What is seborrhoeic dermatitis and who gets it?
Seborrhoeic dermatitis is a type of skin inflammation. It is sometimes called seborrhoeic eczema. It mainly occurs in young adults and teenagers. About 1 in 25 adults develop this condition. It is more common in men than women. Some babies have a similar condition that usually clears within a few months which is sometimes called ‘cradle cap’. (See separate leaflet called ‘Seborrhoeic Dermatitis in Babies’.) It does not usually occur in children older than about 8-9 months. The exact cause is not known. A type of fungal germ called Malassezia furfur (previously called Pityrosporum ovale) is thought to be involved. However, it is not just a simple skin infection and it is not contagious (you cannot ‘catch’ this condition from others). The germ lives in the sebum (oil) of human skin in most adults. In most people it does no harm. But some people may ‘react’ to this yeast germ in some way which causes inflammation.
