One of the most common skin conditions in adults is Seborrheic Dermatitis. It’s so common that patients tend to ignore it until it gets bad enough that they notice it, or someone asks, “What’s that rash on your face?”
Seborrheic Dermatitis is a chronic, reddish, scaly, itchy, almost oily-appearing rash that appears on the midline of the face (in and between the eyebrows, around the nostrils, upper lip, on the chin), on the breast bone area of the chest, and on the scalp. In the scalp, it causes flaky dandruff, and on the face and chest a fine scale.
Infants have Seborrheic dermatitis, too. The variation in children affects the scalp and is the easily recognizable “cradle cap.”
The exact cause of Seborrheic Dermatitis is not known, but dermatology researchers feel a natural skin yeast, Malessezia furfur, is implicated somehow. There is an overgrowth of this yeast thought to be caused by stress, weather changes, hormonal changes, or skin care treatments.
It is a chronic disease so it can be controlled but not cured. It waxes and wanes in severity and distribution depending on multiple factors. Treatment focuses on control with the use of anti-fungal creams or mildly anti-inflammatory topical preparations.
I had a lot of patients who had Seborrheic dermatitis, but rarely was I asked to prescribe something for it. As I mentioned earlier, most patients ignore it because it’s always there and gets better at times. Patients control it by applying whatever topical works for them. For scalp seborrhea, dozens of OTC preparations are available to get it under control and are used as needed.
Patients for the most part are comfortable living with Seborrheic dermatitis and merely treat flares of the disease to keep it under control. Antifungal and corticosteroid creams help. If they don’t, tacrolimus or pimecrolimus are available by prescription.
Reference: www.google.com/seborrheic-dermatitis/
