Today, skin diseases are very common in medicine. One of them is seborrhea on the face, which is usually observed in adolescence. Most often, it appears during the period of hormonal changes in the body. The disease manifests itself in the form of rashes on the face, which are constantly itchy. They bring a lot of discomfort to a person. This disease is associated with a dysfunction of the sebaceous glands. The glands begin to work hard, provoking the appearance of a fatty film on the skin, on which redness is observed in the future. Doctors say that facial seborrhea is a chronic pathology that affects those people whose skin has a large number of sebaceous glands.
Description and characteristics of the disease
Seborrhea of the skin of the face – is a disease caused by dysfunction of the sebaceous glands. It is expressed in reddening of the skin of the face, the appearance of acne on the forehead, around the nose, above the lip and in the eyebrow area. This disease is serious, it has rather unpleasant symptoms. Seborrhea can manifest itself not only on the face, but also onother parts of the body too. It all depends on the number of sebaceous glands.
Most often the disease occurs in adolescents during puberty. In 20% of cases, the pathology becomes chronic. In some cases, seborrhea on the face is also manifested in older men. This disease is diagnosed in only 8% of people worldwide.
When the sebaceous glands begin to produce a large amount of fat, the skin of the face becomes covered with a greasy film. This is due to the fact that there is a change in the microflora of the skin. Usually the disease begins to appear in the autumn season.
Varieties of pathology
The sebaceous glands can function in two directions - producing excessive or insufficient amounts of fat. Depending on this, it is customary to distinguish several types of the disease:
- fat;
- dry;
- mixed seborrhea.
In the latter case, the disease is considered to be the most dangerous and common type of dermatitis. With such a disease, a greasy film covers the forehead, nose and chin, and the cheeks and temples begin to peel off and exfoliate. These phenomena give a person discomfort and a lot of discomfort.
Oily seborrhea
This pathology mainly affects people with dark skin. Most often, this type of disease is observed in adolescents. After a teenager has passed puberty, oily seborrhea of the skin of the face may not disappear on its own, but continue to bother a person for many more years.
Pathologyhas several features:
- Greasy hair even after washing. They begin to stick together, large pieces of oily dandruff appear near the roots, which stick to the surface of the hair.
- Comedones (blackheads), which are black dots formed due to blockage of follicles. The skin is irritated, resulting in accumulations of oil, skin scales and dirt.
- Abscesses that appear due to inflammation of the skin.
- Atheromas, which are cysts that form at the location of abscesses due to the accumulation of fat in the layers of the epidermis.
Dry seborrhea
Dry seborrhea on the face can be observed in people of different age groups. Very often, pathology is diagnosed in both young children and the elderly.
The disease has the following features:
- Dry skin as a result of reduced sebum production. In case of violation of the function of the sebaceous glands, the skin of the face is not covered with a protective fatty film. Dry seborrhea of the scalp and face develops.
- Skin peeling due to drying of the epidermis. It starts to burst, forming dandruff.
- Dandruff on the scalp, which is small. She may fall off her hair over her shoulders.
Causes of disease development
Seborrhea on the face, reviews of which are only negative, can be triggered by the following reasons:
- Impaired immune system as a result of lack of vitamins andhemoglobin in the blood.
- Disorder of the hormonal system during puberty.
- Violation of the activity of the digestive tract, as a result of which the body absorbs nutrients and vitamins in insufficient quantities, toxins are also excreted from the body in insufficient quantities. All this contributes to the development of dermatitis.
- Diseases of the liver and endocrine system.
- Mental disorders due to prolonged stress and depression.
- Obesity, in which the internal organs begin to function more slowly, the breakdown products of amino acids accumulate in the body.
- Insufficient facial skin care, use of unsuitable cosmetics.
- Harmful working conditions such as high humidity or dust.
- Genetic and hereditary predisposition.
Facial seborrhea, which is not always necessary to treat, usually occurs between the ages of 12 and 24, when there is an increase in testosterone production and a decrease in estrogen levels in the body. This disease has physiological prerequisites, so the signs of seborrhea should go away on their own. In some cases, the pathology does not go away, then the person needs to contact a dermatologist for an examination.
Also, the causes of seborrhea can be:
- genetic predisposition;
- Parkinson's syndrome;
- epilepsy;
- schizophrenia.
Provoking factors are:
- eating s alty foods;
- failure to workhormones;
- poor hygiene;
- treated with chemotherapy;
- lactation period.
Many scientists claim that seborrhea on the face develops as a result of the influence of one of the types of fungi Pityrosporum, which lives in the fatty glands and hair follicles. This fungus is present in 90% of he althy people worldwide, but is in a dormant state.
Signs of oily seborrhea
Symptoms of facial seborrhea are as follows:
- The appearance of the so-called lemon peel on the face, when the pores increase significantly in diameter.
- Persistent sweating in the upper extremities, which may indicate a CNS disorder.
- Permanently oily skin. An oily film is formed even after it is removed with special drying agents.
- The appearance of blackheads and comedones as a result of blockage of the follicles with pus. In the absence of therapy, the disease takes on a neglected form. It is no longer amenable to treatment with creams and other products that are applied superficially.
- The appearance of scars in the area where acne is located, they leave behind scars that are difficult to get rid of.
- The growth of scar tissue, which becomes hard and white.
Doctors recommend not squeezing out blackheads and ulcers on the face, as you can provoke their spread to he althy areas of the skin in the future. And also in this case, a secondary infection can join seborrhea. ToThis type of disease is often associated with secondary infections: pustular, fungal. Often there are cases that seborrhea "adjacent" to demodicosis caused by demodex (subcutaneous tick).
If any signs of the disease appear, it is recommended to visit a dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment.
Signs of dry seborrhea
In medicine, the following symptoms characteristic of dry seborrhea are distinguished:
- The appearance of small cracks in the skin, which provoke peeling of the skin and the formation of scales.
- The appearance of dandruff, hair loss. Dry seborrhea usually develops on the face and scalp. Lack of moisture leads to hair breakage and hair loss.
- The formation of spots on the face of a red tint.
- Development of itching due to lack of moisture and drying of the skin.
Dry seborrhea can also provoke secondary infections through microcracks in the skin, which cause the development of an inflammatory process - seborrheic dermatitis.
Symptoms and signs of mixed seborrhea
The main signs of the disease include:
- formation of pink spots on the face;
- pore expansion;
- shine and peeling of the skin;
- constant itching;
- appearance of acne;
- Crusting in severe cases.
Mixed seborrhea is rare, it is characterized by an increase in oily skin and dry scalp. Whereinthe disease is very difficult to cure.
Diagnostic measures
With seborrhea of the head and face, treatment is prescribed only after an accurate diagnosis has been made. Usually this does not cause difficulties for the doctor. During the initial examination, the dermatologist highlights the luster of the skin on the face, the expansion of the ducts of the glands, comedones. In the dry form of the pathology, the skin is dry, it peels off, any irritation causes inflammatory reactions. The patient's shoulders may be covered with dandruff, which is a good breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria. These microorganisms, together with a large amount of fat on the skin, often provoke the development of seborrheic eczema. A dermatologist makes a diagnosis on the basis of an external examination and a study of the history of the disease. But it is also important to identify the causes of the development of the disease in order to be able to eliminate them.
As an additional diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe laboratory blood tests, hormone tests, as well as serological research methods in the presence of concomitant infections. In addition, you may need to consult an endocrinologist or therapist.
Therapeutic interventions
Treatment of seborrhea on the face is possible only after diagnosis. The effectiveness of therapy depends on the causes of the development of pathology and compliance with all prescriptions and recommendations of the attending physician. Seborrhea is well treated in adolescents when it is caused by a change in the hormonal background of a teenager. In this case, the doctor recommends observing the daily regimen,eat right, pay attention to facial hygiene, exercise, and eliminate bad habits. All these activities help to strengthen the immune system. Thus, the symptoms of the disease will gradually fade away.
Treatment of seborrhea should be comprehensive, including the following points:
- Improving the patient's immunity. In this case, it is possible to use tincture of echinacea or propolis, medications. For example, Protopica or Elidel.
- Normalization of vitamin and mineral balance in the body. The doctor may prescribe complexes of vitamins and minerals, trace elements.
- Taking sedative medications, but only when needed.
- Hormonal drugs, corticosteroids. They are prescribed for a short time, as resistance to therapy is possible.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs in case of a purulent infection.
- Tinctures, lotions or ointments for seborrhea on the face. All these products have a drying and anti-inflammatory effect, so they are well suited for the treatment of oily seborrhea.
Therapy of dry seborrhea
Treatment of dry seborrhea on the face is carried out with natural oils, which are endowed with an antiseptic effect, as well as antifungal creams. In this case, the doctor prescribes sage oil, Nystatin, Lamisil cream and others. These products are applied to cleansed skin.
You can also use salicylic acid solution. Soak a cotton swab in the solution and wipe the affected areas. The cream "Sulsen" has a good effect. Take offinflammation can be done with an ointment based on furatsilina.
In some cases, a dermatologist may prescribe hormonal drugs that are used only under his supervision. Such medicines are used for about 7 days.
Treatment of oily seborrhea
Treatment of oily seborrhea on the face is carried out with drugs containing sulfur. The doctor may prescribe to wipe the skin with a solution of sodium thiosulfate. After the elimination of acute symptoms, the skin should be wiped with an alcohol tincture of lily of the valley or valerian. It is possible to powder the skin with talcum powder, which includes zinc oxide.
Physiotherapy is often used to treat the disease. This includes exposure to ultraviolet, cold or infrared radiation. Cryotherapy is often used, in which a cotton swab with liquid nitrogen is applied to problem areas. Cryotherapy helps to cool the skin, relieve inflammation and eliminate pathogenic microbes.
Forecast and prevention
Prognosis is usually good. Today, medicine has developed many ways to treat this disease. In advanced cases, dermatitis and eczema may develop. It is important to prevent the transformation of the disease into a chronic form, as it is very difficult to treat.
Seborrhea usually manifests itself in the autumn or winter season, therefore, in order to prevent it, it is recommended to take vitamin and mineral complexes, adhere to a proper diet, and monitor personal hygiene. By following all the recommendations, you can easily avoid the development of thispathology. It is important not to self-medicate, since seborrhea is a serious disease of the sebaceous glands that requires a special approach in therapy. Only a dermatologist can prescribe a course of treatment.
