Summary Objective Aim of this study was to examine the Malassezia species of the normal skin flora as well as the species isolated from patients with seborrheic dermatitis (SD) and atopic dermatitis (AD). Materials and methods In this study, the subjects were 81 patients (34 with AD and 47 with SD) plus 40 normal subjects. A direct microscopic examination and culturing were carried out on the skin samples. The isolated yeasts were identified by their morphological features as well as physiological characteristics. Results Fifty-six patients (69.1%) were female and the rest (30.9%) were male. The highest prevalence of skin lesions was seen in patients with 21–30 years of age (41.3%). Cultures yielded positive results in 85.1% of patients with SD and 47.1% of patients with AD as well as 77.5% of the normal subjects. The culture results showed a statistically significant difference among the patients and normal subjects (χ2, P = 0.001). Conclusions The results showed that M. globosa was the most frequent species isolated from AD and normal subjects and M. furfur was the most prevalent species isolated from SD.