scalp.
This treatment works best in treating seborrheic dermatitis in the scalp and in adults. Dandruff is usually treated with a shampoo that contains salicylic acid, selenium sulfide, or zinc pyrithione. They can be used at least twice a week, but for shampoos with coal tar it should be used for at least 3 times a week. In using shampoo to treat dandruff, you have to rub or massage the scalp and leave the shampoo in the scalp for about 5 minutes before rinsing. This will give the shampoo time to work on the scalp.
Tip #4: Try steroid lotion.
If shampoo doesn’t work for you, ask your doctor about steroid lotion. You can combine shampoo and steroid treatment, especially if your dandruff is too excessive. Steroids are best for adolescence and adults.
Tip #5: Treat the problem according to who is affected.
For treating cradle cap in babies, the products that are used are not usually strong as those used in adults. For babies, you can start by using a mild non-medicated baby shampoo. To loosen flakes, you can use a soft brush, like a toothbrush. Just be very careful in massaging or brushing your baby’s scalp because a break in the skin is vulnerable to infection. If after days of using a non-medicated shampoo and still didn’t work, ask your doctor about a medicated shampoo that contains tar. Your doctors may also prescribe shampoo that contains 2% ketoconazole.
These are tips that can help you treat seborrheic dermatitis. You can always use some shampoos and other products or ask medication from your doctor if you want.
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