Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the upper layers of epidermal cells, which is accompanied by the presence of dead skin scales. The most common disease is psoriasis of the head. The disease is accompanied by the presence of large or small formations in the scalp.
Quite often the lesion is located in one place. Late treatment can make the situation worse.
This type of disease is not transmitted to others. A person suffering from such a disease is safe for society.
Factors for the development of psoriasis
The main cause of skin defects is impaired metabolism.
As already noted, the disease is not infectious, so the patient can not harm the health of people around him. The presence of psoriasis in humans indicates the inability of the body to respond normally to the presence of various types of stimuli. This results in excessive cell division. 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, excessive growth of new cells can be observed, which begin to overlap with old ones. The separation period is reduced by 4 days. As a result, small scaly lesions appear on the surface of the scalp.
In most cases, they manifest as a mild inflammation accompanied by itching. In the process of exfoliation of the old layer of the epidermis, pink spots with different shapes on the surface of the skin are formed. Gradually, they begin to become covered with new formations of skin cells.
Scientists have identified a number of causes that can also cause a malfunction in normal metabolism, they include:
- You have bad habits. Excessive alcohol and tobacco abuse provokes significant changes throughout the body. In the presence of psoriasis of the head, the toxic substances that make up alcohol and cigarettes have a negative impact on the course of the disease.
- Incorrect power supply. The patient's diet contains many products with a large amount of food additives and carcinogens. Bad food can be the initial stage of psoriasis.
- Mechanical damage to the hairline. Multiple injuries can cause dandruff. Bacteria on the ridge can penetrate the affected area of the scalp, thus triggering the mechanism of the disease.
- Gastrointestinal problems.
- Unstable temperature conditions. This problem manifests itself during the period of seasonal changes in weather conditions.
- Long-term medications.
- Endocrine system malfunction.
- Genetic predisposition of the organism.
If there are main signs of psoriasis on the scalp, it is advisable to seek the help of a professional dermatologist. He will choose the appropriate treatment to prevent the appearance of new lesions. Scalp psoriasis is most common in people aged 30-36. Rare 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 small quantities. With a more complex course of psoriasis of the scalp, the patient experiences severe itching and burning in the nape of the neck, forehead and ears. Plaques with dry scaly elements form on the affected areas.
Microcracks begin to form on the skin, through which the infection enters the body. In the place of peeling, the dry parts of the skin begin to grow quickly. Under mechanical stress, these plaques begin to flake, leaving red spots. In this case, the patient must choose the appropriate drug to prevent the progression of the disease.
Primary Location Locations
Today, scalp psoriasis is a fairly common type of disease that occurs in every fourth patient. Untimely treatment is the main reason for the spread of the disease in the body. The disease can take several forms, each of which is accompanied by new health problems.
The main sites for scalp psoriasis are:
- skin around the ears, back of the head, behind the auricle;
- frontal lobe, parietal area;
- posterior area of the cervical vertebrae;
- 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 constant presence of dandruff, which appears two days after washing the hair. In severe disease, the patient has psycho-emotional discomfort, a constant burning sensation and itching on the affected area of skin.
Scalp psoriasis: classification and varieties
Psoriasis of the head has several stages of the disease.
Dermatologists divide scalp psoriasis into the following stages:
- Initially.This is the presence of small pink papules that rise slightly above the skin. The patient may feel a slight itching in the affected area. Upon mechanical action, small fragments of dead skin cells are exfoliated.
- Progressive.The presence of new lesions is noted here. The patient begins to experience severe discomfort, which is accompanied by the presence of constant itching and severe peeling. The papules gradually spread peripherally from each other.
- Stationary.At this stage, most of the scalp is affected by lesions. The old areas are not disappearing, on the contrary, they are beginning to advance with greater force.
- Regressive.It is characterized by the presence of a large number of white circles in the affected area. The skin begins to dry out a lot. There are a large number of scaly formations on the surface of the papules.
The severe course of the disease can cause the death of hair follicles, which provokes premature baldness in certain parts 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 because moral and physical stress provokes a severe course of the disease.
Classification and varieties
In medicine there are two groups of psoriasis of the scalp. Each of them has a complex of varieties that describe all the characteristic diseases, accompanied by the presence of similar symptoms. These include the pustular type.
Includes several groups:
- generalized form;
- palmoplantar;
- is annular.
The non-pustular type in turn is divided into:
- the traditional form of the disease;
- psoriatic.
Each type and subgroup has similar symptoms but different rates of disease progression. In the pustular type of the disease, the patient has a progressive nature of the spread of foci that require good medical treatment. In the presence of non-pustular type, the skin is less susceptible to attacks than 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 reddening of the skin surface with elements of peeling. In most cases, the affected area is compared to diaper rash, candidiasis and eczema.
The disease progresses with a slow cadence. Often the initial impetus for the appearance of defects in the scalp are various drugs that contain aggressive components. The child should 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 prescribed lotions, sprays, shampoos based on medicinal components. This therapy helps to restore the hair follicles, preventing their death.
Important
Properly selected course of medical measures significantly mitigates the course of the disease.
For each child, a basic diet is chosen 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 the affected cells of the epidermis.
How to treat psoriasis of the head in hospital and at home
All psoriasis medications are usually divided into two categories: external and internal. Using them, you can forget about the disease forever. As a rule, the use of external drugs is not always possible due to the constant growth of hair, so special conditioners and shampoos come to replace various ointments.
Not everyone knows how to treat scalp psoriasis, especially when facing the disease for the first time. But most home remedies are hormonal.
In the case of medical treatment, various drugs with general strengthening and calming effect are often used. These may be well-known vitamin complexes that are based on folic acid and niacin. Hospital treatment of the disease is performed mainly in cases where psoriasis is severe or moderate. Specific treatment methods and drugs are prescribed based on the stage of the disease: stationary, progressive or regressive.
At the stage when treatment is needed in the clinic, patients no longer have time to hesitate and start active measures aimed at eliminating inflammation and disinfection.
In addition to the standard set of injections and a wide variety of pills, external agents such as lotions and ointments are used. Once the disease enters the next stage - the time of regression, the patient is already discharged for further treatment at home. The course of treatment usually takes two weeks. And the doctor will have to tell you how to treat psoriasis of the head at home when he is discharged from the hospital.
Home treatment
To date, there are no medications that can help get rid of a disease like psoriasis forever. The main purpose of home treatment is primarily to control its development.
Increasing the time interval of the remission stage occurs by using the following means:
- Special shampoos.
- Healing ointments.
- Infusions of various herbs.
- Baths with the addition of herbal infusions.
- UV radiation.
When prescribing home treatment, it is important to know a few rules that must be followed:
- All prescribed medicines will need to 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 any hormonal drugs.
- Using the prescribed creams, it will be possible to maintain a normal level of skin moisture.
- In case of sunbathing and the recently popular UV therapy procedure, it is imperative to strictly follow the schedule suggested by the doctor.
- To get rid of various manifestations of the disease, it is recommended to use the most common means. Most doctors agree that it is undesirable to use several different ointments and medicines at the same time, as it will be impossible to determine how effective a medicine has been given to you.
- Take a break during treatment. At the same time, the average rest time between courses varies from a few weeks to six months. If psoriasis is noticed in a child, then it is necessary to pay attention to the factors that provoked the disease in order to exclude it as soon as possible. In this case, it is usually enough to follow a diet.
How to treat psoriasis of the head with folk methods
You can try to cure the disease using various folk remedies. Of course, using only them alone is unlikely to achieve stunning results, as psoriasis of the head can only be cured with complex treatment.
Folk remedies are good for relieving the situation and at the same time act as adjunctive therapy. Jaundice is a plant on the basis of which the funds are used in case of a wide variety of infectious and inflammatory skin diseases.
It has been repeatedly proven that in the case of treatment of psoriasis can have a positive effect on the skin. Take the simplest alcoholic tincture of the plant and rub the scalp with it. Then it is recommended to rinse your hair a little with an infusion of chamomile. If discomfort occurs while using the product, you should stop using it. Despite the fact that today there are a huge number of masks, it is necessary to use them carefully in treatment, as they cause allergic reactions.
One of the most popular recipes for masks, which you can prepare yourself, is the following: mix the protein with a small spoon of honey and apply the resulting mixture directly on your hair, rubbing it into the scalp with light massaging movements. Wash 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 spoonful 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 such a mask with a special therapeutic shampoo.
It is worth noting that you will have to foam your hair more than once. Onion compresses are often used against the disease. They are very easy to implement. All you have to do is cut some of the fruit into a pulp and apply it directly on the scalp with massaging movements. Such a 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, but quite serious drawback, which is a strong odor, which is unlikely to get rid of the same day on which the compress was applied.
Therapeutic diet
One of the most important conditions for effective treatment of psoriasis is strict adherence to a specially formulated diet.
Its essence is to exclude a number of foods from the diet:
- Coffee.
- Various citrus fruits.
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Fruits, vegetables, but only red.
- Carbonated drinks.
- Spicy food.
- Any pastry shop that contains chocolate.
- Products containing food colors or flavorings or preservatives.
Also, for strict adherence to the diet it is necessary to minimize the consumption of eggs and sugar in any form. Once the symptoms have partially disappeared, it will be possible to reuse foods from the forbidden list in the diet. However, you need to watch how the body reacts. As soon as the symptoms reappear, the product will need to be eliminated from your diet.
Hair Care Rules
Brush your hair very carefully and only after it is completely dry. After washing your hair, rinse it with boiled water with lemon juice. And if there are a lot of plaques on the head, you can use soap every two months to wash your hair.