"Seborrheic dermatitis is associated with normal levels of Malassezia
but an abnormal immune response."

There’s a handful of article abstracts that point in the same direction.

I don’t think anyone really understands the failed immune response
yet. But I do think that 95% of the standard medical treatment out
there is attacking the yeast, rather than correcting the immune system.

(I’m going to stop arguing with you about honey vs sugar; I don’t
think it’s worth it.)

-Torre

Food allergies has nothing to do with SD. It’s a different problem
and I have no idea why that other SD group believes the two are
connected and believe raw vinegar is a cure. As they say, truth can
be stranger then fiction.
FYI, I’ve looked up and found many different kinds of Malassezia
species. Furrur is one such species, but here’s what Malassezia
Seborrheic Dermatitis had to say…

Cause: Malassezia organisms are probably not the cause but are a
cofactor linked to a T-cell depression, increased sebum levels, and
an activation of the alternative complement pathway.

[It’s only a "cofactor" not the cause.]

Because seborrheic dermatitis is uncommon in preadolescent children,
and tinea capitis is uncommon after adolescence, dandruff in a child
is more likely to represent a fungal infection. A fungal culture
should be completed for confirmation.

Various medications may flare or induce seborrheic dermatitis. These
medications include auranofin, aurothioglucose, buspirone,
chlorpromazine, cimetidine, ethionamide, gold, griseofulvin,
haloperidol, interferon alfa, lithium, methoxsalen, methyldopa,
phenothiazines, psoralens, stanozolol, thiothixene, and trioxsalen.

Treatment: Dandruff responds to more frequent shampooing or a longer
period of lathering. Use of hair spray or hair pomades should be
stopped. Shampoos containing salicylic acid, tar, selenium, sulfur,
or zinc are effective and may be used in an alternating schedule.

[I’m using a salicylic acid shampoo and just ordered a zinc shampoo
to add to my SD arsenal.]

Overnight occlusion of tar, bath oil, or Baker’s P&S solution may
help to soften thick scalp plaques. Derma-Smoothe F/S oil is
especially helpful when widespread scalp plaques are present.

Selenium sulfide (2.5%), ketoconazole, and ciclopirox shampoos may
help by reducing Malassezia yeast scalp reservoirs. Shampoos may be
used on truncal lesions or in beards but may cause inflammation in
the intertriginous or facial areas.

Dan

Every yeast is a fungus. Yeasts are a special single cell type of fungus.

The mainstream medical explanation of seb derm has changed over the
years. Currently, the best evidence suggests that SD is a skin
inflammation in reaction to a specific yeast. (Known as Malassezia
furfur or Pityrosporum ovale.) This yeast is present in people’s skin;
common dandruff is mostly caused by it; when the body fails to keep
the yeast under control, the result is seb derm. The question is
really why the body fails to control it.

Yes, the medical world thinks that diet doesn’t matter for SD. I don’t
know; it sure seems to make a difference for a lot of people here and
in the other SD group. I haven’t gone through the medical databases

online yet to look for diet studies; when I looked for SD information
in general, there seemed to be only papers on chemicals like
ketaconazole and ciclopirox (Loprox).

-Torre

SD is an inflammation in areas having the greatest number of
sebaceous or oil glands. The scalp, sides of the nose, eyebrows,
eyelids, and the skin behind the ears and middle of the chest are
the most common sites.

To those looking at food allergies, the AAD says: "Seborrheic
Dermatitis is not diet related. And on the basis of present studies,
most dermatologists do not recommend changes in diet."

"There is some evidence that a superficial infection with a yeast-
like organism may contribute to this disorder, which has allowed
some new treatment options to be used." This information came right

off of a brochure from the American Academy of Dermatolgy (AAD).

Dan

Steve claims that yeast is the problem in bread. But once you bake
bread, the yeast is dead and doesn’t have its active properties
anymore. Everyone else who recommends not eating bread for health
reasons or for allergy seems to worry about the wheat gluten. The
difference matters, since finding non-wheat bread is pretty easy for
me. (Call me lazy for not going on the all-out diet and then adding
foods back in one by one; my SD is not that bad.)

Similarly, it’s unclear if the problem with yoghurt is that most
varieties have fat and sugar in them. Yoghurt is acidic, so it should

help the vinegar affect your pH. I’m don’t think that the bacteria in
yoghurt are absorbed by your body, so I don’t think those matter. (Not
sure on that one, going from memory.)

It’d be useful to know more about fungus metabolism–I’ve read that
the SD fungus needs certain fatty acids and thrives in oily skin.
Would like to know if there’s analytical reason to believe that blood
sugar level matters.

-T