Eczema & Seborrhea - Leading to Red Skin Syndrome

Eczema & Seborrhea – Leading to Red Skin Syndrome

A fairly large group of atopic dermatitis (eczema) patients inherit the tendency for rash and itching often associated with other problems such as asthma and hay fever. After prolonged usage of topical corticosteroids and (sometimes) systemic steroids they develop a red skin syndrome due to steroid over usage and addiction.

Another group of patients diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis or dandruff of the face, manifest a red scaly mildly itchy rash on the sides of the nose, eyebrows, behind the ears and in the scalp.

Science commits suicide when it adopts a creed.

T.H. Huxley

When these patients apply steroids to the affected area the steroids are quite effective but addiction sets in with more frequent applications and stronger creams. These people develop red skin syndrome on the face that occasionally spreads to the neck and upper chest.

Once the steroids are stopped and the redness clears then the mild seborrheic dermatitis, if it recurs, can be treated with non-steroid medication. These patients can withdraw from redness in 2 – 8 months.

Please be reminded that all RSS patients do not begin with eczema or atopic dermatitis. This will be explored further in future blogs.

By Dr Marvin Rapaport, MD|2021-10-19T03:16:51-07:00August 20th, 2015|Red Skin Syndrome Causes, What Is Eczema|Comments Off

About the Author: Dr Marvin Rapaport, MD

In 1978 I initiated and set up the contact and photo dermatitis clinic at UCLA. There was a need to evaluate a large group of patients who exhibited severe eczematoid rashes, especially on the face. Patients were referred from all over Southern California. All patients underwent a lengthy history and examination. Further evaluations included blood studies, allergy patch testing, special sunlight (photo) testing and skin biopsies. From the start it was apparent that most patients experienced a mild dermatitis on various parts of the body that progressively worsened. Their histories always included numerous doctor visits, multiple physicians, and therapy consisting of an increasing amount of corticosteroids. My testing failed to reveal any specific culprit chemicals, cosmetics, perfumes, workplace or recreational exposures. It became increasingly clear that the physician’s therapy, the corticosteroids, was invariably causing the problem. I wrote 7 scientific articles that were published in the most august peer-reviewed dermatologic journals and I gave many lectures at various dermatology meetings. To this day an unfortunate reluctance exists on the part of most physicians to accept this simple concept.