Brief Answer:
Seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic

I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have understood it.

I would keep a possibility of either seborrheic dermatitis or scalp psoriasis. These can present with patches of erythema and scaling, associated with itching.

I would like to confirm this if you can upload a few photographs of the affected area.

If I was the treating doctor I would have suggested you to use a coal tar+ketoconazole based shampoo (e.g Protar-K lotion) every alternate days for 2 weeks and thereafter once or twice weekly for maintenance.

Topically you may use a potent topical steroid+salicylic acid solution combination (e.g topisal 3% solution) twice daily for 2 weeks.

An OTC antihistamine e.g cetrizine 10 mg would provide you symptomatic relief from itching.

Regards

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Brief Answer:
Scalp Psoriasis

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

I have reviewed the photographs. This is classical scalp psoriasis.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease characterised by well defined erythematous scaly plaques. Chronic plaque psoriasis is the most common type. It can affects sites like scalp, arms, and legs, (specifically elbows and knees), palms and soles etc. Scalp involvement may be the only sign of disease.

For scalp psoriasis, I prefer to start my patients on a coal tar+salicylic acid based shampoo (protar lotion. Along with that I also ask my patients to apply a potent topical steroid lotion with or without salicylic acid, twice daily (topical 3% solution/lotion).

Since psoriasis is a steroid responsive dermatosis, it responds very well to topical steroids. Topical steroid+salicylic acid based lotion can be used for the thick scaly patches of psoriasis for 2-4 weeks

Since steroids can not be used for ever and are usually avoided over long term therefore once the psoriatic patches have improve significantly/resolve with steroid+salicylic acid lotion, you may then switch to topical Vit D analogues e.g Calcipotriol, calcipotriene solution for maintenance (Calpsor lotion).

These are all prescription medicines, therefore I would suggest that you see a dermatologist before trying them

Regards

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