Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the upper layers of cells of the epidermis, which is accompanied by the presence of dead skin scales. The most common ailment is psoriasis on the head. The disease is accompanied by the presence of large or small formations on the scalp.
Very often, the lesion is located in one place. Late treatment can aggravate the situation.
This type of ailment is not passed on to others. A person suffering from such a disease is safe for society.
Factors in the development of psoriasis
The main cause of skin defects is altered metabolism.
As already noted, the disease is not infectious, therefore the patient cannot harm the health of the people around him. The presence of psoriasis in a person indicates the inability of the body to respond normally to the presence of various types of stimuli. As a result, excessive cell division occurs. According to statistics, the normal process of cell division is about 30 days.
During this period, the upper layer of the epidermis is gradually replaced by new ones. In psoriasis, an overgrowth of new cells can be observed, which begin to overlap with the old ones. The division period is shortened by 4 days. As a result, small scaly lesions appear on the surface of the scalp.
In most cases, they present as mild inflammation accompanied by itching. In the process of exfoliating the old layer of the epidermis, pink spots of various shapes are formed on the surface of the skin. Little by little, they begin to cover themselves with new formations of skin cells.
Scientists have identified a number of reasons that can also trigger a malfunction in normal metabolism, including:
- Having bad habits. Excessive abuse of alcohol and tobacco products causes significant changes throughout the body. In the presence of psoriasis on the head, the toxic substances that make up alcohol and cigarettes adversely affect the course of the disease.
- Wrong power supply. The patient's diet contains many products with a large amount of food additives and carcinogens. Poor diet can be the initial stage of psoriasis.
- Mechanical damage to the hairline. With repeated injuries, dandruff may appear. The bacteria from the comb can penetrate the affected area of the scalp, triggering the disease mechanism.
- Gastrointestinal tract problems.
- Unstable temperature conditions. This problem manifests itself during the period of seasonal changes in climatic conditions.
- Long-term medication.
- Endocrine system failure.
- genetic predisposition of the organism.
If there are significant signs of psoriasis on the scalp, it is recommended that you seek the help of a professional dermatologist. You will select the appropriate treatment to prevent the appearance of new lesions. Scalp psoriasis in most cases occurs in people aged 30 to 36 years. It rarely occurs in young children
Symptoms
In the early stages of psoriasis, the patient does not feel any changes. The disease progresses slowly and without discomfort. On visual examination, in rare cases, the doctor observes the presence of dandruff in a negligible amount. With a more complex course of scalp psoriasis, the patient experiences severe itching and burning on the back of the head, forehead, and ears. Plaques with dry scaly elements form in the affected areas.
Microcracks begin to form in the skin, through which the infection enters the body. At the site of the peeling, the dry parts of the skin begin to grow rapidly. Under mechanical stress, these plates begin to peel off, leaving red spots. In this case, the patient must choose the appropriate medication to prevent the progression of the disease.
Top Location Locations
Today, psoriasis on the head is a fairly common type of disease, occurring in one in four patients. Inappropriate treatment is the main reason for the spread of the disease throughout the body. The disease can take several forms, each accompanied by new health problems.
The main sites of psoriasis of the scalp are:
- skin around ears, back of head, behind pinna;
- frontal lobe, parietal area;
- posterior region of the cervical spine;
- hair growth separation zone.
The disease has two forms: mild and severe.
During the initial stage, the patient does not experience any unpleasant sensations. The main symptom may be the persistent presence of dandruff, which appears two days after washing your hair. With a severe form of the disease, the patient has psycho-emotional distress, a constant burning and itching sensation in the affected area of the skin.
Psoriasis of the scalp: classification and varieties
Head psoriasis has several stages of the disease.
Dermatologists divide scalp psoriasis into the following stages:
- Initial.It is the presence of small pink papules that rise slightly above the skin. The patient may feel mild itching in the area of the affected area. With mechanical action, small fragments of dead skin cells are exfoliated.
- Progressive.Here the presence of new lesions is noted. The patient begins to experience intense discomfort, which is accompanied by the presence of constant itching and severe peeling. The papules gradually spread peripherally to each other.
- Stationary.At this stage, most of the scalp is affected by lesions. The old areas do not disappear, but, on the contrary, begin to progress with greater force.
- Regressive.Characterized by the presence of a large number of white circles in the affected area. The skin begins to become very dry. There are a large number of scaly formations on the surface of the papules.
A severe course of the disease can cause the death of hair follicles, leading to premature baldness in certain areas of the head. The scaly areas gradually thicken due to dead skin cells. On visual inspection, light-colored growths are observed on the surface of the hairline. Men are exempt from military service, as moral and physical stress causes a severe course of the disease.
Classification and varieties
In medicine, there are two groups of scalp psoriasis. Each of them has a complex of varieties that describe all characteristic diseases accompanied by the presence of similar symptoms. These include the pustular type.
Includes multiple groups:
- generalized form;
- palmoplantar;
- is override.
The non-pustular type, in turn, splits into:
- the traditional form of the disease;
- psoriatic.
Each type and subgroup has similar symptoms, but different rates of disease progression. With the pustular type of disease, the patient has a progressive nature of spreading foci that need good drug treatment. In the presence of a non-pustular type, the skin is less susceptible to attack by new formations.
The course of psoriasis in childhood
In young children, psoriasis of the scalp in the initial stage is often compared to an allergic reaction: there is a slight redness on the surface of the skin with elements of scaling. In most cases, the affected area is compared to diaper rash, yeast infection, and eczema.
The disease progresses in slow motion. Often the initial impetus for the appearance of defects on the scalp are various drugs, which have aggressive components in their composition. The child must be treated under the guidance of an experienced dermatologist.
The initial stage of therapy is a strict diet. Citrus fruits, all kinds of dyes, fatty foods, carcinogens are completely excluded from the diet. Medications are prescribed to prevent the spread of the affected areas. Mostly prescription lotions, sprays, and shampoos made from medicinal ingredients. This therapy helps restore hair follicles, preventing their death.
Important
Correctly selected course of medical measures significantly mitigates the course of the disease.
For each child, a basic diet is selected that can eliminate the rapid spread of inflamed areas. In addition to proper nutrition and drug therapy, the patient is prescribed a course of physiotherapy, which contributes to the rapid regeneration of affected cells of the epidermis.
How to treat psoriasis on the head in the hospital and at home
All psoriasis medications generally fall into two categories: external and internal. Using them, you can forget about the disease forever. As a rule, the use of external drugs is far from always possible due to the constant growth of hair, therefore, special balms and shampoos replace various ointments.
Not everyone knows how to treat scalp psoriasis, especially when facing the disease for the first time. But most of the internal drugs are hormonal.
In the case of drug treatment, various drugs are often used with a general sedative and strengthening effect. These can be known vitamin complexes, which are based on folic and niacin. Treatment of the disease in a hospital is mainly carried out in cases where psoriasis is severe or moderate. Specific treatment methods and drugs are prescribed depending on the stage of the disease: stationary, progressive or regressive.
At the stage when in-clinic treatment is necessary, patients no longer have time to hesitate and begin to take active measures to eliminate inflammation and disinfect.
In addition to the standard set of injections and a wide variety of tablets, external agents such as lotions and ointments are used. After the disease moves to the next stage, the time of regression, the patient is already discharged for further treatment at home. The course of treatment usually lasts two weeks. And the doctor will have to tell you how to treat your head psoriasis at home when you are discharged from the hospital.
Home Treatment
To date, there are no drugs that help to get rid of a disease like psoriasis forever. The main goal of home treatment is primarily to monitor its development.
There is an increase in the time interval of the referral stage due to the use of the following funds:
- Special shampoos.
- Healing ointments.
- Infusions of various herbs.
- Baths with the addition of herbal infusions.
- UV irradiation.
When prescribing a treatment at home, it is important to know some rules that must be followed:
- All prescription medications should be taken regularly.
- In the absence of severe symptoms, it is sufficient to use products containing aloe vera. Only in the case of a severe course of the disease it is necessary to switch to the use of hormonal drugs.
- With the prescribed creams, it will be possible to maintain a normal level of hydration of the skin.
- In the case of the recently popular sunbathing appointment and UV therapy procedure, it is imperative to strictly follow the doctor's suggested schedule.
- To get rid of various manifestations of the disease, it is advisable to use the most common means. Most doctors agree that it is undesirable to use several different ointments and medications at the same time, as it will be impossible to determine how effective a particular remedy was for you.
- Take a break during treatment. At the same time, the average break time between courses varies from several weeks to six months.
- If psoriasis is noted in a child, then it is necessary to pay attention to the factors that provoked the disease in order to exclude them as soon as possible. In such a case, diet is usually sufficient.
How to cure psoriasis on the head with folk methods
You can try to cure the disease using various home remedies. Of course, when used alone, it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve surprising results, since psoriasis on the head can only be cured with complex treatment.
Home remedies are good to help alleviate the situation and at the same time act as an additional therapy. Celandine is a plant on the basis of which funds are used in the case of a wide variety of infectious and inflammatory skin diseases.
It has been shown many times that in the case of psoriasis treatment it can also have a positive effect on the skin. Take the simplest alcoholic tincture of the plant and rub the scalp with it. After that, it is advisable to rinse the hair a little with chamomile infusion. If discomfort occurs during the use of the product, you should stop using it. Despite the fact that today there are a large number of masks, it is necessary to use them carefully in treatment, as they cause allergic reactions.
One of the most popular mask recipes, which you can prepare yourself, is the following: mix the egg white with a small spoonful of honey and apply the resulting mixture directly to your hair, rubbing it into the scalp with lightmassage movements. Wash off the mask after 30 minutes.
Various oil-based masks are quite effective. You can take an essential oil like rosemary or tea tree and add a small tablespoon of almonds / coconut to it. The resulting mixture should be applied to the hair and kept for at least two hours. It is necessary to wash off such a mask with a special therapeutic shampoo.
It is worth noting that you will have to lather your hair more than once. Onion compresses are often used against the disease. They are very easy to do. It is only necessary to cut a little of the fruit to the state of mush and apply directly to the scalp with massage movements. Said compress is washed off after two hours.
For maximum effect, this procedure should be repeated at least three times a week. This drug has only one drawback, but quite serious, which is a strong odor, which is unlikely to be removed the same day the compress was applied.
Therapeutic diet
One of the most important conditions for effective psoriasis treatment is strict adherence to a specially formulated diet.
Its essence lies in the exclusion of a series of foods from the diet:
- Coffee.
- Various citrus fruits.
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Fruits, vegetables, but only red.
- Carbonated drinks.
- Spicy food.
- Any candy that contains chocolate.
- Products that contain food coloring or any flavoring or preservative.
In addition, for strict adherence to the diet, it is necessary to minimize the consumption of eggs and sugar in any form. After the symptoms have partially disappeared, you can reuse the foods from the forbidden list in the food. However, you need to monitor how the body will react. As soon as symptoms reappear, it will be necessary to eliminate the product from your diet.
Rules for hair care
Brush your hair very gently and only after it is completely dry. After washing your hair, rinse it with water boiled with lemon juice. And if there are many plaques on the head, you can use soap every two months to wash your hair.