Dandruff

[RedHawk]

Does anyone have any tips dealing with persistent dandruff? I have tried Head and Shoulders and now use therapeutic shampoo with coal tar every morning but the dandruff is back by the evening. Any tips?

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjpatt Does anyone have any tips dealing with persistent dandruff? I have tried Head and Shoulders and now use therapeutic shampoo with coal tar every morning but the dandruff is back by the evening. Any tips?

What does your doctor say?

[ProspectiveBum]

I can relate. I had the same problem for years, and none of the over-the-counter dandruff shampoos helped. Getting my hair cut was humiliating, because my dandruff was so severe.

I finally asked my doctor, and he prescribed Nizoral which completely cured the problem. That was years ago; it's available over the counter now, and the OTC version works just as well. You can find it at any Rite-Aid, or other drugstore.

[RedHawk]

Quote:

What does your doctor say?

Nothing since I haven't asked him. I am on the lower end of the age spectrum (21) and haven't been to the doctor in a couple years.

[samclem]

I think the normal progression of OTC products is Head and Shoulders (Zink P)--> Selsun Blue (Selenium Sulfide) -> T-Gel (Coal Tar). I'm surprised the coal tar isn't doingthe job. It might be worth trying Selsun Blue and the Nizoral. Or--see a doctor.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem I think the normal progression of OTC products is Head and Shoulders (Zink P)--> Selsun Blue (Selenium Sulfide) -> T-Gel (Coal Tar). I'm surprised the coal tar isn't doingthe job. It might be worth trying Selsun Blue and the Nizoral. Or--see a doctor.

Exactly - - that's why I asked what his doctor said. If the OTC products aren't working, maybe it is something other than dandruff.

[shoe]

RJPatt when you shampoo with the coal tar stuff (T-Gel? T-Sal?) are you letting the lather sit on your head for a bit? It works fairly fast if you do.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Dandruff is, officially, seborrhea of the scalp. Frequent shampooing, tar and zinc pyrithione being smewhat helpful here. Topical steroids help some bad cases of scalp seborrhea, at least temporarily.

Ciclopirox, selenium and ketoconazole are topical antifungals which help some stubborn cases, suggesting that they may work by suppressing a mild skin fungal infection which can worsen flaking.

Topical metronidazole is an antibiotic against anaerobic bacteria, and there are reports of effectiveness, though the mechanism is not clear.

I would personally not go to the doctor for dandruff unless it was severe or associated with atypical findings like redness or bleeding of the scalp. I'd try the usual OTC shampoos first, and let the lather sit for a few minutes before rinsing.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjpatt Does anyone have any tips dealing with persistent dandruff? Any tips?

I had similar problems for years then finally came the cure - I went bald

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

T-Gel and short haircuts worked wonders for me.

[Rambler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan I had similar problems for years then finally came the cure - I went bald

The cure then (drumroll please!!!), is either MPB or a razor! (no offense, I have MPB too...keeps my head cool!)

R

[amy5708]

I have to be vigilant or I will have a "flare up", usually after lots of workouts; the sebhorrea loves the sweat and makes my scalp itch so bad! I brush my hair vigorously before shampooing. I make out ok with the zinc shampoos.

When I was on my natural kick, I used tea tree oil shampoo with good results.

[Hillbilly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan I had similar problems for years then finally came the cure - I went bald

And so frugal!

[Buckeye]

I'm curious why going bald or shaving your head solves the dandruff problem if dandruff is supposedly a scalp issue. Why does having hair enable the dandruff?

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckeye I'm curious why going bald or shaving your head solves the dandruff problem if dandruff is supposedly a scalp issue. Why does having hair enable the dandruff?

Great question, I never considered why. I just know that when I had hair like this I had dandruff problems, but now that I have hair like this I have no problem at all and instead of shampoo each day I apply sunscreen.


If I can figure out how to attach a picture of me with hair I will.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Great question, I never considered why. I just know that when I had hair like this I had dandruff problems, but now that I have hair like this I have no problem at all and instead of shampoo each day I apply sunscreen. If I can figure out how to attach a picture of me with hair I will.

Dude, that's one scarey picture . I admire your fortitude in posting it.

The kind of dandruff that is fungal in nature requires emerging hair follicles I would guess, much like athlete's foot fungus requires moist dark skin; other fungal infections are particular to nail beds, etc. They need just the right environment. Also, with hair, the scales cling and persists unlike a bald pate where they are easily removed with brushing, washing, etc.

Seborrheic dandruff is different; it just has a particular distribution for unknown reasons. In addition to the scalp, common areas of this include the glabella (the small area between the eyebrows, the nasolabial area (where your smile lines run from the nose to the lower cheeks near the lips), and the eyebrows and lids.

[bright eyed]

i got scared off the t-gel because of the warnings on the box about it being known carcinogen? i figure there's enough stuff in what we use that is not confirmed, but to put a known one deliberately on my head seemed silly.

[chinaco]

Walgreens has a cheap generic version of t-gel and t-sal

Maximum Strength Therapeutic T-Plus Salicylic Acid Shampoo with 3% Salicylic Acid | Walgreens | Beauty & Spa | Walgreens

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa Dude, that's one scarey picture . I admire your fortitude in posting it.

Thanks for the explanation Rich - it all sounds very logical.

The picture was from 1974, a photo booth picture left over from getting my student union id. We had stuck in one of those pencil holder cubes along with various other little photos and it wasn't until the kids were teenagers that I mentioned it was me as a student and they didn't believe me without further proof

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Somewhere I have a snapshop from about 1969 with soon-to-be DW. Afro, skinny, DW in a bikini. I'll find an excuse to post it here if I can find it.

Fortunately, I did not suffer from dandruff at the time.