How to treat beard and mustache dandruff?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

I have gone through the history, and from the image attached (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity), it is seborrheic dermatitis of the beard and mustache.

Seborrheic dermatitis occurs due to multiple reasons.

1. Genetic susceptibility is a history of dry skin or a combination of skin types among family members, which may be transmitted genetically.
2. Change in the levels of hormones within one's body results in the formation of flaky skin as well as highly oily or dehydrated skin due to sweating, stress, and using any particular products which cause the skin to become too oily or dry.
3. It can also occur due to dietary factors, including consumption of oily food, milk, dairy products, red meat, and sweets, climate changes, and due to intake of any medications for any underlying medical conditions.

Seborrheic dermatitis may appear on and off depending upon the external and internal triggers mentioned above. The external triggers may be controlled, whereas the internal triggers may be difficult to control; therefore, these lesions may appear on and off but may be managed each time they appear. However, there is no complete cure available for the same since it depends on the different factors and climate change when it may appear and disappear.

I want to suggest you do the following and also consult a dermatologist:

1. Ketoconazole and Zinc pyrithione may be used on your mustache and beard area. About a teaspoon of the mixture may be mixed with 1/4 cup of water and applied onto the affected area, massaged for one minute with moderate pressure to release the flakes. The mixture must be kept in the affected area for at least three minutes and then washed off. This mixture can be used twice a week with a three days gap in between. After the hair dries out relatively, a comb may be used to remove the flakes.

2. Ketoconazole 2 % cream may be applied to the affected area in the morning and the afternoon. They may be continuously used for months together. Apply a small quantity on the affected area and leave until the next wash.

3. Clobetasol and Salicylic Acid lotion may be used on the affected area only at night. This medication is strong and therefore needs to be used with caution. A very small quantity of the product may be used in a very thin layer on the affected area where there are dry flakes on the beard and mustache. This lotion may be applied for a maximum period of three weeks, after which a three weeks break may be taken, and the medication may be continued for three more weeks. In this way, with periodic breaks in between, this lotion may be continued for a few weeks till the rash disappears.

4. Liquid paraffin 6 % and soft white paraffin 15 % lotion may also be applied to the affected area. This is a moisturizer and may be used in case of dryness of the affected area once daily and may be continued for months together.

5. Avoid oily and fried food, milk and dairy products, sweets, and red meat, and make sure to consume more fruits, vegetables, fiber, and at least 13 glasses of water in a 250 ml glass size daily. Maintaining proper hydration will reduce the chances of dry flaking on the mustache, beard areas, and even scalp, thereby making the hair and skin more hydrated and moisturized.

As I have mentioned earlier, seborrheic dermatitis may occur due to multiple external and internal triggers, of which the external triggers may be controlled; however, the internal triggers may be difficult to control, and therefore, consistency with the medication is vital. I would also like to request you to mildly trim the area that has been affected to make it easier for the medications to penetrate the skin directly. They may appear on and off due to the triggering factors and may be managed in the above manner using the same medication in case of future lesions.

Hope the details provided above were informative and provided clarity.

I hope it may help.