Seborrheic Dermatitis and Hair Loss

Hi Dr.I wanted to follow up with you. I wanted to let you know what I’ve found out after three trips to my primary care doctor. I gave blood twice and had it checked for thyroid, full panel scan, cancer and HIV to name a few. Plus chest x-rays.I have all normal levels and no HIV. I’ve been diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis on my face and scalp. When I started using the brow conditioner is about the time my eyebrow hair started falling out. The areas it was applied, started flaking bad. I am still having hair loss in my eyebrow and some on my temple areas with itching. I hear hair loss is normal with seborrheic dermatitis? I notice the eyebrow hairs falling often have a piece of dry skin attached to the base. How long can I expect to have hair loss now that I’m being treated with desonide cream? Will the hair grow back once the seborrheic dermatitis clears? If not when can I consider scalp and eyebrow transplants. Will they be successful? Thanks.

The role of seborrheic dermatitis in hair loss is debated. Patients with seborrheic dermatitis may lose hair indirectly due to the inflammation of the skin that can accelerate telogen effluvium, which is reversible in most cases. The other mechanism of hair loss in these patients is through traction alopecia by scratching and rubbing hair. Traction alopecia is reversible in many cases. A small group of patients with baldness due to chronic traction alopecia may never grow hair back and a hair transplant may become necessary and could be done successfully after the skin inflammation is over. Before embarking on a transplant for the eyebrows, be sure that you have controlled the seborrheic dermatitis. This should be easy for a good dermatologist.