Seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic and common skin disease.

This skin disease appears in the form of scaly red rashes with itching in different parts of the body. The scalp, the side of the nose, eyebrows, eyelids, behind the ears and the middle of the chest are the most common places involved. Other areas such as navel, armpit folds, breasts, groin and backside may also be affected.

Dandruff, which is a problem for many people, is actually a mild and non-inflammatory form of Seborrheic Dermatitis.

Pityrosporum, which is a type of yeast, is considered the main cause of seborrheic dermatitis, although other factors such as environmental and genetic factors and stress are also involved in the occurrence of the disease. The role of seborrhea (sebum secretion) in this disease is debatable.

Who gets infected by seborrheic dermatitis?

This disease is very common in three age groups: infancy, middle age and old age. In infancy, this disease usually does not need any treatment because it gets better by itself by the age of 8-12 months. This state may be due to the gradual removal of hormones that were transferred from mother to child before birth.

When Seborrheic Eczema occurs at an older age, it usually has a recurring behavior and may last for several years or even turn into psoriasis in its course.

Seborrheic Eczema may be seen with higher intensity and prevalence in people with other diseases such as people with nervous system diseases like Parkinson's, patients who have gone through a stressful disease like a heart attack and people with immune deficiency.

Treatment

There is no real way to prevent and treat Seborrheic Eczema, but the disease can be controlled by taking antifungal drugs and steroid compounds.

Dandruff is usually controlled by using shampoos containing ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide or tar. Most of the times, it is necessary to alternately use different anti-dandruff compounds.

It should be noted that there is always the possibility of recurrence through the course of disease and complete recovery. In case of recurrence, a repeat course of treatment can be performed. But this must be done under the supervision of a dermatologist because excessive use of some drugs can cause side effects.