Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can affect patients at any age. It typically presents as patches of dry and scaly skin on the scalp, face, and trunk. The scalp is most often affected and the condition can be quite severe, leading to hair loss and itching.
Seborrheic dermatitis is often misdiagnosed or confused with other skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and even dandruff. You may be wondering how to diagnose seborrheic dermatitis and what to do about it? Not to worry! We’ll teach you everything you need to know about seborrheic dermatitis in this article!
This article will cover:
What is Seborrheic Dermatitis?
Seborrheic Dermatitis is a relatively common skin condition that can be treated and managed once you understand it’s underlying causes and triggers.
Seborrheic dermatitis, sometimes referred to as “cradle cap” in infants, is characterized by red skin and white, oily flakes on the scalp. The flaking is due to an overgrowth of yeast that normally lives on everyone’s skin. This overgrowth irritates the skin and causes inflammation.
The flaking from seborrheic dermatitis can be quite fine and dry, or greasy and yellowish. The redness and itching are often most noticeable on the scalp, but can also appear in other areas that have a lot of oil-producing (sebaceous) glands like the face, upper chest, and back.
It is not known exactly what causes seborrheic dermatitis. There are several factors that are thought to contribute to its development including stress, cold weather, hormonal changes or an overactive immune system. For infants, it may occur as a result of yeast passed from mother to child at birth. It is more common in men than women.
Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common type of eczema that causes itchy, red, flaky skin. It is most often found on the scalp, but can also occur in other areas of the body that have lots of oil-producing glands such as the face, nose, eyebrows and chest.
Seborrheic dermatitis is believed to be caused by a yeast-like fungus called malassezia, which normally lives on the skin. When the ratio of good bacteria on the skin becomes unbalanced, it can result in an overgrowth of malassezia and cause SD. People who have seborrheic dermatitis are more likely to experience flare-ups during seasonal changes and stress.
In this blog post we’ll discuss what to look for if you suspect you may have SD and how to treat it.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a more common disease than many people realize. It is characterized by red, itchy, and flaky skin that results from overactive oil producing glands in the skin. This leads to inflammation of the skin which is why you see redness and itching.
The most common areas for the seborrheic dermatitis to appear are the face, ears, chest, and back. When it comes to the scalp, we call it dandruff. The great news about seborrheic dermatitis is that it can easily be treated with over-the-counter products such as 1% hydrocortisone cream or medicated shampoos containing sulfur or coal tar.
Seborrheic Dermatitis (SD) is a skin disorder that can affect both the scalp and the face, causing redness and flaking. SD is also known as Seborrheic Eczema, Seborrhea, dandruff or pityriasis capitis. Seborrheic dermatitis affects around 5% of the population and occurs more frequently in men than women. It also appears to be more common in people with Parkinson’s Disease and HIV/AIDS.
The exact cause of SD is unknown but it may be caused by an overgrowth of a yeast called Malassezia furfur. This yeast is present on the skin of most people but for some reason it grows out of control in people with seborrheic dermatitis.
Although not all doctors agree, recent research suggests that seborrheic dermatitis may be caused by an inflammatory response triggered by this yeast. The theory is that the yeast causes an immune reaction that results in inflammation and redness.
What is seborrheic dermatitis and what causes it?
Seborrheic dermatitis (also known as seborrhea) is a condition that causes
dry, scaly red skin. It often occurs on the face and scalp. Often, it is mistaken for
dandruff which is also called pityriasis capitis. It can be caused by an overgrowth of
yeast called Malassezia species. These yeasts are normally found in small amounts on the
skin and in the gastrointestinal tract. They feed on oils produced by the oil glands in
the skin. When there is too much oil produced, then Malassezia species can grow out of control and cause an inflammatory response in the skin leading to dryness, scaling, redness and itching. Seborrhea tends to come and go based upon stress levels, other illnesses like colds or flu, and tiredness. One interesting fact about seborrhea is that it occurs more frequently in people with Parkinson’s disease and HIV/AIDS.
Seborrheic dermatitis, a skin condition that is one of the most common skin conditions in humans [1], is typically characterized by white and yellowish scales or crusting on the scalp. Though it’s less common, seborrheic dermatitis can also appear around the nose, eyebrows, eyelids, ears, and chest. The condition may cause burning or itching [2].
Seborrheic dermatitis is more common in men than women 4 to 1 [3]. It also tends to occur at an earlier age in men than women. The condition generally improves with age; however, for some people it persists into later adulthood [4].