A double-blind trial of treatment of seborrhoeic dermatitis with 2% ketoconazole cream compared with 1% hydrocortisone cream.

Fifty patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis were treated with 2% ketoconazole cream (n = 24) or with 1% hydrocortisone cream (n = 26) for 4 weeks in a double-blind comparative study. These twice daily applications resulted in 87.2% symptomatic improvement for hydrocortisone vs. 81.6% for ketoconazole. The number of P. ovale yeasts was significantly reduced after the application of ketoconazole compared with hydrocortisone. The incidence of side-effects was low in both groups.