Scalp conditions come in various forms and are caused by a variety of factors, including bacterial, fungal, and occasionally viral factors. They frequently share symptoms such as itching, inflammation, peeling, and so on and treatment methods.
It is critical to understand the exact causes and types of scalp conditions to treat them effectively. Unfortunately, many people resort to self-medication, and when they do not see any positive results, they switch medications. Unbeknownst to them, this has repercussions and implications.
Another thing to keep in mind about scalp conditions is that they frequently result in hair loss. Most of these conditions either directly affect the hair follicles, resulting in permanent hair loss, or they may affect the hair-producing cells, resulting in only temporary hair loss.
Because hair loss causes distress in its victims, everyone must be aware of these issues to take the necessary precautions to avoid them.
Folliculitis
This type of condition is an inflammation of the follicle. It appears as red pimples with a hair in the middle, and pus is likely to be present within the pimples. Severe conditions often result in permanent hair loss, whereas mild cases can go on their own.
Early symptoms of Folliculitis are usually reddish, stinging, burning, or itchy pimples at or near one or a few hair strands, which may develop to cover a larger region on the scalp.
Possible causes
Hair follicle infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, Fungi, and even viruses are responsible for Folliculitis.
Treatment
Treatment is contingent on the severity of the infection. Milder infections can be treated with home remedies like pressing with warm water, which can help reduce itching and remove the pus.
Severe cases have to be treated with medications, such as antifungal or antibacterial creams and pills. But more severe cases require minor surgeries or laser hair removals.
Eczema
Eczema is one of the numerous dermatitis disorders, and it can manifest itself in a variety of ways. It’s a group of skin conditions that cause your skin to become dry, red, itchy, and bumpy across the scalp, face, neck, back, and knees, among other places. Although it is not contagious, severe cases often lead to hair loss when it affects the scalp.
Eczema usually strikes without warning, and they act by impairing the “barrier function” of the skin (the “outer layer” of the skin that protects it from excessive loss of water from transpiration ). The skin becomes more sensitive due to the loss of barrier function, making it more susceptible to infection and dryness.
Early symptoms include; Itching, blisters-like lumps on the skin, scaly and thick skin, swelling, etc.
Causes
Allergy is the primary cause of Eczema. When the body reacts or over-reacts to certain allergens, it produces some reaction on the skin. It is facilitated by;
- Immune system: The immune system can sometimes overreact to allergens or irritations, which leads to skin inflammation.
- Environmental factors: Abiotic factors like low humidity, heat, etc., can cause dryness of the skin which can also lead to itching. Sweat, on the other hand, can cause even more itch.
- Genetic factor: An individual is susceptible to having Eczema if their family line has a trace of any dermatitis disease.
Treatment options
Eczema so far has proven very difficult to completely treat or eliminate as there’s yet no known cure for this type of condition; hence victims may leave with it for life. However, victims can have access to symptom alleviating treatments. Also, victims are to take very stringent care to avoid triggers.
Ringworms
Ringworm is a fungal infection that affects the skin surface; scalp in this case. A ring-shaped rash with elevated red edges and circular patches is one of the signs and symptoms. The rash spreads from the circle’s borders inward. The rash appears
Ringworm is caused by a fungus that feeds on keratin, which is found in the skin. Dermatophytes are the scientific term for these organisms. Dermatophytes prey on the skin, scalp, hair, and nails because they are the only portions of the body that contain enough keratin to lure them.
Unlike many scalp illnesses, ringworm is highly contagious and infectious and may spread from person to person through by sharing personal objects with its victims
Treatment
Oral medication is the most used medication in treating this condition. Some of the recommended drugs are; griseofulvin (Gris-PEG), terbinafine, and itraconazole. Also, patients can use other antifungal creams as an added treatment. Both treatments will successfully deal with the fungal and clear its symptoms easily.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is a common skin condition caused by autoimmune action. The immune system can attack healthy hair cells, thereby causing them not to grow. The effect is that the follicles can begin to shrink, which may lead to permanent health loss. But this is only in severe cases when the condition is left for long without treatment. It means that at the early stage, this condition does not cause permanent hair loss.
Causes
It’s caused by the immune system attacking hair follicles, shrinking them, and delaying hair growth of which, in a severe situation, it stops hair growth.
Treatment
There is no known permanent cure for Alopecia Areata. However, medications can help restore hair and prevent additional hair loss. Also, keep in mind that not all treatments work for everyone. So, if you have this condition, see your doctor immediately for professional advice.
That been said, let me quickly highlight some of the available treatment alternatives;
- Topical medications can be applied directly to the scalp to stimulate hair growth. These medications include Minoxidil, Anthralin, and Corticosteroid.
- Steroid injections: This is another viable alternative. They are synthetic hormones that, if the patient is lucky, will also facilitate fresh hair growth. However, this does not mean that patients will not lose hair in the future.
- Oral immunosuppressants such as Cortisone are beneficial in treating this condition also. However, because Cortisone has negative effects, it should only be taken upon the doctor’s prescription. Other alternative oral drugs can be used as well.
Head Lice
Head lice are microscopic and wingless insects that reside on the human scalp and only feed on human blood. Those tiny insects produce irritation and small red spots on the neck, shoulders, and scalp.
While these lice are hard to see with the normal eye, their eggs, called nits, are easily identified in the hair. The nits are stubborn round-shaped globs of dandruff-like material that stick to the hair near the scalp and become difficult to remove.
Causes and symptoms
This insect needs direct head contact to infest its victims. That’s why borrowing or using things on your head like combs, clippers, etc., must be done with care.
This infestation exhibits the following symptoms;
- Itchy scalp, body, or genital area.
- Tickling from hair movement.
- Lice on your scalp, body, clothes, or pubic hair.
- Hair lice eggs (nits).
- Head, neck, and shoulder sores
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