What's Causing the Flakes on My Kids Eyebrows?

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Spotting flakes on your kid’s eyebrows might be strange and unsettling, but it doesn’t mean you have any major reason to worry. The most common causes for eyebrow flakes on children aren’t a big deal and are either easy to treat or go away on their own.

Always double-check with your child’s doctor, but the flakes on your kid’s eyebrows could be due to seborrheic dermatitis.

Seborrheic Dermatitis?

Seborrheic dermatitis is, in the simplest terms, a case of extreme dandruff. It’s an inflammatory skin condition that pops up on the head, eyebrows, forehead, nose, and neck folds and causes symptoms including:

Flaking
Itching
Patches of crusty, flaky and yellowed skin
Redness
Greasy skin
Inflammation

Seborrheic dermatitis is very common in toddlers and babies. In fact, it affects about 42% of children, which is why it’s the most plausible cause for flakes on your kid’s eyebrows.

Sometimes called “cradle cap,” seborrheic dermatitis usually clears up all on its own within 6 to 12 months. But there are ways you can get rid of it quicker while easing some of the symptoms.

The best way is to wash your kid’s head with a seborrheic dermatitis shampoo. But not just any medicated shampoo will do. Most anti-dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis shampoos on the market are much too harsh for sensitive young skin. Happy Cappy Medicated Shampoo and Body Wash, however, is made specifically for children without any harsh ingredients like fragrances, sulfates, parabens, and dyes. It is finished with the active ingredient Zinc Pyrithione, which is an FDA-approved active ingredient that helps eliminate the flaking and scaling associated with seborrheic dermatitis. So using a medicated shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis like this can indeed help reduce those flakes on your kid’s eyebrows.

What Else Could It Be?

Though seborrheic dermatitis is the most likely culprit for the flakes on your kid’s eyebrows, there are a few other possibilities:

Contact Dermatitis – Contact dermatitis is a type of eczema that pops up when the skin is irritated by harsh chemicals, jewelry, some foods, and skincare products. The symptoms of contact dermatitis include redness, flaking, dryness, and itchiness. These symptoms can manifest on the eyebrows because of shampoo, body wash, or other irritants. However, contact dermatitis is most commonly seen as redness and itching rather than flakes.
Psoriasis – This skin condition is best known for silvery flakes or scales and red, thickened patches of skin. Caused by an autoimmune imbalance, psoriasis can show up almost anywhere on the body, including the eyebrows, hairline, and forehead. Psoriasis flare-ups are generally triggered by skin injuries, stress, medications, and diet changes. However, psoriasis also usually causes lesions, not just flakes.
Ichthyosis – Ichthyosis is another skin condition that causes itching, redness, and flakes. Though it can show up on the eyebrows and forehead, it is normally much more diffuse throughout the body.

Stop the Flaking

None of these potential causes of flakes on the eyebrows, even seborrheic dermatitis, are particularly dangerous. Many of them go away on their own. However, it’s best to get control over the flakes before they get worse.

Use an anti-dandruff shampoo for kids, like Dr. Eddie’s Happy Cappy Medicated Shampoo & Body Wash, that helps prevent the recurrence of itching, redness, flaking, and scaling associated with seborrheic dermatitis.

As in any eczematous condition, whether it be seborrheic dermatitis, or atopic dermatitis getting to the root of the problem, even when it is happening on the eyebrows, can help soothe irritated skin.