Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
seborrhea

seborrhea

1 9.8
A skin problem that makes the skin too oily because oil glands make too much oil
  • noun
  • /ˌsɛbəˈriə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : seborrea
  • When sebum mixes with dirt and eventually forms a crust, the condition is called seborrhea.

Examples

  • Scalp seborrhea varies from mild dandruff to dense, diffuse, adherent scale.

  • If you notice persistent fishlike scales or waxy tan flakes, you may have seborrhea or psoriasis.

  • The thrush on my tongue, the seborrhea in my eyebrows.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • dandruff, seborrhea, maybe just dry, itchy scalp.

    National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)

  • There are some studies linking the efficacy of aloe vera use to seborrhea.

    Blog text (1)

  • When sebum mixes with dirt and eventually forms a crust, the condition is called seborrhea.

    Blog text (1)

  • Scalp seborrhea varies from mild dandruff to dense, diffuse, adherent scale.

    Blog text (10)

How Oily

seborrhea
  • Specialized
1 9.8
greasy
123 1.0
oily
38 1.0
dryness
8 1.0

Surface Forms

seborrhea singular
seborrheas plural

Morphology

seborrhea = sebum (transparent) = sebum + rrhea

Formed from 'sebum' (oily secretion) + medical suffix '-rrhea' (flow/discharge); the meaning 'excess flow/discharge of sebum' is directly derivable from these parts.

Etymology

Seborrhea comes from sebum, meaning 'fat' or 'grease', and the part -rrhea, from Greek meaning 'to flow', the same ending you see in diarrhea. So seborrhea is an 'oily flow', which helps remember it is a condition where the skin makes too much oil.