Skip to main content
Seborrheic Dermatitis

9 Seborrheic Dermatitis Triggers and How to Avoid Them

Not all triggers can be avoided, but there may still be ways to manage them to reduce flares.

Marisa Taylor KarasPatricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH
Written by Marisa Taylor Karas | Reviewed by Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH
Updated on April 22, 2025
Featuring Lindsey Bordone, MDReviewed by Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH | April 15, 2025

Seborrheic dermatitis (which includes dandruff) causes red, itchy, scaly skin. There are a number of things that can trigger flares of seborrheic dermatitis. Avoiding or limiting those triggers may help you manage your symptoms, according to Lindsey Bordone, MD, Dermatologist at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center. 

References

GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.

why trust our exports reliability shield

Why trust our experts?

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.
Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

Was this page helpful?