SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS

 

INTRODUCTION: Seborrhea is an excessive production of sebum (secretion of sebaceous glands). Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin with a predilection for areas that are well supplied with sebaceous glands or that lie between folds of the skin, where the bacterial count is high. Seborrheic dermatitis has a genetic predisposition; hormones, nutritional status, infection, and emotional stress influence its course. There are remissions and exacerbations of this condition. 

AREAS MOST AFFECTED: Areas most often affected are the face, scalp, cheeks, ears, axillae, and various skin folds.

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS: Two forms can occur: an oily form and a dry form. Either form may start in childhood with fine scaling of the scalp or other areas.  Oily Form: Moist or greasy patches of sallow, greasy-appearing skin, with or without scaling, and slight erythema (redness); small pustules or papulopustules on trunk resembling acne.  Dry Form: Flaky desquamation of the scalp (dandruff); asymptomatic mild forms or scaling often accompanied by pruritus, leading to scratching and secondary infections and excoriation. 

MEDICAL MANAGEMENT: Because there is no known cure for seborrhea, the objectives of therapy are to control the disorder and allow the skin to repair itself. Treatment measures include the following: Administering topical corticosteroid cream to body and face. These should however be used with caution near eyes. Aerating skin and careful cleansing of creases or folds to prevent candidal yeast infection (evaluate patients with persistent candidiasis for diabetes). Shampooing hair daily or at least three times weekly with medicated shampoos. Two or three different types of shampoos are used in rotation to prevent the seborrhea from becoming resistant to a particular shampoo.

RELATED.

1.  PRURITUS

2.  MEDICAL CONDITIONS

3.  THE INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

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