I bring you an informative post about a disease that affects many people: the Seborrheic Dermatitis, apparently is very common, but there is very little information campaign about this evil.
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A few years ago I had a friend, who had a kind of dandruff on her scalp but it was shaped like scales, for her it was a bit uncomfortable because it was very noticeable and unfortunately for many people it can be unpleasant, a day in our conversations, I had the courage to ask him and he answered that his illness was called: "Seborrheic Dermatitis", an inflammation that occurs in the greasy areas of the scalp and in many cases inside the ear generating the formation of white or yellowish scales, sometimes accompanied by a remarkable cutaneous reddening. She explained to me that I could not remove them because the inflammation was worse and it spread more since a liquid oozed, but despite everything it is not contagious, that sometimes I could control it but other times not what impact! It must be difficult to have this condition.
Due to my curiosity I decided to investigate more and found the following:
Concept
The Seborrhoeic Dermatitis as my friend explained it to me is a chronic skin disease that is characterized by a fine psoriasis-like peeling that occurs specifically on the scalp, some areas of the face and ears, sometimes he appears pronouncing himself in a great way and from one moment to another diminish the symptoms until disappearing. This disease is usually common in adults but can also affect babies forming a scab on the top of his head on the scalp, which is called "Milk Scale".
The causes
It is believed to be a congenital disease and may be caused by the lack of immunity and allergy to the fungus Malassezia furfur (the Pityrosporum ovale) and which in turn also aggravates the high production of sebum. This means that a normal person has the immunity to fight without fungus, but those people who are affected by seborrhea, your body does not respond favorably to infection, affecting the epidermis causing inflammation and in turn loose microscopic scales as a mechanism to defend the fungus, this type of desquamation is called pityriasis and in some cases the overproduction of the sebaceous gland favors the more pronounced appearance of the scales making it more difficult to detach from the scalp.
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As if it were not enough for these people who suffer from this condition, apart from being congenital hereditary, lack of immunity and overproduction of the sebaceous gland there are factors that combined with these conditions can aggravate this disease and exposing it even more as:
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Climate changes
- Little frequency in cleaning the skin, in order to remove excess fat
- The improper use of shampoo
- Inadequate feeding (high consumption of fats)
- The use of lotion with alcohol (this causes the inflammation to spread)
- Obesity (production in excess of fat, increases desquamation)
- Hormonal changes
- Other neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease,
- Cranial trauma and a stroke,
- As well as a patient with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that could be related to seborrheic dermatitis.
Symptoms
This disease is usually frequent in the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, nasolabial sheets, lips, back of the ears, outer ears and more serious case middle ears and other areas of the body, can be presented as follows:
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- Cutaneous lesions and patches on a certain area of the skin where the fat concentrates more (reddening inflammation, perished to a slight burn on the skin)
- Flakes on the skin: white or yellowish, greasy and sticky that adheres to the skin (dandruff) and if it detaches it can ooze liquid aggravating the infection.
- Itching: producing itching if there is infection
- Hair loss
In the case of babies, the milk crust is a temporary condition and appears on the scalp at the top in the form of thick brown or yellow scales and this may disappear at three years of age
The milk crust can be seen in newborn babies and up to three years old. In these cases it is important to know that in this stage of the baby this milk crust is:
- It's not contagious
- It's not an allergy
- It does not always cause itching.
- It is not caused by lack of hygiene
- It's not dangerous
- It should not be started if there is no knowledge of the procedure.
Treatment
Unfortunately this disease has no cure, is chronic, but if you can treat with certain medications to reduce symptoms and disappear for certain seasons, the recommendations are as follows:
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When seborrheic dermatitis appears on the scalp, it can be treated with over-the-counter shampoo to combat dandruff or containing salicylic acid, ulla tar, zinc, resorcinol, ketoconazole or selenium, to reduce scale and preferably wash daily and during the washing process try to flake out the scales for a time of at least five minutes and then rinse.
When the injury is more serious you should go to a specialist preferably a dermatologist doctor that indicates shampoo or lotion containing selenium, ketoconazole or corticosteroids and the application is more careful covering the entire affected area,
If the infection and inflammation is on the skin on both the face and chest, apply lotion as specified above and preferably apply twice a day
A curious fact is that several patients have said that this condition usually improves during the summer and especially if outdoor activities are done
In the case of babies with milk crust
- You should wash your hair every day with great care and softness, using a mild, preferably neutral soap, and rinse thoroughly without leaving any soap residue.
- With a clean brush and soft bristles, comb the hair several times a day.
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Then when the scales disappear it can be washed normally with a mild shampoo twice a week.
Another method is to apply liquid petrolatum on the scalp of the baby and wrap the head with a moist and warm cloth for about an hour, this will make the scales soften and come off easily, then remove the fabric and bathe the child, and make sure to remove all the excess.
If with the treatment the scales continue to be a problem, it is necessary to contact the pediatrician, who prescribes a cream or a lotion to apply on the scalp several times a day.
Complications
Because it is a very visible disease in the skin Seborrheic dermatitis can cause psychological suffering, causing the decrease of self-esteem and generate embarrassment in those who suffer it. As well as my friend's
The lack of attention to the symptoms or the neglect to the appearance of the same ones can aggravate the secondary bacterial or mycotic infections.
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- In case seborrheic dermatitis starts to drain fluid or pus, crust or redden and become very painful, consult your doctor.
Studying this disease I have noticed that very few people have information and even tend to confuse them with psoriasis and think it is contagious. Very few people talk about this because they feel ashamed, but we must understand that this is not the fault of the person who suffers it and that it was never acquired and the person was born with seborrheic dermatitis, it should not be rejected otherwise it should be offered help.
The texts were taken and analyzed of the following:
Source 1 y Source 2
