Among the numerous skin diseases, seborrheic eczema or seborrheic dermatitis is relatively common. About 3 percent of the total population suffers from this skin inflammation. In babies and toddlers, this condition is also known as headgear.
What is seborrheic eczema?
Seborrheic eczema is a skin rash. It mainly affects the face and scalp. It usually results in a yellowish and greasy scaling. The skin under the scales is reddened. Seborrheic eczema is often observed in newborns. Thereafter, seborrheic eczema mostly appears between the ages of 20 and 40. Men are more often affected than women. The latter often develop seborrheic eczema after menopause. Other skin areas on the chin, eyebrows and nose can also become diseased. In particularly severe cases, seborrheic eczema has been diagnosed on the back, along the spine. Seborrheic eczema also spreads to the sternum or ears.
Causes
The origin of seborrheic eczema has not been fully researched. It is estimated that over 50 percent of the world’s population has a genetic predisposition to seborrheic eczema. Therefore, however, it does not have to break out automatically. Often the immune or nervous system plays an important role. The high number of Parkinson’s disease or AIDS patients who suffer from seborrheic eczema is striking. Almost 80 percent of AIDS patients are affected by this disease. Further causes for the outbreak of seborrheic eczema can be psychological stress and heavy sweating. The use of skin care products with a high fat content also promotes the occurrence of seborrheic eczema. Metabolic disorders can also play a role. Especially the yeast fungus “Malassezia furfur” should be mentioned. It belongs to the skin flora of humans. However, if its cells divide excessively, the development of seborrheic eczema may be favored.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
Seborrheic eczema refers to a scaly skin rash. Predominantly, this chronic inflammatory skin disease occurs on the scalp. The disease is not to be confused with conventional head dandruff. These are dry, rather small and white. The dandruff typical of seborrheic eczema is larger, yellowish and usually sticky. Even infants can be affected by Seborrheic Eczema. This is where the name “head gneiss” comes from. Men between 30 and 40 years of age complain most frequently about the disease. The skin disease is also known to accompany Parkinson’s disease and AIDS. Clear symptoms are reddened skin areas and yellowish scales on them. There are sometimes massive inflammatory foci, which are aggravated by frequent scratching. Many patients experience increased dandruff formation. Seborrheic eczema can also spread to several areas of the skin. Itching rarely occurs. Those affected also do not feel any pain in the affected areas. In addition to the scalp, the face can also be affected. Inflammation of the eyelids also occurs. The damaged skin areas are a gateway for fungi and bacteria. In some cases, sufferers also complain of hair loss. However, there is no direct connection to seborrheic eczema in this case.
Diagnosis and course
Seborrheic eczema is relatively easy to diagnose. The dermatologist (dermatologist), often recognizes this disease after the first glance. The characteristic yellowish skin flakes and the affected areas allow in most cases a fairly quick diagnosis. However, skin redness is often caused by allergies. For this purpose, the patient is subjected to an allergy test. In this way, it becomes clear relatively quickly whether an allergy or seborrheic eczema is the reason for the skin redness. To rule out another skin disease, the dermatologist takes a skin sample from the patient under local anesthesia. The skin flakes are examined microscopically. Since seborrheic eczema is a chronic skin disease, it cannot be completely cured. The course of seborrheic eczema usually depends on the seasons. In winter, patients become ill more often than in the summer months. The increased UV radiation in summer inhibits the cell division of the yeast fungus “Malassezia furfur”. As a result, seborrheic eczema occurs less frequently in summer.
Complications
When affected in infancy, seborrheic eczema often causes further fungal or bacterial infections of the affected skin areas. Such a superinfection may also occur in adults. In addition, the skin disease in infants can lead to severe fever with vomiting and diarrhea, often accompanied by dehydration, deficiency symptoms and severe circulatory problems. In adults, seborrheic eczema can quickly develop into a chronic disease. It progresses in episodes and often causes symptoms for the rest of the patient’s life – always in episodes and thus often also psychologically very stressful for those affected. If the weakened skin is injured, inflammation and bleeding occur. The superinfections mentioned above are among the most serious complications of the skin disease. Adverse events may also occur during treatment. For example, the ointments, lotions or shampoos used can trigger allergic reactions or cause side effects and interactions. Typically used agents such as itraconazole and terbinafine often cause gastrointestinal complaints, skin rashes, and upper respiratory tract infections. Very rarely, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, or hair loss may occur. Consequential diseases such as serum sickness or cardiac muscle weakness are also conceivable after taking corresponding preparations.
When should you go to the doctor?
This disease should always be treated by a doctor. There can be no independent cure, so the affected person is dependent on treatment by a doctor. Only early and proper treatment of this disease can prevent further complications and discomfort. Therefore, a doctor should be consulted at the first signs of this disease. A doctor should be consulted if the affected person suffers from a severe skin rash. This spreads over the entire body and significantly reduces the Whlgefühl of the affected person. Furthermore, the formation of scales may also occur, which can also cover the entire skin, and itching may also indicate the disease. In some cases, hair loss is also an indication of this disease and should be examined by a physician. First and foremost, a general practitioner or a dermatologist can be consulted for this disease. This then usually also carries out the treatment. Since the disease can also lead to psychological upsets or depression, a psychologist should also be consulted in these cases to treat them.
Treatment and therapy
Treatment of seborrheic eczema occurs during an acute flare and the period between two conditions. In the acute flare, the patient is given an antimyotic by the doctor. It can be contained in creams or shampoos. Hair shampoos with the active ingredients salicylic acid and selenium disulfide have proven effective here. Creams with urea are also a remedy of choice. In case of severe symptoms, the patient is given antimyotics in tablet form. In case of acute symptoms, the so-called phototherapy is also used. The patient is injected with a drug. After a few hours, the light treatment takes place. The cells of the seborrheic eczema are irradiated for a few minutes. Together with the previously injected drug, the cells are then destroyed. The treatment between the diseases should be applied constantly. The already described care products should be used regularly. Since psychological factors also favor the occurrence of seborrheic eczema, relaxation exercises or autogenic training help. In the case of seborrheic eczema, washing the affected skin areas with a saline solution has also proven effective. A gentle peeling of the skin flakes with a washcloth can also provide relief for seborrheic eczema.
Prevention
Regular skin care and adequate UV radiation are preventive measures. Rest and stress reduction also inhibit the outbreak of seborrheic eczema. Thus, the disease can be effectively prevented. Medical follow-up is rarely necessary for seborrheic eczema. In infants and young children, for example, healing without consequences is to be expected, so that further measures are not necessary.
Aftercare
In all other affected individuals, aftercare is based on any secondary damage and the level of suffering due to seborrheic eczema. Thus, in excessive cases, there may have been severe scratching, associated sores, and eventually infections.Individual areas of skin that are heavily infested with bacteria are possible and still require intensive wound care even after treatment of seborrheic eczema. A distinction must be made here as to whether antibiotics are necessary or not. In this context, aftercare also includes stopping scratching. The itching caused by weeping wounds that sufferers have self-inflicted as a result of scratching is sometimes indistinguishable from that of eczema. Otherwise, proper treatment of the skin is considered the best aftercare. Factors that could lead to a flare-up of seborrheic eczema should be minimized. These are probably mainly certain skin fungi whose growth is hindered by UV radiation and dryness. Refraining from using greasy creams as well as soaps on the skin can better maintain the acid mantle and promote healing.
What you can do yourself
Seborrheic eczema causes inconvenience in everyday life due to the visual conspicuousness in addition to the itching. However, patients should absolutely resist the sometimes severe itching, as touching the diseased skin areas or even scratching is in no way conducive to healing. The shampoos or ointments prescribed by a doctor must be used. Without such medicinal agents, seborrheic eczema in adults heals with difficulty. If the affected areas on the scalp are a cosmetic blemish, a change in hairstyle may partially or completely conceal the seborrheic eczema. This is because a large proportion of those affected suffer not only from the physical discomfort, but also from shame in view of the eczema. If seborrheic eczema affects the skin beyond the head, long clothing can conceal the condition and thereby reduce the feeling of shame. At best, patients choose loose-fitting clothing that does not further irritate the skin. Clothing should be made of natural materials or other fibers that are gentle on the skin and should not emit irritating dyes. Extreme care should also be taken when shaving diseased areas of the skin to avoid injuring the seborrheic eczema and infecting other areas of the body. In conclusion, Seborrheic Eczema demands patience and long-term use of medicated ointments.
