I have suffered from a dry itchy scalp for years but nothing helps – what can I do?
OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice.
Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who is suffering from a dry itchy scalp.
Q: I’m a 64-year-old man and I have suffered from a dry itchy scalp for many years.
If I scratch my scalp, it pours off.
I’ve tried pretty much every dandruff shampoo including prescription stuff but nothing helps.
A: Dandruff is an extremely common problem and it may be that the pharmacist can point you in the direction of a treatment that you haven’t yet tried.
Anti-dandruff shampoos like selenium sulfide and antifungal shampoos like ketoconazole work best if you massage it into the scalp, then wait five-ten minutes before rinsing off.
If it is still persisting, and especially if there is any inflammation of the scalp, then you may have seborrhoeic dermatitis, which can be considered a more severe form of dandruff.
The inflammation may respond well to a mild steroid scalp treatment your GP can prescribe.
The cause of seborrhoeic dermatitis is still not fully understood. There tends to be higher amounts of a harmless yeast, called Malassezia, which is present on normal skin too.
Current thinking is that abnormalities in the skin barrier and increased sensitivity to oleic acid produced by Malassezia result in inflammation that causes seborrhoeic dermatitis.
But it’s also important to rule out other skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema too.