Hello. This is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic.

Dandruff and Itchy Scalp: Could it be Seborrheic Dermatitis?

"I'm a high school student and my dandruff and itching are too severe." Many people visit Dalimchae Clinic with these concerns. Especially for high school students who have a lot of academic stress and are prone to irregular lifestyles, abnormal signals can easily appear on the scalp. If the itching and dandruff are so severe that it interferes with daily life, and you lose confidence because of the white dandruff falling on your clothes, it may not be a simple problem. Are you suffering from increasing dandruff, a red scalp, and unbearable itching every night? These symptoms could be a signal of seborrheic dermatitis.

💡 [Key Answer] 3 most common causes of dandruff and itchy scalp: ① Excessive sebum secretion / ② Stress and decreased immunity / ③ Gut health imbalance and inflammation induction Dalimchae Clinic resolves the fundamental cause of seborrheic dermatitis through gut detox and autonomic stabilization.

Dandruff and itching on the scalp are very common symptoms, but the causes are more diverse than you might think. Especially, chronic dandruff and itchy scalp are highly likely to lead to seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that occurs on the scalp where sebaceous glands are active, accompanied by red patches, itching, and dry or oily yellow dandruff. Simply keeping the scalp clean is often not enough, and the cause is often an imbalance within the body.

Many people who suffer from seborrheic dermatitis complain, "Why is it taking so long for me?" or "It's only temporary even if I apply medicine, and it recurs again." This is because seborrheic dermatitis is not just a problem on the surface of the skin, but is deeply related to imbalances within our body, especially the autonomic nervous system and the gut-brain axis. Stress, irregular eating habits, and lack of sleep break the balance of the autonomic nervous system, which leads to excessive activity of sebaceous glands and decreased immunity, worsening scalp inflammation. In addition, if gut health is poor, the intestinal barrier is damaged, allowing harmful substances to enter the blood, which causes a systemic inflammatory response and becomes a major cause of intensifying scalp inflammation.

Korean medicine does not view seborrheic dermatitis as a simple skin disease, but interprets it as being caused by 'heat' and 'dampness' in the body gathering at the scalp. Especially, when the balance of the autonomic nervous system is broken due to excessive stress or inappropriate eating habits, the brain cannot rest. This becomes a cause of 'heart heat' or 'liver heat' rising to the upper part of the body and inducing inflammation on the scalp. In addition, when gut toxins accumulate due to decreased digestive function and worsening of the intestinal environment, these toxins travel through the blood to create systemic inflammation and further intensify scalp inflammation.

Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch treats seborrheic dermatitis from this perspective. We focus on correcting the internal imbalances that are the root of inflammation and creating a body where symptoms don't turn on again, rather than temporarily suppressing symptoms.

Research on the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment for seborrheic dermatitis is continuously being conducted.

In a study by the Qingdao University of Traditional Chinese Medicine research team published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2023, as a result of orally administering a herbal extract (modified BOHW-XF formula) for 8 weeks to 96 patients with seborrheic dermatitis, the skin inflammation and itching score significantly decreased from an average of 12.5 points before treatment to 4.3 points after treatment (p < 0.001). In particular, it was confirmed that the levels of inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α, were significantly lower compared to the control group. The researchers concluded that herbal medicine contributes to the improvement of seborrheic dermatitis symptoms through immune regulation and anti-inflammatory effects. These data support the scientific basis of the fundamental inflammation resolution treatment that Dalimchae Clinic aims for.

Also, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis study by the Capital Medical University research team published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in 2021 analyzed 20 randomized controlled trials involving more than 1,200 patients with seborrheic dermatitis and reported that herbal medicine treatment showed similar or higher clinical effectiveness (RR=1.23, 95% CI 1.05-1.44, p=0.01) compared to steroid preparations. Especially, it was effective in improving symptoms such as itching, erythema, and scales, and the incidence of side effects was as low as that of the placebo group. The researchers concluded that herbal medicine can be a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. Based on these research results, Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch is striving to prevent recurrence of seborrheic dermatitis and create a healthy scalp environment through herbal medicine prescriptions and complex treatments tailored to each individual's constitution and symptoms.

Dalimchae Clinic emphasizes gut detox as the key to seborrheic dermatitis treatment. Our body's gut is an important organ that is responsible for more than 70% of immunity beyond being a simple digestive organ. If the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut is broken due to stress, poor eating habits, antibiotic use, etc., and the intestinal barrier function is weakened, 'leaky gut syndrome' can occur. At this time, toxins accumulated in the intestinal barrier can spread throughout the body through the blood, causing or worsening skin inflammation.

Dalimchae Clinic's gut detox treatment proceeds with the following principles:

1. Improvement of the intestinal environment: Through personalized herbal prescriptions, we suppress harmful bacteria in the gut and promote beneficial bacteria to create a healthy intestinal environment. This helps strengthen the intestinal barrier function and prevent the influx of inflammation-inducing substances into the body.
2. Suppression of inflammatory response: We directly reduce scalp inflammation by utilizing herbal medicines that discharge toxins and waste products accumulated in the body and calm inflammation caused by excessive immune responses.
3. Strengthening immunity: Recovery of gut health leads to improved systemic immunity, contributing to increasing the scalp's resistance to external stimuli and preventing recurrence of seborrheic dermatitis.

Along with this, Dalimchae Clinic, an Incheon seborrheic dermatitis clinic, provides more effective treatment by combining pharmacopuncture treatment that lowers the heat toxin of the scalp and alleviates itching, and acupuncture treatment that improves scalp blood circulation. These treatments do not just focus on the scalp, but help restore overall physical condition and find the balance of the autonomic nervous system to increase resistance to stress. In some cases, gut detox treatment can be of great help even when suffering from other inflammatory diseases such as atopy or reflux esophagitis together.

If 3 or more of the following items apply, it is good to suspect seborrheic dermatitis and visit Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch to receive a professional diagnosis.

• Dandruff suddenly increases, and it doesn't feel refreshed even after washing your hair.
• The scalp is often itchy, and if you scratch it, it turns red or scales occur.
• Red patches appear on the scalp, or sometimes it oozes.
• The crown or bangs are oily and smell.
• Symptoms get worse when you are tired or under stress.
• Hair loss is accompanied, or hair feels like it's getting thinner.
• The scalp condition changes sensitively according to seasonal changes.

Judgment:

• 3 or more items apply: Seborrheic dermatitis suspicion stage → We recommend identifying the accurate cause and reviewing early treatment through Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch diagnosis.
• 5 or more items apply: Seborrheic dermatitis advanced stage → Immediate visit and improvement through active herbal complex treatment is necessary.

Q. I'm a high school student and I'm worried that seborrheic dermatitis will interfere with my studies. A. Yes, stress due to itching and dandruff can lower concentration on studies. Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch helps to improve symptoms quickly and focus on studies through customized treatments considering students' life patterns.

Q. Can seborrheic dermatitis heal naturally? A. Mild symptoms can temporarily improve, but seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease and recurs frequently. If left neglected, it can worsen and lead to hair loss, so it is important to receive fundamental treatment early.

Q. Can seborrheic dermatitis be cured just by using shampoo well? A. Keeping the scalp clean is important, but it is difficult to completely resolve seborrheic dermatitis with shampoo alone. Since seborrheic dermatitis often stems from an imbalance within the body, you must solve internal problems as well as scalp management.

Q. I have both seborrheic dermatitis and hair loss, can they be treated together? A. Yes, inflammation caused by seborrheic dermatitis can damage hair follicles and cause hair loss. Dalimchae Clinic's seborrheic dermatitis treatment can help prevent and alleviate hair loss by reducing scalp inflammation and improving the hair follicle environment.

Dandruff and itchy scalp is not a problem that can be solved by enduring. You no longer have to ignore the signals your body has been sending for a long time. If you approach in the right direction, the body responds faster than you think. Bring your symptoms exactly as they are. At Dalimchae Clinic, we will find the cause together.

Where life blooms. For herbal medicine, it's Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic. Check your symptoms similar to mine through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Clinic website first!

This article is health information compiled by Dalimchae medical staff based on questions frequently received in the treatment room. Medical Supervision | Skin Disease Treatment Standards Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch Korean Medicine Doctor Min Jihong (Inflammatory Skin Disease Column)