Seborrheic dermatitis management with Afro-textured hair
Dr. Renée Beach on the burden some patients experience when managing the inflammatory scalp condition (445 words, 2.5 minutes)
Many women with Afro-textured hair who complain of ‘dry scalp’ are experiencing seborrheic dermatitis, which can require a month of focused care to manage, said Dr. Renée Beach in a presentation at the virtual 2020 Skin Spectrum Summit.
Dr. Beach is a dermatologist in practice in Toronto.
She described a typical patient with this presentation as washing their hair once every two weeks with a moisturizer-based shampoo, after which they apply coconut or other oil to the scalp for additional moisture. The patient will experience significant itch, scale and flaking of the scalp, but not hair loss. Microorganisms on the scalp, primarily yeasts, are the driving factor of the condition, she said.
“When a patient [with this condition] first comes is I tell them right away, our first month is going to be a lot of work,” said Dr. Beach.
“I like to think of therapy as a triple threat,” she said. “We want to target yeast. We want to target inflammation. And we also want to think about lifting off some of those flakes or scales.”
The first part of the treatment is removing the yeast, usually with a medicated shampoo. “I recommend scalp shampooing twice per week. This is very laborious for patients with Afro-textured hair or curlier hair textures, but it is temporary.”
Patients may mix the medicated shampoo with some conditioner to reduce the feeling of the hair being stripped of moisture, as this can improve treatment adherence, Dr. Beach said.
“I like to think of [seborrheic dermatitis] therapy as a triple threat,” said Dr. Renée Beach. “We want to target yeast, we want to target inflammation. And we also want to think about lifting off some of those flakes or scales.”
Prescription antifungal lotions such as ciclopirox olamine, used every second night, are also an option, she said.
Dr. Beach said she would use mometasone furoate, or in severe cases, betamethasone valerate to reduce inflammation and manage itch.
A keratolytic agent such as salicylic acid will also speed the removal of scale, she said.
She said that after the seborrheic dermatitis is more under control, shampooing frequency can be reduced to once a week.
Other tips:
For patients with good treatment adherence to the medicated shampoo and anti-inflammatory treatments, the keratolytic agent may not be necessary
Wetting the scalp once a week between shampoos, using a spray bottle or a saturated towel, is also beneficial for patient comfort
The use of scalp oils should be avoided as the oil contributes to the buildup of scale and other debris
To encourage patients to shampoo more frequently, compare their scalp to their skin, and how frequently they clean it
Bottom line: The frequent shampooing needed to manage seborrheic dermatitis can burden individuals with Afro-textured hair. It is important to let patients know that the intensified routine is temporary and that they can take steps to improve their comfort.
FROM THE LITERATURE ON HAIR AND SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS
Hair ageing in different races and ethnicities
This article reviews the literature on how changes in hair features due to ageing differ among racial and ethnic groups. The authors examine factors including the average age of onset of greying, typical locations of hair shaft damage, and changes in anagen hair density.
Composition of cutaneous bacterial microbiome in seborrheic dermatitis patients: A cross-sectional study
Yeasts such as Malassezia are known to play a role in seborrheic dermatitis. The authors of this paper set out to investigate what role the bacterial components of the scalp microbiome might play. They detail differences they observed between the microbiomes of individuals with seborrheic dermatitis and those without the condition. In particular, there were differences in staphylococcus species.
Synthetic hair extensions causing irritant contact dermatitis in patients with a history of atopy: A report of 10 cases
This is a case series of 10 women who had a strong history of atopy. Each had developed an irritant contact dermatitis at the places on their neck in contact with the free end of their hair extensions. The authors of the paper suggest that artificial hair extensions should be considered as a potential cause of this type of dermatitis, particularly in patients with a history of atopy.
Allergen content of best-selling ethnic versus non-ethnic shampoos, conditioners, and styling products
This paper looks at the presence of allergens in the top 100 best-selling shampoos, conditioners, and styling products for ethnic and nonethnic hair products from three major online retailers. The allergens evaluated were from the 2017 American Contact Dermatitis Society Core 80 allergen list. The study authors also identify a list of low-allergen shampoos, conditioners, and styling products.
VIDEO: Acne: Genetic factors related to pore and hair follicle size may contribute to severity
AT THE INTERSECTION OF SKIN AND SOCIETY
CBC News reports that a Black Canadian federal public servant was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement as part of a settlement over a racial discrimination complaint she had filed.
“I was signing a deal to be silent about the discrimination I’ve been through,” said the woman, whom CBC/Radio-Canada did not name due to concerns the woman might lose her job. “Throughout my entire career, I noticed colleagues, mostly white colleagues, getting privileges that I didn’t.”
Photo by: Michel Rathwell via Wikimedia Commons The woman said signing the confidentiality agreement made her uncomfortable. She said she felt that doing so would support a culture of silence regarding racism within the federal bureaucracy.
Greg Fergus, chair of the Caucus of Black Parliamentarians and parliamentary secretary to Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos, told CBC News that he believes these agreements are only acceptable if they are signed at the complainant's request.
Fergus said the government needs to keep more detailed data regarding withdrawn complaints after the complainant signs a confidentiality clause.
“We can’t change things if we can’t measure them,” Fergus said.
More on this story here:
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