A certain percentage of people on earth suffer from psoriasis. First of all, psoriasis appears precisely in the scalp, which is recommended to be treated when the first symptoms appear. The causes of the disease have not yet been determined, but the symptomatology is pronounced. It is recommended to consult a doctor for treatment, to be treated comprehensively and to observe preventive measures.
Causes
Psoriasis is a disease, the root causes of which remain a mystery to humans. Numerous studies are being carried out on this topic, new results appear, new causes and theories that raise even more questions. With psoriasis, the rate of formation of new cells increases, as a result of which too many of them are formed, the skin begins to harden, and the inflammatory process begins.
So far, the following fact has been recognized as the cause of the disease - with psoriasis, the process of cell division is disrupted, the rate of formation of keratinocytes increases, which leads to the appearance of the disease.
The increased rate of cell renewal causes an inflammatory process, and the inflammatory process, in turn, leads to an even higher rate of cell division, which is a vicious circle. A hereditary predisposition leads to a high rate of division.
Sometimes a violation of the immune system, which appears as a result of stress, after an infectious disease, leads to such a process. For example, among people infected with the immunodeficiency virus, the number of patients with psoriasis is three times higher than among healthy people.
Several hundred years ago it was believed that people with psoriasis were cursed and could transmit these diseases to others.
Other factors leading to the development of psoriasis:
- Genetic diseases formed when viruses and bacteria enter the body, leading to a change in the structure of chromosomes.
- Skin infections, purulent inflammation.
- Violation of lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Chronic inflammation - sinusitis, otitis media, tonsillitis and others. In many patients with psoriasis, high rates were observed in the analysis of the number of lymphocytes and leukocytes in the blood.
- Too dry or too humid air where the patient is constantly located.
- Stress, anxiety, depression.
- Taking antibiotics, an immunomodulator leads to impaired immunity and, as a result, psoriasis.
- Increase the risk of alcohol and tobacco use.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals in the body, unhealthy diet, eating foods with allergens, overweight.
- Endocrine diseases.
- Diseases of the internal organs.
If a person has noticed the appearance of symptoms of psoriasis, localized dry skin, roughness, redness, then you should immediately contact a dermatologist for diagnosis.
Psoriasis appears on the head for some reason, of which a special structure of the skin is noted, frequent microtraumas obtained when scratching the skin in this place.
According to statistics, one percent of people around the world suffer from psoriasis, while in eight out of ten patients psoriasis is localized in the head region, in four out of ten it is localized only on the head. In six out of ten people, the disease is not limited to the scalp, but spreads to the elbows, knees, palms and other areas.
If the patient has a predisposition to psoriasis, then his symptoms may arise unexpectedly with the slightest stress or anxiety. Allocate a risk group of patients. Typically, psoriasis symptoms first appear in patients between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.
Types (forms)
Symptoms can vary depending on the type of psoriasis. The two main forms of the disease are mild and severe.
- The lung is characterized by the formation of small lesions, which are covered with the same small psoriatic plaques.
- In severe forms, psoriasis affects the entire head area, the lesions are combined, the skin is dry, psoriatic plaques are formed in large plates, the skin becomes much coarser.
Stages
Scalp psoriasis occurs in several stages.
- The progressive stage is characterized by the development of the disease, the formation of new lesions.
- During the stationary stage, the symptoms of the disease do not change in any way. New ones do not appear, old ones do not change.
- With the regressive stage, the symptoms are eliminated. It can last up to two years.
Symptoms may vary seasonally. In winter psoriasis, the cause of the disease can be a lack of ultraviolet radiation, but if the symptoms intensify in summer, then the reason is the opposite - an excess of ultraviolet radiation.
Symptoms
Dermatological ailments affect not only the patient's physical condition, but also his psychological stability. Psoriasis, which is a chronic, that is, incurable, disease, is especially difficult to tolerate. In order to improve the quality of life, it is necessary to constantly eliminate the symptoms of the disease, which takes a lot of time, effort, and sometimes money.
If psoriasis on the body can be hidden with clothes, then with psoriasis on the scalp, this trick will not work. Usually, patients begin to get sick with psoriasis from this area. Sometimes psoriasis does not spread further, especially if its symptoms are constantly treated with good and effective drugs, but the disease can spread to other parts of the body.
Scalp psoriasis is also called seborrheic. The disease is characterized by severe scaling of the scalp, which resembles dandruff. Also, the patient suffers from itching, the formation of psoriatic plaques in this area.
An important fact for patients with psoriasis is that hair in the scalp does not fall out either at the onset of the disease or during its development.
Skin under psoriatic plaques can bleed when scratching, so patients should not scratch their skin. The affected area may be red due to the inflammatory process.
The disease periodically progresses and regresses. With a relapse, the symptoms of the disease return, in which case the patient should be used drugs to eliminate the symptoms so that the time of remission begins. In remission, the symptoms of psoriasis are not pronounced.
The length of each period depends on many factors. The duration of remission can be up to two years.
In order to find out what psoriasis looks like in the scalp, let's move on to the symptom photo section.
Treatment
So far, no one has been able to find a cure for psoriasis.
There are many medications available to treat psoriasis symptoms. As a result of the use of medicines and folk remedies, complex therapy, the patient's quality of life improves.
First of all, you need to contact a dermatologist for the diagnosis of the disease. The doctor will conduct all the necessary research and analysis to establish an accurate diagnosis.
Folk remedies
For the treatment of psoriasis in the scalp, folk recipes are used. They are recommended for use as part of complex therapy to enhance the effect of medications.
It is forbidden to independently use traditional medicine recipes. They should be discussed with your healthcare professional and should be used only after approval.
The following remedies are often used to treat psoriasis in the scalp:
- Celandine is effective in relieving the inflammatory process. The herb is washed and dried, red wine is added to it and the skin is treated with the resulting product.
- A tincture with white wine is made from sunflower baskets. The juice is squeezed out of the sunflower and the skin is treated with this agent.
- Elderberry is also effective in relieving itching, inflammation and redness of the skin. The inflorescences are soaked in water for two hours. The solution is taken orally.
- Honey with egg white and shampoo are mixed, applied to the affected areas, washed off with water.
Medicines
The drugs for the treatment of each patient are selected in the presence of the attending physician, according to the test results, the stage of the disease, and the level of immunity. He will tell you how to treat psoriasis in the scalp.
Not always a drug prescribed by a dermatologist, even an experienced one, can be suitable for a patient. Many products have no effect at the beginning of use. It is recommended to take drugs in complex therapy, that is, to combine several forms of medications.
There are several groups of medications for psoriasis and various treatments.
Hormonal agents contain active components - hormones, which have a very effective effect on the body and quickly relieve symptoms, but it is not recommended to use them for a long time.
Steroids can be of systemic effect, they are taken orally in the form of tablets, or they are administered intravenously / intramuscularly. Ointments with hormones in the composition are much less effective. But they cannot be used for a long time, because the skin at the site of application of the product can change the pigment, it becomes thin, traumatic, prone to secondary infection.
In addition, after the use of hormonal drugs, withdrawal symptoms are often observed. This is when, after prolonged treatment and discontinuation of the use of the drug, the symptoms return, but with even greater symptoms.
Therefore, it is not recommended to use hormonal preparations for a long time, to apply to areas with sensitive skin, to apply to large areas of the skin, and also to cancel the use of the drug, it is necessary to gradually reduce the dosage.
Non-hormonal drugs are also commonly used to treat psoriasis. They are used to relieve symptoms, inflammation, itching, redness of the skin. They have a much smaller list of contraindications and side effects.
The main active ingredients of this group of drugs relieve inflammation, constrict blood vessels, soothe the skin, moisturize and soften it. Of the active components, zinc, tar, salicylic acid and other substances are noted.
They can be used at any stage of the disease. In addition, such drugs have many different forms of release. They also vary in effectiveness and recommendations for use, reviews of their effect in the treatment of psoriasis in the scalp can be studied on the forums.
Zinc can be used as often as needed, but tar-based products are not recommended more than twice a week. In addition, they should be used in conjunction with moisturizers because tar dries out the skin.
Patients often opt for ointments to treat scalp psoriasis.
Cosmetics are also very popular among patients because they improve the appearance of the scalp, but at the same time do not have any therapeutic effect.
Among cosmetic products, users opt for oils and shampoos that moisturize the skin, eliminate itching and dandruff in the scalp with psoriasis.
For the treatment of psoriasis, drugs are used that suppress the immune system, metabolism, stopping the process of renewal and division of skin cells.
These funds can be taken only under the supervision of a doctor, because they have a large list of contraindications and side effects.
It is also required to improve the general condition of the patient by following a special diet that excludes foods with allergens from the patient's diet. It is recommended to take complexes of vitamins and minerals.
Physiotherapy may be prescribed to patients. For example, ultraviolet irradiation is indicated for "winter" psoriasis.
Prophylaxis
For prevention purposes, the following recommendations should be observed:
- You need to take good care of your skin, wash it more often using baby or other hypoallergenic soap.
- Refuse from alcohol and tobacco smoking.
- Don't get into stressful situations. Depression, anxiety can cause a relapse.
- Observe the daily routine.
- Take complexes of vitamins and minerals.
- Follow a special diet that excludes allergens from the diet. Also, the diet is selected individually for the patient and his required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Many people question whether scalp psoriasis is contagious. The answer is no, this disease is not contagious.