It is exacerbated by stress and by low humidity, and is especially prevalent during the winter months. Mr. Ferguson is experiencing many of the most common symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis. Our action plan will focus on reducing or eliminating his scaling and itchiness and teaching the patient how to manage his condition. Inform him that his symptoms are more indicative of seborrheic dermatitis. Special care must be taken when counselling this patient, as he is especially anxious of how this condition is affecting his appearance.
Shampoos are the mainstays in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp.
The usual first recommendation is for the patient to wash the scalp daily, shampooing twice with a regular non-medicated shampoo. With vigorous scalp massage during shampooing, the patient can often remove the scales that are causing the problem. Because this patient has a more severe case of seborrhea, and is very anxious about his appearance, it would be wise to suggest that he try a medicated shampoo. The most common shampoos for the treatment of this condition are zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide or ketoconazole. Each of these shampoos has anti-fungal properties that control one of the suspected major causes of seborrhea, the yeast Pityrosporum ovale.