Introduction
The scalp has conditions that can be due to poor hygiene maintained by the person or by infections caused by bacteria and fungi, harsh hair care products, improper diet, disturbed sleep, and any chronic condition like diabetes. Apart from the cause, there are ways to treat them effectively, as people should always talk to the dermatologist before considering a treatment method because a healthy scalp means healthy hair. The treatment and the outlook depend on the condition that causes scalp problems. The scalp becomes infected due to the entry of fungus or bacteria into the scalp through the damaged skin or hair follicles. Various skin conditions can also cause skin damage, these include psoriasis and eczema. Also, common infections like folliculitis and impetigo are caused by the bacteria.
What Are the Symptoms of Scalp Conditions?
The symptoms that are related to scalp conditions depend upon the exact conditions; also, the patients may experience other symptoms that may not be related to scalp but can be the symptom of some other medical conditions; they include:
-
Rashes on the scalp.
-
Hair loss or hair thinning.
-
Weak hair and breakages from the middle part of the hair strand.
-
Itchiness.
-
Scaly patches.
-
Pain while pulling hair.
-
Tenderness.
What Are the Causes of Scalp Conditions?
The exact causes of certain scalp conditions are often unknown, or multiple causes are involved, generally occurring due to genetic reasons. They include:
-
Autoimmune disorder, such as scalp psoriasis.
-
Male pattern baldness.
-
Skin conditions, such as dermatitis or seborrheic eczema.
-
Hormonal disorders, such as imbalance in androgen, and estrogen production
-
Psoriasis, a skin disease that causes skin rashes, itchiness, and scaly patches.
-
Lice, ringworm, scleroderma and leishmaniasis are various scalp conditions that can also occur due to infections.
What Are the Stages of Hair Growth?
Hair grows by following the four stages of hair growth: anagen, catagen, telogen, and exogen. And every stage or phase takes its own time, depending on the person's age, nutrition, and health.
-
Anagen - It is a growing phase in which the stages of growth begin with the anagen phase. It lasts about three to five years for the hair on the head. Although in some people, a single hair can continue to grow for seven or even more years. But, the anagen phase usually differs in different types of hair. For example, in cases of eyebrows and pubic hairs, the anagen phases are shorter than the anagen phase scalp hairs. During this anagen phase, the hair follicles push out hair that will continue to grow until they are cut or until they reach the end of its lifespan and fall out. At any time, about ninety percent of the hairs on the head are in the anagen phase.
-
Catagen - Catagen is a transition phase that starts when the anagen phase ends, the hair follicles start shrinking, and hair growth slows down. The hair segregates from the bottom of the hair follicle but remains up to the final days of the growing period. Only about five percent of the hair of the head is present in the catagen phase.
-
Telogen - It is a resting phase that lasts around three months. During the telogen phase, the hair does not grow, but they do not fall. Instead, the telogen phase is when new hairs form in follicles that release hairs in the catagen phase. Some doctors consider the telogen phase the shedding phase, but it is divided further into two stages by the scientists - telogen stage and exogen stage.
-
Exogen - Exogen is a shedding phase that is essentially a part of the telogen stage of hair growth in which hair is shed from the scalp, which often exaggerates during washing and brushing. The exogenic phase can last about two to five months and losing up to a hundred hairs during the exogen phase is usually considered normal. The new hairs grow in the follicles as old hairs fall away.
What Are the Types of Scalp Conditions?
Most scalp conditions are hereditary or due to malnutrition or infection, leading to hair loss or skin rash. The treatment and outlook depend on the condition that causes the scalp problem, and they occur due to various scalp conditions like:
-
Hair Loss
-
The person may notice a huge amount of hair in the washroom’s drain area after a hair wash or while brushing the hair.
-
Hair falling out easily with gentle pulling may signify hair loss.
-
Thinning patches of hair can also indicate hair loss.
-
Male Pattern Baldness
-
Male pattern baldness can be seen as loss of hair at the temples of the head.
-
Some people with male pattern baldness develop a bald spot or hairline that urges them to form a U shape.
-
Seborrheic Eczema
-
This is a common and self-limiting skin condition seen in infants and newborns of age somewhat between three weeks and twelve months post birth.
-
It is painless, non-itchy, yellowish, greasy scales which appear on the scalp and forehead, which usually do not require medical treatment and will go on their own in six months.
-
Psoriasis.
-
Psoriasis is present with skin patches involving silvery and sharp scales and commonly located on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back.
-
It can be itchy or asymptomatic, which produces no symptoms.
-
Tinea Capitis.
-
It is a fungal infection that affects the scalp and hair shafts.
-
It forms itchy, flaky patches that appear on the scalp.
-
Patients can suffer from hair loss, brittle hair, scalp pain, low fever, and swollen lymph nodes.
-
Alopecia Areata.
-
It is a skin condition that causes hair loss by attacking the hair follicles of the patient.
-
Hair loss can occur randomly over the whole scalp or other body parts with smooth, small, and one-fourth the size of the patches that may get combined into large areas.
-
Hair loss is usually temporary, but it can grow slowly and shed off again after regrowth.
-
Head Lice.
-
A louse is nearly the size of a sesame seed which has both lice and their eggs visible in the hair.
-
Extreme itchiness in the scalp can be seen in these cases as an allergic reaction which causes a feeling of something crawling over the scalp, and thus sores can appear.
-
Bamboo Hair.
-
It is a defect in the hair structure that results in brittle or fragile strands that break easily, leading to sparse hair growth and eyelash or eyebrow loss.
-
In this, the quality of hair is dry and knotty.
What Are the Treatments for Scalp Conditions?
Scalp conditions are mainly treated after the diagnosis as it may vary from person to person. There are a few prescribed medications available that can help to treat hair loss. In addition, surgical implants or hair transplants can be recommended. Sometimes, the underlying causes of hair loss can be treated or managed differently.
-
Supplement or dietary changes can correct nutritional deficiencies.
-
Medications like multivitamins help in treating autoimmune disorders and hormone disorders.
-
Celiac disease is treated by avoiding gluten in the diet.
-
Ointments and washes that are medicated and which can kill fungi or other insects can cure some of the infections.
-
Medicated shampoos help to treat seborrheic eczema and cradle cap.
-
Two percent Ketoconazole and two percent Salicylic acid or coal tar help to treat dandruff and dry scalp.
There are also some important therapies for treating hair fall and other factors that prevent new hair growth. These include–
-
Mesotherapy -This is a treatment used as anti-hair fall therapy in which peptides like D-panthenol and Mulberry solution are injected into the scalp with the help of an insulin syringe. The focus area for injecting the solution is where dihydrotestosterone is active, which is the frontal and parietal area of the skull.
-
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy -This therapy is generally famous as PRP therapy which is responsible for hair regrowth in which eight to ten ml of blood is extracted from the patient hand, centrifuged at 2400 rpm in which plasma is separated from the blood. Then, the plasma is filled in the insulin syringe and injected into the scalp. The PRP process is usually finished in an hour, and post instruction is to do a hair wash after forty-eight hours so that the plasma gets absorbed in the scalp.
Conclusion
Several scalp and hair conditions lead to defects in hair structure, hair loss, itchy scalp, and many more. To get rid of all these conditions, proper care of the scalp and hair is very important, which includes proper diet, proper cleaning of the scalp, regular exercise, using a personal comb, not tying the wet hair, and so on are some precautions that can help in preventing such conditions mentioned. In addition, one should take the necessary precautions to avoid such scalp conditions. In addition, some medications are necessary to control hair fall and other complications, which will help in hair regrowth.
