Will seborrheic dermatitis recur?

Written by Huang Ling Juan
Dermatology
Updated on February 13, 2025
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Seborrheic dermatitis is likely to recur. In cases of seborrheic dermatitis, oily skin can easily lead to recurrence. Additionally, an inappropriate diet, often consisting of spicy, irritating food, as well as fried and greasy food, and habitual late nights, can also easily lead to recurrence. Therefore, when seborrheic dermatitis occurs, it’s essential to maintain a light diet, avoiding spicy and irritating foods, and seek treatment under the guidance of a doctor. For topical use, one can choose corticosteroid medications, typically choices include desonide ointment or hydrocortisone butyrate cream. For oral medications, options include Vitamin B6 or a B-complex vitamin. If itching is significant, it might also be necessary to combine treatment with antihistamine medications.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
1min 37sec home-news-image

How to treat infant seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as seborrheic eczema, is a chronic papular squamous superficial inflammatory skin disease that occurs in areas of sebum secretion. It is more commonly found in adults and newborns and can be accompanied by varying degrees of itching. In infants, seborrheic dermatitis generally occurs from the 2nd to the 10th week after birth, with common sites being the scalp, face, nasolabial folds, nasal hair area, around the ears, and in skin folds. The rash typically appears as greasy red patches, or may be covered with greasy gray-yellow or brown-yellow thick crusts. In severe cases, there might be erosion and exudation. The condition generally diminishes or even heals within two months, though in very rare cases, the rash may suddenly spread throughout the body, causing diffuse erythema and significant desquamation. This is known as seborrheic erythroderma, which represents a severe stage of the disease. Treatment mainly involves the use of topical medications, focusing on mild, safe, and low-irritant drugs for application. Commonly used medications include zinc oxide oil, antibiotic ointments, traditional Chinese medicine ointments, tacrolimus ointment, and pimecrolimus cream. Additionally, it is important to advise the parents to ensure the baby has a regular lifestyle with sufficient sleep and to avoid various mechanical irritations. It is also recommended to use less hot water and harsh alkaline soaps for bathing.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
1min 15sec home-news-image

Can seborrheic dermatitis wear makeup?

Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as seborrheic eczema, is a chronic papular squamous superficial inflammatory skin disease that occurs in areas of sebum secretion and can be accompanied by varying degrees of itching. The causes of the disease are generally believed to be related to increased sebum secretion, changes in the chemical composition of sebum, and colonization and infection by Malassezia. Additionally, factors such as mental state, diet, deficiency in B vitamins, alcohol consumption, stress, fatigue, and infections can all variably affect the occurrence and development of the disease. Accordingly, in clinical practice, patients are advised to maintain a regular lifestyle, ensure adequate sleep, adjust their diet, limit intake of polysaccharides and fats, avoid spicy and irritating foods, abstain from alcohol, eat more vegetables and fruits, and avoid various irritants. Furthermore, makeup can potentially irritate the face, so it is generally recommended that patients with seborrheic dermatitis either do not wear makeup or minimize its use.

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Written by Liu Jing
Dermatology
1min 11sec home-news-image

How to treat seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis commonly occurs in the head, face, chest, back, and other areas with excessive sebum secretion in adults, and it can also affect infants and young children. It is necessary to enhance skin cleanliness and provide symptomatic treatment such as anti-inflammatory measures and regulation of lipid metabolism. Focus on skin cleanliness, eat more green vegetables and coarse fibers, and provide anti-inflammatory treatments such as oral tanshinone IIA sulfonate capsules, vitamin B6 tablets, doxycycline hydrochloride capsules, clarithromycin sustained-release tablets, and total paeony glycoside capsules. For the affected skin areas, apply topical remedies like Curcuma comosa clearing ointment, compound indomethacin tincture, etc. Products such as selenium disulfide cleanser or ketoconazole shampoo can be used to wash the scalp and as a body wash. Regularly enhance skin cleanliness and frequently change underwear.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
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What is seborrheic dermatitis?

Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as seborrheic eczema, is a chronic, papular, scaly, superficial inflammatory skin disease that occurs in areas of sebaceous secretion. It commonly affects the head, face, chest, and back—areas rich in sebaceous glands—and is more frequently observed in adults and newborns. It may be accompanied by varying degrees of itching. The onset of this disease is generally believed to be related to increased sebum secretion or changes in its chemical composition. Additionally, colonization and infection by Malassezia yeast, as well as factors such as stress, diet, deficiency in B vitamins, and alcohol consumption, also variously influence the occurrence and development of the disease.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
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Seborrheic dermatitis facial symptoms

Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as seborrheic eczema, is a chronic papular and scaly superficial inflammatory skin disease that occurs in areas where sebum is secreted, and it can be accompanied by itching of varying degrees. The causes of the disease are generally believed to be related to increased sebum secretion or changes in the chemical composition of the sebum. It is also associated with colonization and infection by Malassezia yeast. Factors such as stress, diet, deficiency of B vitamins, and alcohol consumption can also affect the onset and progression of the disease to varying degrees. When seborrheic dermatitis occurs on the face, its symptoms primarily manifest as initial follicular papules that gradually merge and expand into dark red or yellowish-red patches. These patches have oily or dry scales and in severe cases may exhibit exudation, crusting, erosion, presenting eczema-like changes.