What is sebopsoriasis?
When a person presents with features of both psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis (SD), a healthcare professional may diagnose sebopsoriasis. This is a chronic skin condition that has symptoms that resemble both conditions.
Sebopsoriasis presents as a red or purple rash with yellow, greasy scales. The rash typically appears within skin folds and on the face, scalp, and chest.
Sebopsoriasis may flare up multiple times throughout a person’s life. Although there is no cure for the condition, a range of treatment options can help alleviate the symptoms.
This article highlights how sebopsoriasis differs from seborrheic dermatitis (SD) and psoriasis. It also lists the risk factors for developing sebopsoriasis and outlines the available treatment options.
How does it differ from psoriasis and SD?
Sebopsorisis symptoms overlap with those of SD and psoriasis.
Psoriasis
Symptoms of psoriasis include patches of skin that are thick and raised. On white skin, these plaques appear as red patches covered in silvery-white scales. On black skin, the plaques appear darker and thicker and tend to be gray or purple.
SD
SD typically occurs on oily areas of skin, such as the face or scalp. Adults with SD will have scaly patches on the skin that appear to be greasy or moist.
Sebopsoriasis
Similar to SD, the scales that develop due to sebopsoriasis tend to affect the areas of skin that have a lot of sebaceous glands. These glands produce sebum, an oily substance that covers the surface of the skin.
Both SD and sebopsoriasis affect the scalp, face, and chest. The scales are also greasy.
Similar to psoriasis, the lesions are more well-defined compared to those of SD. However, the rashes have fewer scales than psoriasis-lesions.
In some cases, a doctor may change the diagnosis from sebopsoriasis to SD or psoriasis, depending on how a person responds to treatment.
Sebopsoriasis symptoms and diagnosis
Because sebopsoriasis shares symptoms with psoriasis and SD, a doctor will pay close attention to what the rash looks like and where it appears on the body.
Rash
A sebopsoriasis rash may be red or purple with a clearly defined border. Thick, yellow, greasy scales accompany the rash.
Location on the body
A person may notice a sebopsoriasis rash on one or more of the following areas:
- the scalp
- the eyebrows
- the indentations between the cheek and nose
- areas behind the ears
- the middle of the chest
- Sebopsoriasis may also affect areas of the body where there is a lot of friction, such as skin folds.
