do I really have seborrheic dermatitis?

I went to the dermatologist a couple weeks ago because I have been dealing with bumps on my scalp off and on for a few years. My scalp itches sometimes and I have a little bit of what looks like dandruff. The bumps are mostly located around my hairline. They are red and sometimes pop like pimples, producing nasty, white puss.

I have had a problem with Acne since puberty and I have very oily skin, which never helps. It seemed like I got the bumps randomly whenever I was stressed out or my hair was dirty. When I was 20, I went on Accutane. It really cleared up my Acne and whatever bumps I had on my scalp were gone.

Now, I'm 23. I moved from Colorado (very dry climate) in July to Ohio (obviously, more humid) and it seemed like they got worse, again. I thought if I kept changing my shampoos that they would heal. I went from tresemme (what I always used) to an Avon shampoo. I also used other various shampoos off and on. Nothing seemed to work even when I switched back to tresemme. So, I finally gave in and went to the dermatologist.

It felt like he spent two seconds with me and somehow knew what I had. He gave me doxycycline and generic loprox shampoo. I use the shampoo every other day and I use head and shoulders in between. At first I saw no difference, and I still got a new bump. Now, however, the bumps I have are healing to the point where they are almost not noticeable at all to me. I just thought I would add that no one can see them at all because my hair covers them. The doxycycline helped clear up some mild Acne I had from switching birth control 2 months ago. I was on tri-sprintec and now I'm on a birth control that is only one hormone level for 3 weeks (instead of 3). I wonder if that could have had any effect on the health of my scalp? I did notice that after being on my old birth control for a year that my hair seemed thinner and now after the treatment I've been on for 2 weeks, my hair seems to look slightly fuller.

It's great that my scalp is healing and that the dandruff seems to be going away, too. The only issue I still have is that I read that Seborrheic Dermatitis never goes away. You have to keep treating it. Also, I looked at pictures and read some stories. No one seems to have the same problem as me. They all complain of yellow scaly, flaky scales. I did read that you could have mild redness but the bumps I had looked more like hives or pimples. So, I guess I'm still not sure if I really have Seborrheic Dermatitis . I'm thinking about calling the doctor and trying to ask more question but for now I'm still confused... Tweet