Seborrheic dermatitis: how to deal with the disease?

Dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease that occurs as a result of exposure to various irritating factors, including chemical, physical or biological. Depending on the nature and characteristics of the inflammation, several types of dermatitis are distinguished, including atopic, contact, allergic and perioral dermatitis. In this article we will consider another version of this disease - seborrheic dermatitis .

What is seborrheic dermatitis?

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic disease that affects skin areas, rich sebaceous glands. Most often, seborrheic dermatitis occurs on the scalp (including on the eyebrows and eyelashes), on the face, nasolabial folds and behind the ears. Sometimes the inflammation spreads to the skin of the body.

Causes of seborrheic dermatitis

The main cause of seborrheic dermatitis is a fungal infection of the genus Malassezia, which feeds on the secretion of sebaceous glands. Most often, seborrheic dermatitis occurs in people with weakened immunity, hormonal imbalance and with certain chronic diseases, such as colitis, tuberculosis and liver and biliary tract diseases. The risk of developing dermatitis is higher in people with a hereditary predisposition to this disease.

Symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is often confused with ordinary dandruff, as it is characterized by the formation on the scalp of numerous white or yellowish scales that can subside on clothing. Scales usually closely adhere to the head and form a kind of crust.

Other symptoms of dermatitis include the appearance of reddish scaly foci of inflammation on the scalp, increased fatness of the scalp, a feeling of tightening the skin. Sometimes the inflammation is accompanied by itching. In the most difficult cases, the disease is accompanied by hair loss, which are restored during periods of remission.

How to deal with seborrheic dermatitis?

Treatment of dermatitis includes the use of medicines (most often therapeutic shampoos and sometimes anti-inflammatory drugs) and diet compliance. The main goal of the treatment is to get rid of the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis and to eliminate the causes of its appearance.

When treating seborrheic dermatitis, it is very important to choose the right complex for skin care of the face and head, which must necessarily include moisturizing and exfoliation. To do this, consult a dermatologist. As a rule, the symptoms of dermatitis pass a week after the application of the properly selected shampoo. However, this does not mean that the disease has receded. Many patients are recommended to constantly alternate medical shampoo with shampoo for permanent use, otherwise the symptoms of dermatitis can return.

As for the diet, for the prevention of seborrheic dermatitis, it is necessary to limit the consumption of foods that cause sebum, including animal fats, sweets, spicy and fried foods. The patient is recommended hypoallergenic diet rich in vitamins A, B, C, zinc and selenium.

Another effective way to combat seborrheic dermatitis is phototherapy , which allows you to maximize the period of remission.

There are also folk remedies for the treatment of dermatitis, among which:

• Rubbing to the roots of the hair broth from the bark of oaks (you can add to the mixture of honey)
• Compresses from decoction of sage leaves
• Lotion with chamomile infusion
• Rinsing with lemon peel

It is not necessary to ignore manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis. Without competent treatment, the disease tends to progress and can become a serious aesthetic problem. If you are not indifferent to your health and appearance - at the first signs of dermatitis consult a specialist. Treatment in the early stages is always much more effective and gives the maximum results.