red, dry skin just in the spot between brows.

[Ryuku]

Hello, I'm a 16 year old teen and since about 7 or 8 months ago I've had really flaky, dry skin between my brows and extending sometimes to my forehead with tiny bums appearing from time to time.

In the beginning the flakes were similar to dandruff and where in my brows as well, so i uded an anti-dandruff shampoo (selsum blue, then head and shoulders) and they cleared away nicely.

But now, the spot between my brows is red, dry and so flaky. I've tried acne products but that just makes it worse. I've also tried baby oil and that seems to work a bit, it moisturizes the area so it's no longer flaky but it's still red. The redness seems to center right between my brows mostly (while the dryness gets above and closer to the hairline).

I'm not putting anything on my face, no make-up, no acne products, nothing at all. And I wash it twice a day with cold water and very mild, non-allergenic soap or baby shampoo.

What is it and what should I do?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From the symptoms you have mentioned, it seems to be a case of Eczema or seborrheis dermatitis. Eczema is a form of chronic dermatitis (rash).Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. Allergic reaction can occur to strong soaps, Solvents, chemicals, certain foods, food additives, plants, metals, cosmetics, even urine and faeces of some animals (dust mites). Seborrhea is a form of skin inflammation (dermatitis) that causes a red, oily, flaking skin rash in areas of the body where glands in the skin called sebaceous glands are most abundant — the scalp, face and groin.

Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.Application of steroid creams also helps.However if it is a case of seborrheic dermatitis then specific treatment consisting of shampoos containing selenium and zinc pyrithione along with topical steroids is used.
For confirmation of diagnosis,pls get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted if you have any additional queries.