Itchy and prickly skin, seborrhea and hair loss – these are the most common symptoms of scalp diseases. How to recognize a typical scalp affliction and what should you avoid to restore balance, health and beauty to the skin of the scalp?
Latest studies have shown that scalp diseases are becoming more and more common. The affect people at different ages and their causes may be pretty surprising.
Causes of scalp conditions
Each scalp ailment has a slightly different culprit, but there is one thing that connects them – mostly they appear as the consequence of our negligence, using wrong treatments, wrong hair products, etc. In many cases the reasons for scalp conditions have a similar ground, and include the following:
- not cleansing scalp enough
- not rinsing thoroughly
- washing hair either too often or too rarely
- using wrong hair products
- exposition to strong and constant stress
- dangerous hormonal imbalance
- and many, many more
Most common scalp conditions
The most common scalp concerns include: fungal infection, pediculosis, dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis and psoriasis. What should you know about these scalp conditions?
DANDRUFF
This is definitely the most popular skin disease of the scalp that every other person is struggling with. It can be permanent, reoccurring or appear only once in a lifetime. The causes of dandruff are various, although the most common are the insufficient cleansing and bad hair care habits, which lead to fungal infection. There are a few types of dandruff: dry (characteristic white flakes), oily, variegated and seborrheic. The easiest way to eliminate this problem is to use anti-dandruff shampoo.
SEBORRHOEIC DERMATITIS
Often confused for dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis is another common ailment that affects scalp. One of its symptoms includes flaking skin but it’s also affected by rosacea, scabs and inflammation. Interestingly, it appears mainly during the autumn-winter season. Their causes aren’t fully understood yet, and the treatment should be done under the dermatologists supervision.
SCALP PSORIASIS
Scalp psoriasis is an autoimmune disease and its symptoms include large epidermal flakes that grow, split and fall out. This type of flakes appearing on the scalp are so characteristic that they can’t be mistaken for any other disease. The bad news is that curing scalp psoriasis is very difficult because this disease is caused by our immune system. This means that you won’t cure scalp psoriasis using home remedies.
FUNGAL INFECTION OF SCALP
Another common scalp condition is fungal infection. The good news is that fungal infection of the scalp isn’t difficult to cure because flaking skin, itchiness and prickling sensation are caused by fungi. If you act fast, you will get rid of this problem easily because it is uncommon for fungal infection to relapse. All you have to do is use fungicidal hair products such as ketoconazole shampoos. It’s also recommended to wash or buy new hair tools (combs, brushes).
PEDICULOSIS
Similar case is with pediculosis, which is a scalp condition caused by human lice. If this parasite inhabits the hair, the best thing to do would be cut hair short and start using dedicated medication. Some essential oils such as rosemary oil may be useful in fighting pediculosis off. The good news is that this skin disease of the scalp isn’t very common and in most cases occurs only once in a lifetime.
