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Seborrhoeic Dermatitis

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Checked: 23-08-2020 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-08-2021

Principles of Management

Local clinicians recommend:

Primary Care Dermatology Society: Seborrhoeic Dermatitis clinical guidance

NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries- Stepped management approach: cks.nice.org.uk/seborrhoeic-dermatitis

Please always refer to the BNSSG Formulary for the latest prescribing guidance.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

Psoriasis or a combination of the two conditions.

Rosacea is a separate condition but this can co-exist with Seborrhoeic dermatitis and can make treatment more difficult, as topical steroids will exacerbate Rosacea and should be avoided if possible: consider use of topical calcineurin inhibitor in this case.

Rarer diseases such as Hailey-Hailey disease can mimic Seborrhoeic dermatitis.

Tinea.

Red Flags

Severe or widespread Seborrhoeic dermatitis

INFANTS AND CHILDREN-

If a child has a severe or widespread seborrhoeic dermatitis, this should be discussed urgently with Paediatrics or Secondary care dermatology to consider serious underlying causes such as immunodefiency.

ADULTS-

In patients with widespread or severe seborrhoeic dermatitis, not responding to treatments, check for immunosuppression including HIV testing if appropriate

Referral

Uncomplicated seberrhoiec dermatitis can be managed in primary care using guidelines above.

If advice or confirmation of diagnosis is required then consider using Dermatology Advice and Guidance initially.

Referrals can also be made to the Community Dermatology Service who can offer individual patient management plans and advice, or to secondary care via eRS.

Resources

NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) Clinical Knowledge summary included for from Birth to 12 months.

cks.nice.org.uk/seborrhoeic-dermatitis

National Eczema Society for Information and support.

nationaleczema.org/eczema/types-of-eczema/seborrheic-dermatitis/

Patient information leaflet.

bad.org.uk/for-the-public/patient-information-leaflets

For Clinicians assessing impact of skin condition on quality of life.

Patient’s well-being- DLQI tool: cardiff.ac.uk/medicine/resources/quality-of-life-questionnaires

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.