I've had a patch of flaky skin on and in my ears for sometime now, but only recently did this "condition" spread to my eyelids. Doctors have all kinds of names for this condition, including psoriasis, dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, dandruff, and, when it gets into the eye lashes, blepharitis.
The doctor may or may not tell you that the cause of these skin and eyebrow problems is often (1) a bacterial infection--because this makes us feel unclean and germy, or (2) an infection by Demodex folliculorum, a microscopic mite that lives in the hair follicles of the eyebrow and eats dead skin. The doctor hesitates to tell you this because you might "creep out." Instead, he or she will tell you, "I'm going to prescribe an antibiotic for your infection."
Doctors might also hesitate to tell you (early on, at least) what your symptoms point to when they point to a rather drastic diagnosis. I remember early on, when I lost my sense of smell, the doctor prescribed an MRI to see if I had a brain tumor. The result was a "No. You just must be very smart," A visit to a neurologist to determine why I couldn't button my shirts anymore, resulted in, "The speed of electrical travel on the neural pathways of you right arm is normal." Then, I was referred to another neurologist and on the referral were the initials "PD" under "diagnosis." This neurologist eventually said, "You have the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, or a Parkinson's-like disease." The doctors all thought I would freak out, I assume, so no one wanted to be the first to spell it out for me.
Even some of my adult friends will say, "Uncle Joe is in a bad way. He has CA." Maybe they fear that if they name "cancer" instead of using the code CA, they will be safe from getting it.
