Chronic Skin Issues

What Is Seborrheic Dermatitis?

What Is Seborrheic Dermatitis?
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Published on March 14, 2025
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Seborrheic dermatitis (also known as dandruff or seborrheic eczema) is a common, noncontagious skin condition that primarily affects the scalp. It causes symptoms like skin inflammation, scaly patches, and persistent flaking.

The condition can develop at any age, but it’s most common in infants and people ages 30 to 60. Seborrheic dermatitis can flare up from time to time in response to certain triggers. You may need to use medicated shampoo or other treatments to manage symptom flares.

Types of Seborrheic Dermatitis

The types of seborrheic dermatitis are characterized by age. They include:

  • Infantile Seborrheic Dermatitis Seborrheic dermatitis in infants is commonly referred to as cradle cap. It looks like scaly, greasy patches on the scalp. It can also be found in the diaper area, back, chest, or anywhere the skin folds or creases.
  • Adult Seborrheic Dermatitis In this age group, seborrheic dermatitis most often appears on the scalp, causing stubborn dandruff. It can also develop on the face or anywhere on the body with oily skin, except the palms and soles of the feet.

Signs and Symptoms of Seborrheic Dermatitis

The symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis can appear in many areas of the body, but most often affect the scalp. Signs and symptoms include:

  • Crusty yellow scales on an infant’s head (cradle cap)
  • In adults, dandruff (itchy white flakes of skin) on the scalp, hair, eyebrows, mustache, or beard
  • Oily skin patches covered in white or yellow flakes or crust on the scalp, eyebrows, face, sides of the nose, eyelids, armpits, chest, under the breasts, or groin
  • Rash that may appear red in lighter skin tones or pink, purple, or lighter in brown or Black skin

  • Itchy skin (pruritus)
  • Scales and redness around eyelids (blepharitis)
  • Thick pinkish plaques or scales on the face
  • Flaky, ring-shaped patches on the chest or hairline
  • Redness in the groin, armpits, and beneath the breasts
  • Hair follicle inflammation in the cheeks and chest

Causes and Risk Factors of Seborrheic Dermatitis

Experts don’t know the exact cause of seborrheic dermatitis, but they think several factors could play a role. These include:

  • Inflammatory reaction to Malassezia (yeast) overgrowth on the skin
  • High androgen hormone levels
  • Increased skin lipids (fats)
Risk factors for seborrheic dermatitis are wide-ranging and can trigger a flare. These may include genetics, chronic health conditions, environmental factors, and certain medications.

Genetic Factors

Genetic risk factors for seborrheic dermatitis include:

  • Assigned male at birth
  • Family history of seborrheic dermatitis and other skin disorders
  • Down syndrome

Chronic Health Conditions

Chronic health conditions that raise your risk for seborrheic dermatitis include:

Environmental Factors

Environmental risk factors for seborrheic dermatitis include:

  • Seasonal changes
  • Using alcohol-based lotions
  • Use of harsh detergents, chemicals, soaps, or hairstyling products

Medication

Some medications can also put you at higher risk for seborrheic dermatitis, including lithium (a mood-stabilizing drug) and immunosuppressants.

How Is Seborrheic Dermatitis Diagnosed?

Providers can often diagnose seborrheic dermatitis simply by asking about your or your baby’s symptoms and examining the affected areas. No blood, urine, or imaging tests are needed. In some cases, you may need to have a biopsy (a small piece of affected skin removed for examination), especially if your skin doesn’t respond to treatment. A skin biopsy can help rule out other skin conditions that may be causing your symptoms.

Treatment and Medication Options for Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis in infants often needs no treatment. But for infants who seem uncomfortable and scratch at their scalp, consult a pediatrician or dermatologist. They may recommend a prescription shampoo or lotion in some cases.

Teens and adults with seborrheic dermatitis may need medicated shampoos, creams, or ointments to help manage their symptoms.

Medication Options

Many medication treatments for seborrheic dermatitis are available over the counter, but others require a prescription.

Medicated Shampoos These contain compounds designed to manage flakes.

  • selenium
  • zinc pyrithione
  • coal tar
  • ciclopirox (Loprox)
  • ketoconazole (Nizoral)
  • clobetasol (Clobex)
Topical Antifungals These treatment options help reduce yeast overgrowth on your scalp.

  • ciclopirox
  • ketoconazole
  • sertaconazole
Topical Corticosteroids These drugs help decrease inflammation and manage flares. They’re only intended for temporary use because, over time, they can cause the skin to thin.

  • betamethasone valerate (Betnovate)
  • desonide (Desowen, Desonate)
  • fluocinolone (Capex, Synalar)
  • hydrocortisone
  • clobetasol (Clobex, Temovate)
  • betamethasone valerate (Luxiq)
  • fluocinolone solution (Synalar)
Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors These drugs suppress the immune system, which helps reduce the inflammation that’s contributing to your symptoms.

  • pimecrolimus cream (Elidel)
  • tacrolimus ointment (Protopic)
Nonsteroidal PDE-4 Inhibitors These drugs also suppress the immune system, which helps reduce the inflammation that’s contributing to your symptoms.

  • roflumilast (Zoryve)

Treatments for Severe Seborrheic Dermatitis

For severe cases of seborrheic dermatitis, a provider may recommend an oral medication or ultraviolet light therapy to decrease skin inflammation. During light therapy, a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light is administered to reduce skin inflammation.

Complementary and Integrative Therapies

Before trying a medication, some adults with seborrheic dermatitis first try a shampoo with tea tree oil or apply aloe vera gel to the affected areas. Since research hasn’t proven these are effective for seborrheic dermatitis, it’s always a good idea to check with your provider before trying anything new.

Prevention of Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis can’t be prevented. However, there are a few lifestyle steps you can take to reduce your risk, including getting enough sleep each night, spending a few minutes out in sunshine each day (not midday sun, which has a higher risk for sunburn), and doing your best to manage stress.

Lifestyle Changes for Seborrheic Dermatitis

For infants with cradle cap, parents can apply mineral oil or petroleum jelly to scaly areas, which loosens them.

 It also helps to wash their scalp once daily with baby shampoo and gently brush their hair with a soft brush several times a day. Try to avoid scratching the skin with a brunch, which can lead to an infection.

To help prevent flare-ups, adults and teens can adopt the following lifestyle practices:

  • Wash your scalp and facial hair regularly.
  • Avoid using hairstyling products if your symptoms are flaring up.
  • Don’t use alcohol-based skin and hair products.
  • Gently clean inflamed or scaly eyelids every night with baby shampoo.
  • Try applying mineral oil, peanut oil, or olive oil to your scalp for one to three hours to soften flakes, then brush or comb your hair and wash it afterward to remove flakes

How Long Does Seborrheic Dermatitis Last?

For infants, cradle cap and seborrheic dermatitis in other locations typically develops in the first three months of life. Most cases go away by the baby’s first birthday. In teens and adults, this skin condition flares up from time to time, but has no cure.

These flare-ups can get better with or without treatment, and their frequency varies. Flare-ups happen most often in winter and early spring, but you may notice fewer symptoms in warm and humid weather.

Seborrheic dermatitis can cause irritation during flares, but it can be managed with treatment, and it causes no permanent hair loss.

Research and Statistics: Who Has Seborrheic Dermatitis?

About 1 in 10 people have seborrheic dermatitis. As mentioned, it’s most common in infants and adults aged 30 to 60.

 It’s especially common in adults age 50 or older.

 Men experience symptoms more often than women.

Research on the prevalence of seborrheic dermatitis by race or ethnicity varies. Some research suggests white people are more likely to get it, while other research suggests Black people have a higher risk.

For people with early HIV infection, 35 percent have seborrheic dermatitis, but this goes up to 85 percent once the virus progresses to AIDS.

Disparities and Inequities in Seborrheic Dermatitis

Racial and ethnic disparities exist for many dermatologic conditions, including seborrheic dermatitis.

Research suggests that seborrheic dermatitis symptoms can appear differently in people with darker skin tones compared with people with lighter skin tones, and that not all dermatology practitioners have specific knowledge about these differences.

People with darker skin tones are more likely to experience inequities in care based on socioeconomic factors and gaps in education about skin conditions. The underrepresentation of minority groups among dermatology professionals is also a contributor to these inequities.

In addition, research suggests that, when prescribing treatment, some providers may use a general approach without considering cultural factors that often affect treatment. For example, most antifungal shampoos are designed to be used several times per week, but many Black women with natural, nontraction hairstyles only need to wash their hair every 14 days, on average. Additionally, research shows people of Asian origin may have more sensitivity to irritants in topical medications compared with white people.

It’s important for providers to speak openly with their patients of color and to tailor treatment to match their needs, lifestyle, and cultural factors as closely as possible.

Related Conditions Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis can cause similar symptoms to the following conditions:

  • Psoriasis
  • Rosacea
  • Contact dermatitis
  • Lupus
  • Acne
  • Darier disease (a rare genetic disorder causing wart-like bumps on the body)
  • Staphylococcal blepharitis (an inflammation of the eyelids caused by a type of bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus)

The Takeaway

  • Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic, noncontagious skin condition that causes cradle cap among infants and, among adults, flaking on the scalp and other areas of the body, skin inflammation, and itching.
  • Risk factors for seborrheic dermatitis include being male and having a family history of seborrheic dermatitis. It can also be triggered by depression, stress, season changes, and immunosuppressive or neurological health conditions, among other factors.
  • To treat seborrheic dermatitis, providers may recommend medicated shampoos, lotions, or ointments. In more severe cases, oral medication or light therapy may be recommended.
  • If you have symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis, let your healthcare provider know. They can help you develop a plan to keep your symptoms at bay.

Common Questions & Answers

What is the main cause of seborrheic dermatitis?
No one main factor causes seborrheic dermatitis, but it may be triggered by several factors like Malassezia (yeast) overgrowth on the skin, high androgen hormone levels, oily skin, and inflammation.
You can treat seborrheic dermatitis with medicated shampoos, topical creams, and sometimes oral medications or light therapy.
Yes, dry winter air can cause seborrheic dermatitis flares.
No, seborrheic dermatitis will not cause hair loss.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Seborrheic Dermatitis - Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic. July 19, 2024.
  2. Seborrheic Dermatitis. Cleveland Clinic. May 29, 2020.
  3. Seborrheic Dermatitis. National Eczema Association. February 20, 2025.
  4. Ludmann P. Seborrheic dermatitis: Overview. American Academy of Dermatology Association. December 5, 2022.
  5. Tucker D et al. Seborrheic Dermatitis. StatPearls. March 1, 2024.
  6. Seborrheic Dermatitis - Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic. July 19, 2024.
  7. FDA Approves Arcutis’ ZORYVE® (roflumilast) Topical Foam, 0.3% for the Treatment of Seborrheic Dermatitis in Individuals Aged 9 Years and Older. Arcutis Biotherapeutics. December 15, 2023.
  8. Seborrheic Dermatitis. National Eczema Association. February 20, 2025.
  9. Sangha AM. Approach to Treating Seborrheic Dermatitis in Skin of Color. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. June 2024.
  10. Wilson BN et al. Bridging racial differences in the clinical encounter: How implicit bias and stereotype threat contribute to health care disparities in the dermatology clinic. International Journal of Women's Dermatology. January 9, 2021.
  11. Narla S et al. Racial disparities in dermatology. Archives of Dermatological Research. July 1, 2023.
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Susan Bard, MD

Medical Reviewer

Susan Bard, MD, is a clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an adjunct clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Mount Sinai in New York City. Her professional interests include Mohs micrographic surgery, cosmetic and laser procedures, and immunodermatology.

She is a procedural dermatologist with the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery.

Dr. Bard has written numerous book chapters and articles for many prominent peer-reviewed journals, and authored the textbook The Laser Treatment of Vascular Lesions.

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Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is a married mother of four and loves the circus — that is her home! She has family all over the world, and loves to travel as much as possible.

McCoy has written for publications like Remedy Health Media, Sleepopolis, and Expectful. She is passionate about health education and loves using her experience and knowledge in her writing.

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