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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Musty Smell From Scalp? Can It Be Due To Shampoos?

Hi i am a 29 yr old female...for the past 6 months if not longer, i have been noticing this pungunt musty smell coming from my scalp and through my pores on my face...it smells musty like almost a fecal slash dirty musty smell..i have talked with my dr about this and he recommends certain shampoo...i have had blood tests because i havent good really over the past yr or so...but i am suffering from anxiety and i think my dr thinks this sense of smell is in my head...but its not, my daughter can smell it too so i can clearly see i am not imagining this. I take two showers a day, shampooing every other conditioning daily and the smell subsides immediately after washing but sometimes i can smell it lingering while blow drying and then by the next morning the smell is there again and also i can smell it on my nose through my pores and cheeks...could there be an underlying issue going on and how do i approach my dr without him thinking im going crazy...
Wed, 4 Sep 2013
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Dermatologist 's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us.
From the description given this could be possible in case if one is having very oily face and scalp.
The below mentioned steps should help you out
Wash hair everyday. Restrict conditioner use. Avoid oiling scalp. If scalp is flaky use a ketoconazole based shampoo

Use a salicylic acid based face wash twice in a day. Apply tretinoin cream over face every night. Steam your face once in a week and by using comedone expressor clear all your pores of black heads, whiteheads or sebum.

Take few sessions of chemical peels over face.

Sometimes if the oiliness is not controlled with these steps, in such cases contemplate taking isotretinoin after doctor's advise

For more personalised advise, use Ask a specialist feature of website.
Take care
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What Is The Musty Smell From Scalp? Can It Be Due To Shampoos?

Hi, Thanks for writing to us. From the description given this could be possible in case if one is having very oily face and scalp. The below mentioned steps should help you out Wash hair everyday. Restrict conditioner use. Avoid oiling scalp. If scalp is flaky use a ketoconazole based shampoo Use a salicylic acid based face wash twice in a day. Apply tretinoin cream over face every night. Steam your face once in a week and by using comedone expressor clear all your pores of black heads, whiteheads or sebum. Take few sessions of chemical peels over face. Sometimes if the oiliness is not controlled with these steps, in such cases contemplate taking isotretinoin after doctor s advise For more personalised advise, use Ask a specialist feature of website. Take care