Maintenance Effect of a Once-Weekly Regimen of a Selenium Disulfide-Based Shampoo in Moderate-to-Severe Scalp Seborrheic Dermatitis After Initial Treatment with Topical Corticosteroid/Salicylic Acid

The study investigated the maintenance effect of a 1% Selenium disulfide (SeS2)-based shampoo in preventing relapses of moderate-to-severe scalp seborrheic dermatitis (SSD) after initial treatment with topical corticosteroid/salicylic acid (TCS/SA). Involving 48 adults, the randomized, double-blinded trial compared the SeS2 shampoo to a vehicle over eight weeks. Results showed that the SeS2 group had significantly lower relapse rates (8.1% at four weeks and 16.7% at eight weeks) compared to the vehicle group (41.7% and 54.2%, respectively). The median time-to-relapse was not reached for the SeS2 group, indicating prolonged effectiveness. Additionally, the prevalence of patients with no pruritus increased more in the SeS2 group. Both investigators and patients reported high satisfaction with SeS2, which demonstrated excellent tolerance and no adverse events. The study concluded that the SeS2-based shampoo effectively reduced the time-to-relapse of SSD flares.