How To Diagnose Seborrheic Dermatitis

The yeast Malassezia is implicated in seborrheic dermatitis. It’s a naturally occurring skin fungus, so there’s no point in doing a skin scraping test. It’s rarely done because it doesn’t help make the diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis. Biopsies are not usually required for the diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis.

Generally, the family doctor or dermatologist will make the diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis based on appearance and their clinical experience. However, I’ve seen many cases of people misdiagnosed. There have been shockingly severe psoriasis cases misdiagnosed as eczema. I’ve seen horrible eczema cases misdiagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis. And, I’ve seen clients with fungal skin rashes who were told they had a bacterial skin infection.

If you’re uncertain if you’ve been diagnosed correctly, go to Google and search the images on different skin websites. In most cases, you’ll be able to recognize your problem. You don’t need a skin specialist to use Google images to your benefit.

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However, it’s not a good idea to try and diagnose your own skin cancer. In that situation, you definitely want to involve a medical expert. There are numerous things to look for in skin cancer, including itchiness, odd coloring, recent changes to your moles, and even just your feeling that something isn’t right. Don’t try and diagnose skin cancer on your own – that’s why you go to professionals.

But if what you have is red, flakey, oily, itchy skin, starting with Google images of seborrheic dermatitis, is reasonable. Just remember, if in doubt, check it out (with your doctor).

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