Tape strips can help capture the unique molecular profile of seborrheic dermatitis (SD) without the need for biopsy, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

For the study, a team of researchers from Mount Sinai Health System in New York, NY, used D-Squame tape strips (CuDerm Corp.) to collect skin cells from 28 adults with SD. This is the first time tape strips have been applied to identify immune and lipid changes in patients with SD.

Interleukins Active in SD

They found that interleukins were very active in the skin of people with SD. Specifically, the SD molecular skin fingerprint was characterized by strong and significant upregulation of interleukin (IL)23/T-helper (Th)17 and Th22 (i.e., IL23A, IL22, PI3, LL37, S100A8, S100A12), some Th1 skewing (OASL, STAT1, CXCL9), and limited Th2 modulation.

The researchers also noted that the changes in the immune systems of people with SD are similar to those in people with psoriasis.

“We were able to analyze the molecular skin profile of adult patients with SD using tape strips. Until now, our understanding of the disease has been limited because studying it required invasive skin biopsies,” says lead author Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Waldman Professor and Chair of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in a news release.

“This is the largest transcriptomic study to date on seborrheic dermatitis, and for the first time, we were able to use simple, minimally invasive tape strips to uncover the immune pathways driving the disease—specifically interleukin 23, T-helper 17, and T-helper 22 responses. This breakthrough opens the door to developing more targeted, effective treatments for patients.”

Study co-author Benjamin Ungar, MD, Director of the Alopecia Center of Excellence and Director of the Rosacea and Seborrheic Dermatitis Clinic at the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai, says, “Tape strips are less invasive than biopsies, which are the gold standard but can be painful and intrusive, making them less than ideal for young or sensitive patients. This new research is exciting because we used a noninvasive method (tape) to identify unique immune responses, and that will allow us to better understand seborrheic dermatitis.”