Different Types of Scalp Conditions

Excessive and unusual hair loss (losing more than 50-100 strands) of hair everyday

Symptoms - Strands of hair in your hair brush; Hair that is prone to falling off with gentle pulling; Thinning patches

Causes

• • Hormonal changes due to pregnancy, childbirth or menopause

  • Medications to treat cancer, etc

  • Alopecia Areata (an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles)

  • Scalp infections like ringworm

  • Male-pattern hair loss caused due to genetics

It triggers your body to make many new cells on the skin.

Symptoms

• • Red scaly patches on scalp; Sharply defined skin patches on the scalp

  • Itchy but sometimes can be asymptomatic (meaning showing no symptoms)

  • Bleeding and hair loss in some cases

Causes

• • Scalp psoriasis is a skin condition that is an autoimmune disorder.

  • Your immune system works against your own body instead of protecting it.

A fungal infection of the scalp, where it makes circular marks

Symptoms

• • Itchy patches; Red areas or bald spots

  • Brittle hair; Slight fever in some cases

Causes

• • Fungi called dermatophytes cause ringworm. They thrive on the warm and sweaty scalp.

  • Poor hygiene and sharing combs, beddings etc. used by infected people.

  • House pets like cats and dogs can spread ringworm

Lice are parasites that live on the human scalp by sucking human blood. They look like the seeds of sesame.

Symptoms

• Itchy scalp

• Feeling that something is always crawling on the scalp

• Sores or redness on the scalp due to scratching

Causes

• Head-to-head transmission

• Sharing items like combs, hair brushes, hair accessories, towels etc.

• Item contact with the head, e.g pillows

An irritated scalp may be a sign of eczema, can take several forms, including atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis.

Also a condition known as seborrheic dermatitis, is more commonly known as dandruff; For infants known as Cradle cap

Symptoms

• flaking skin; redness; scaly patches; swelling

• Itchiness; burning

Causes

• Atopic dermatitis - presence of too many inflammatory cells in the skin

• Contact dermatitis - foreign object or substance causes irritation or an allergic reaction on the skin

• Dandruff on the scalp can be noticed with the little white flakes that are nothing but dead skin cells.

• Symptoms

  • White flakes on the scalp that eventually fall off on the shoulders

  • Itchy, dry and red scalp

• Causes

  • Dry weather conditions

  • Fungus breading on the oil or sebum

  • Hair colors

  • Hair care products that react with your scalp

Occurs when the scalp does not have enough oil for the skin to feel lubricated.

Symptoms

• itch and flake

• when the skin breaks from cracking or scratching, bacteria can get in and cause an infection

Causes

• more common in dry climates,

• more likely to happen as you get older.

• washing hair too often or use harsh hair products that strip out natural oils.

Folliculitis is an infection or inflammation of the hair follicle. Hair follicle is a pore or opening to the root of your hair..

Symptoms

• Small red, white or yellow bumps; Itching; Swelling

• Pus; Soreness

Causes

• Bacteria called staphylococcus or fungi

• Contracting via towels, soaps and clothes

• Shaving, waxing or plucking

• Weak immune system