Discovering a number of flaky specs in your head isn’t something out of the bizarre. However in your forehead hairs? That may catch you off guard. Earlier than you panic, eyebrow dandruff normally isn’t something to fret about, Hope Mitchell, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founding father of Mitchell Dermatology in Perrysburg, Ohio, tells SELF.
That stated, it’s not precisely a one-size-fits-all prognosis both. Relatively, these little white or yellowish crumbs may very well be indicators of some totally different points that deserve your consideration, like dry pores and skin craving moisture, for instance, or an underlying situation resulting in irritation or irritation. Beneath, we requested dermatologists to interrupt down all of the potential causes of eyebrow dandruff—and extra importantly, how you can clear it up ASAP.
So what’s inflicting my eyebrow dandruff?
1. Seborrheic dermatitis
Colloquially, individuals typically use “dandruff” as a catch-all time period for any and all flakes. However in response to Amy Freeman, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Millburn, New Jersey, true “dandruff” technically refers to a gentle type of seborrheic dermatitis, an inflammatory pores and skin dysfunction that impacts hair-bearing areas full of oil glands—mostly, your scalp. However it can be the rationale you’re shedding in your face too.
Irrespective of the place it reveals up, Dr. Freeman tells SELF the underlying explanation for seborrheic dermatitis is similar: An overgrowth of Malassezia yeast that feeds on oils. That explains why you’re extra prone to discover distinctively greasy, scaly, generally itchy patches in remoted spots stuffed with sebaceous glands, like your brows, underarms, and even your beard.
Now, there are a number of clues that may assist you determine if seborrheic dermatitis (and never one other wrongdoer on this checklist) is responsible. For one, precise dandruff flakes are sometimes oily and localized as a substitute of dry and widespread, Dr. Freeman factors out. And in additional extreme instances, “you might also expertise extra telltale signs like redness (in lighter pores and skin tones) and irritation,” she provides. Additionally, as a result of the yeast thrives in moist, sebum-rich environments, piling on further lotions and lotions would in all probability make an SD flare-up even worse.
2. Common ol’ dryness
Technically, these frosty bits in your brows won’t be dandruff (a.okay.a. seborrheic dermatitis) in any respect. As an alternative, they may simply be peeling, chapped, dry pores and skin. And sure, there’s a delicate distinction: Though each contain shedding, dryness happens when there’s a scarcity of moisture and normally could be soothed with hydrating merchandise. Dandruff, alternatively, is brought on by extra oil—which Dr. Mitchell notes could be triggered by components like hormonal fluctuations, seasonal shifts, and even dryness (since your physique may overcompensate by producing extra sebum).