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What is Seborrheic Dermatitis?

The word Seborrhea literally means 'too much oil' while Dermatitis stands for 'inflammation of the skin'. So Seborrheic Dermatitis represents skin and scalp inflammation caused by excessive oil built up that leads to flaking (dandruff).

This chronic condition is quite common and affects 3-5% of the worldwide population. Cradle Cap is another form of this condition and is very common among newborns. Besides the scalp, it can also affect other oil glands rich areas like your face, chest and pubic regions.

In most cases, this condition will come and go through time and won't cause much of a bother besides dandruff, itchiness and redness. However, in some situation, it might lead to more serious complications like temporary hair loss and scalp infection.

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What Causes Seborrheic Dermatitis?

Like the common dandruff, there isn't really a single cause for the disease. It usually requires a few contributing factors to trigger the condition but one of the major point observed is usually due to the overproduction of oil (sebum) by your sebaceous glands.

Some areas of your skin like your scalp, beard and chest have large density of hair follicles. In every hair follicle, there is a small oil producing organ known as the sebaceous gland which produces oil to protect your hair and skin from dryness and the environment.

Due to several factors, these oil glands can release more oil than usual which leads to an over oily scalp. There are many reasons contributing to this like

• Hormonal imbalances
• Stress
• Weather
• Parkinson's Disease
• Neurological Conditions
• Infrequent Shampooing
• Poor immune system

Fungal Manifestation

Medical experts recently are putting the blame for the cause of this medical condition to a common fungus known as Pityrosporum ovale, part of the Malessezie family which resides on our skin. This fungus usually feeds and thrives on skin oils and dead skin cells.

Due to excessive release of sebum (oil), it might trigger a population boom of the fungus leading to an auto immune response which causes skin inflammation and flaking. This theory was proven because certain anti dandruff shampoos that have anti bacterial ingredient like Ketoconazole are effective in controlling dandruff.

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Medical Symptoms

In milder cases, there might not be any noticeable symptoms besides a more moderate dandruff problem. However, the condition sometimes can progress and lead to more noticeable symptoms like

• Patchy scaling and thick looking crusts on the scalp
• Red patches and skin inflammation
• Itching and numbness at the affected area
• Oily skin with white or yellowish scales
• Large skin flakes over the area

Although Seborrheic Dermatitis predominantly occurs on the scalp, it can also spread to other parts of your skin that has a concentration of hair follicles. Technically speaking, any hairy part of your body can be infected like your

• Eyebrows
• Chest
• Pubic area
• Sides of your nose
• Forehead
• Armpits

In other areas of your skin, you might observe milder symptoms compare to the scalp area.

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How to Treat Seborrheic Dermatitis

There is no cure for this condition but you can opt for treatments and remedies to control the symptoms. As this is a chronic condition, it might reoccur through your lifetime especially when you are ill or under stress. So staying as healthy as possible is the best way to avoid Seborrheic Dermatitis.

To treat this condition, the most common treatment is getting an Over-The-Counter (OTC) medicated anti-dandruff shampoo that contains an active ingredient like Ketoconazole. The main purposes of the treatment is to remove

• Excessive oil build ups
• Control population of the fungus
• Remove surplus of dead skin cells

You can take an in depth look at some of these shampoos and proper ways to use it in the Dandruff Shampoo Reviews page.

If the shampoos are not effective or you don't respond to the treatment, then you will need to seek medical attention and your doctor might prescribe some more active medications like corticosteriods and anti-bacterial treatments for you.

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Supplemental Treatments and Home Remedies

Seborrheic Dermatitis usually does not occur to healthy people but in today's society where poor diets, stress and polution are increasing, it's almost impossible to stay 100% healthy.

One of the best way to actually prevent this condition is to keep your skin and scalp as clean and healthy as possible. Regular washing, good eating habits and taking supplements like Vitamin B Complex are essential for a healthy skin and hair.

There are also alternative treatments that you can do yourself at home to assists in controlling this condition.

You can see more tips for home remedies solutions here.

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