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Six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa has battled more than stiff competition throughout his career. He has also battled seborrheic dermatitis, a chronic skin condition.
Seborrheic dermatitis, more commonly known as seb derm, is something the 35-year-old golfer said he’s been dealing with since high school.
“I think (in high school) I noticed I had dandruff or what I thought was dandruff. And you know, you see it in commercials, everybody has it, so it’s not a problem,” Homa told Pakinomist Digital as part of Arcutis’ Free to Be Me campaign.
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Max Homa tees off on the third hole during the first round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 5, 2026. (Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“As I got older, I started getting a lot of redness on my face, and I tried everything over the counter, creams or any lotion, and I could get things to help it a little, but never sustainably.”
Homa said that being out in public a lot, it is not ideal to wear a patch on the face to counteract what seb derm, and said that in his beard it became painful. Homa credited his wife for getting him to see a dermatologist about it.
The Burbank, Calif., native said having seb derm is a very humbling thing, and he wasn’t going to talk about it until Arcutis reached out to become a partner. He hoped that being open and vulnerable encouraged others to check out.
“It’s not something I ever intended to do. But after some consideration, when Arcutis wanted to be a partner, I thought to myself, man, if I could help someone else get pampered to find out what’s going on with their skin,” Homa said.
“Even though it’s not the easiest thing to do, I think especially for men, for whatever reason, I don’t know, very men. We, we don’t seem to like the dentist. We don’t seem to like the dermatologist. We don’t seem to like the doctor. All these things are, luckily my wife makes me go to all these things now.”
Jordan Spieth talks with Max Homa on the fourth tee during the third round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California on February 21, 2026. (Caroline Brehman/AP Photo)
Dr. Tina Bhutani, a board-certified dermatologist, clinical researcher and CEO of Synergy Dermatology, told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview that 10 million Americans deal with seb derm.
“The most common areas are the scalp. It’s what we call, you know, quote unquote dandruff.
But it can actually manifest in other areas like the face, the ears, the upper chest, the upper back, Bhutani told Pakinomist Digital.
“So it can be in several areas at once, which makes it difficult to live with. It is very visible, and it affects the patients’ quality of life.”
Bhutani said if left untreated, it can not only get worse but continue to spread. She recommended that the first step to getting treated is to talk to your primary care physician and dermatologist for next steps.
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Max Homa hits from the third fairway during the third round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California on February 21, 2026. (Caroline Brehman/AP Photo)
Homa said he was prescribed Zoryve (reflumilast) foam, which is a 0.3% steroid-free foam once daily to treat itching, redness, and wherever seb derm appears.
“It’s like once a day for me in the morning, and I’m just more at peace with it. I’m never thinking about my skin, which is great,” Homa said. “If it can be this easy for me, hopefully others can find it.”
Homa said it’s not greasy, it’s not overpowering, and it only takes a minute and a half to apply in the morning. He said the hardest part of getting treatment was just going to the dermatologist.
“The hardest part was easily going to the dermatologist, which wasn’t hard,” Homa said with a laugh. “As it was, that was easily the hardest part.”
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Max Homa waits to putt on the eighth green during the first round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California on February 19, 2026. (Caroline Brehman/AP Photo)
“So for the guys, I think we see our wives or significant others or women in general as if they have skincare routines. That’s why they’re beautiful and we’re not.”
Homa wants people to know how easy it is to be treated. “I just want people to know that once you find a solution or something that works for you, it just becomes part of your everyday life and it’s not overbearing.”
Homa won the Wells Fargo Championship in 2019; Genesis Invitational and Fortinet Championship in 2021; won the Wells Fargo Championship and the Fortinet Championship again in 2022; and the Farmers Insurance Open in 2023.
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