Suffering from chronic Seb Derm and severe oily skin. My body feels like its own enemy. How do I control excessive oil production while using medicated shampoos?
Hi everyone,
I’ve been suffering from Seborrheic Dermatitis since childhood. When I was a kid, my mom and others just dismissed it as normal dandruff and didn't pay much attention to it. At one point, the condition around my ears was so severe that the skin at the bottom of my earlobes looked like it was almost splitting open, and it spread to my eyes too. We eventually went to a pharmacy, and they gave us an antifungal ointment. It cured my ears and eyes, but the issue on my scalp never truly went away.
Over the years, I’ve shaved my head multiple times and visited countless hospitals. Everywhere I go, doctors prescribe the same routine: a medicated shampoo and a topical ointment. It seems to clear up temporarily, but it always comes back.
About two years ago, through research and reading other people's experiences, I realized that hair oil triggers and feeds this condition. So, I completely stopped using hair oil. During a recent festival, my mom applied oil to my body, and I immediately broke out in Seb Derm patches on my chest and back. Since then, I’ve stopped applying oil to my body as well.
However, my skin is naturally extremely oily. If I take a shower in the morning, my scalp and face become completely greasy by the evening. The big issue is that these medicated shampoos strip my scalp completely dry. This causes a rebound effect where my scalp produces even more oil to compensate, creating a vicious cycle. No matter what product I use, nothing seems to work permanently.
I am honestly so exhausted and frustrated with this. Lately, I've just been growing my hair long out of defeat. Because of the constant inflammation, my hair has started falling out rapidly. I don't have male pattern baldness, but this condition is causing significant hair shedding. I desperately want to get rid of this, or at least manage it. I've been to so many hospitals with no long-term relief—just minor, temporary improvements.
If you have faced a similar condition, how are you mitigating it? How do I control this overproduction of oil while still treating the fungal flare-ups? Any advice would be highly appreciated.
(used ai to write as english is not my first language)