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Navigate: FAQ Home Page > Acne & Skin Concerns > Q&A
Posted on: 10/18/2007
Question
I know that people have some kind of bug or something that live on the eyebrows that eat away at dead skin etc, but i have little flakes of dead skin on my eyebrows and i am wondering if these bugs dont exist on me therefore causing dead skin to appear???
Answer
It sounds like you have seborrhea, which is a common condition that can affect the eyebrows, scalp, ears, and creases of the nose. Dandruff and dry flaky scalp is a part of seborrhea, and you can get the same thing in the eyebrows as well. You don't have to have all of the above-mentioned areas involved. You can usually treat it with the over-the-counter 1% hydrocortisone cream. If it doesn't go away in a few days, or if you have to treat continuously for more than two weeks, go see a dermatologist. As far as the bugs on the skin, some people think that seborrhea is caused by an abnormal response to a yeast which is normally present on the skin; yeast is a microscopic organism and not an insect. You can also have mites in your hair follicles and this is felt to be normal as well; in some people, this may cause rosacea or adult acne. Good luck!