Definition
Under a seborrhoeic eczema, also known as seborrhoeic dermatitis, it is a skin disease associated with yellowish scaling in combination with itching. It can occur at any age. There are different courses of the skin disease, which is generally considered completely harmless.
There are acute and chronic courses, there are dry skin flaking and oily courses. The main sites of seborrheic dermatitis are mainly the face and scalp. In the area of the scalp, seborrheic eczema is the most common cause for the presence of skin scales. This is mainly the dry scaling form of seborrheic eczema.
Causes of seborrheic eczema
The exact causes of seborrheic eczema are still largely unclear today. However, there are some theories about its development. One theory is that the normal skin fungus Malassezia furfur, which is found on the skin, may be responsible for the development of seborrheic dermatitis.
Normally, the skin fungus does not lead to any disease. Under certain conditions, which have not yet been researched, researchers suspect that the fungus could reproduce and spread unnaturally frequently. The fact that a seborrhoeisches Ekzem occurs very frequently in the scalp area, researchers let think whether there could be perhaps a connection between the illness and the sebaceous glands occurring on the skin increased.
It is suspected that there is an overproduction of sebaceous glands on the skin. However, it is not known for what reason and what causes could be behind this. One indication that the sebaceous glands could be involved in the disease is the fact that patients with Parkinson’s syndrome also have a much higher incidence of seborrhoeic eczema and that a disorder of the sebaceous glands has been proven in Parkinson’s disease.
Another consideration is whether the male hormone testosterone could be responsible for the development of this skin disease. It is also suspected that the disease is more common in people whose immune system is weakened. An above-average incidence is observed in people with an immunodeficiency disease such as HIV or in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The factor stress can also play a role in the development of the disease that should not be underestimated. If this were the case, this would indicate a significant involvement of the autonomic nervous system in the development of the skin disease.
