What is seborrheic dermatitis?
Seborrheic dermatitis on the face Seborrheic (seb-o-REE-ik) dermatitis is a common skin condition that mainly affects your scalp. It causes scaly patches, red skin and stubborn dandruff.
What are the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp?
Seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp 1 Skin flakes (dandruff) on your scalp, hair, eyebrows, beard or mustache. 2 Patches of greasy skin covered with flaky white or yellow scales or crust on the scalp, face, sides of the nose, eyebrows, ears, eyelids, chest, armpits, groin area or under the breasts. 3 Red skin. 4 Itching.
How do I treat seborrheic dermatitis?
Daily cleansing with a gentle soap and shampoo can help reduce oiliness and dead skin buildup. Seborrheic dermatitis is also called dandruff, seborrheic eczema and seborrheic psoriasis. For infants, the condition is known as cradle cap and causes crusty, scaly patches on the scalp.
Can seborrheic dermatitis go away on its own?
Seborrheic dermatitis can also affect oily areas of the body, such as the face, sides of the nose, eyebrows, ears, eyelids and chest. Seborrheic dermatitis may go away without treatment. Or you may need many repeated treatments before the symptoms go away.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, noncontagious, easy-to-manage skin condition. This type of dermatitis causes itchy red patches and greasy scales on your skin along with white or yellow crusty or powdery flakes on your scalp. “Seborrheic” refers to the “sebaceous” glands while “derm” means “skin.”
What does seborrheic dermatitis look like in teens?
In teens and adults, seborrheic dermatitis forms where skin is oilier. In addition to the scalp, redness, swelling and greasy scaling can develop on the sides of the nose and in and around the eyebrows, on the mid-chest, upper back and in the armpits and groin area. How is seborrheic dermatitis treated?
How long does seborrheic dermatitis last?
No matter where the seborrheic dermatitis forms, it tends to permanently disappear between 6 months and 1 year of age. When an adult gets seborrheic dermatitis, the condition can come and go for the rest of the person’s life.
How is seborrheic dermatitis diagnosed?
Seborrheic dermatitis is an easy condition to diagnosis because of its appearance on the affected skin and where it appears on your body. No blood, urine or allergy tests are needed. Your dermatologist may perform a skin biopsy to rule out other diseases if your condition does not respond to treatment.