Use specific shampoos to relieve flaky scalp

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Q: My preschooler has dry skin on the scalp. It doesn't look like dandruff as there are no flakes on his clothes and no flakes in his hair, but the scalp look dry and a little flaky and he does scratch. This dates back to his infancy. What kinds of shampoo and/or conditioner should I be using? Or is there something else I can do to relieve the itchiness?

A: Without examining your son, it's impossible to say for certain what is causing his scalp condition. Having said that, probably the commonest cause of a flake scalp in children is seborrheic dermatitis (AKA seb derm.) This is more frequently referred to as cradle cap when seen in infants.

Seborrheic dermatitis often begins in the first month of life on an infants scalp and can also involve the eyebrow area, the area behind the ears, the neck, armpits, and diaper area. Typically the rash of seb derm is scaly, greasy and yellow or golden in colour with some redness of the underlying skin. It is usually not itchy in infants, but may be itchy in older children and teens.

It's not really known what the cause of seb derm is, but there does seem to be some evidence that a fungus called Malassezia furfur is to blame. The theory is that the fungus requires oil to grow and therefore has a predilection for areas that are rich in sebaceous glands (which secrete an oily substance called sebum) like the scalp. When the fungus grows rapidly, the natural renewal process of the cells is disturbed and flaking results.

Treatment involves daily shampooing with a shampoo containing selenium sulfide, salicylic acid, tar, sulfur, zinc pyrithione, or ketoconazole. Examples of such products are: T gel (which contains tar), Head & Shoulders (which contains zn pyrothione), Selsun Blue (which contains selenium sulfide) and Nizoral (which contains ketoconazole).

When shampooing, massage the scalp and then let the shampoo sit for five to 10 minutes if possible before rinsing for maximum effect.

Use the shampoo until the condition has cleared. If the condition is seb derm, it should respond rapidly to the above measures, although it may recur. If there is a lot of redness (which equates to inflammation), then sometimes a brief course of a low-potency steroid lotion can help to clear up the rash.

If the flaking doesn't clear with the above measures, then there may be another cause for the flaking. It would be a good idea to see your child's doctor in that case.

Additional information:

Conditions Treatments
Seborrheic Dermatitis Natural Treatment
Conditions
Dermatitis natural treatment and remedy by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Dermatitis Seborrheic Dermatitis Treatment dermatologychannel
Seborrheic Dermatitis
Blepharitis
Cure Your Seborrheic Dermatitis Forever!
Treatment
Seborrheic Dermatitis information, photographs, cause, treatment
http://www.theprovince.com/spe...

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