Flaky scalp, anyone?

Hi Guys!

I hope everyone’s new year is going as they envisioned, and hope you are making progress on your resolutions. (If any of those resolutions involve your skin, please let me know how I can help!

It’s January. Officially winter, especially with the first snowfall in New York City this weekend. That can mean a lot for our skin, and for our hair! This last week I saw a significant amount of patients with scalp issues, and so I thought I’d talk about one of the most common scalp conditions, seborrheic dermatitis.

Seborrheic Dermatitis (or seb derm for short) happens from an overgrowth of yeast. (We ALL have fungus and bacteria on our skin, it is totally normal!) Seb derm happens when this yeast overgrows, causing red, itchy patches and flaky skin on the scalp. The two main triggers that cause this condition to flare are stress and change in the weather.

Dry, cold weather is often the culprit, which is why we see it happening more so in the winter months!
Good news is there are treatments, like antifungal shampoo, as well as topical anti-itch solutions that can help calm down the inflammation and alleviate symptoms quickly. Shampoos with tea trea oil or salicylic acid, like Neutrogena’s Tsal shampoo, can help as well.

That’s all I’ve got for the month of January loves! You know where to find me :) 

Best, Dr. Mian <3