Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic Dermatitis is the fancy name for a variety of different rashes all in the dandruff family. It can occur on the scalp, face, chest, neck, behind and in the ears, and rarely, in the folds of the skin.

Who gets it and what does it look like?
Seborrheic dermatitis has an appearance of dry, red, scaly skin. Almost everyone experiences it at some time in life. In babies, it is seen as cradle cap with a similar appearance occurring in the elderly.

What aggravates it?
For some, it flares at different seasons, usually at the extremes of temperature. For others, it flares at times of high stress and medical illness.

What causes it?
There are two main components of seborrheic dermatitis that lead to dry, red, scaly skin. First, there is an overgrowth of yeast that usually lives on the skin. Because of this, just moisturizing doesn’t work. Just moisturizing feeds the yeast. Second, there is inflammation in the skin caused by the yeast.

How can we treat it?
We treat seborrheic dermatitis by targeting the two main components of the rash. We limit the growth of yeast by using dandruff shampoos. Head and Shoulders and Selsun Blue are the most common OTC regimens. There are a number of prescription shampoos we use as well. These shampoos can be used on the scalp as well as on the face and ears with a washcloth. Medicated shampoos usually only need to be used once or twice a week. However, those with dandruff should wash their hair as much as possible, up to once a day, when experiencing the rash. Second, we treat inflammation with topical steroids. The strength and formulation can vary depending on the area of the body where the rash is occurring.

Is it contagious?
No. However, always inspect dandruff closely to make sure it is really dandruff, not lice.

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