Some people on Earth suffer from psoriasis. First, psoriasis appears exactly on the scalp, which is recommended to be treated when the first symptoms appear. The causes of the disease have not yet been determined, but symptomatology is pronounced. It is recommended that you consult a doctor for treatment, comprehensive treatment and adherence to preventive measures.
Cause
Psoriasis is a disease whose causes remain mysteries to humans. There are many studies on this topic, new results appear, new causes, theories that raise even more questions. Psoriasis increases the rate at which new cells are formed, causing too much of them to form, causing the skin to harden and an inflammatory process to begin.
So far, the following fact has been identified as the cause of the disease - in psoriasis, the process of cell division is interrupted, and the rate of formation of keratinocytes is increased, leading to the onset of the disease.
The increased process of cell renewal causes an inflammatory process, and the inflammatory process leads to an even higher rate of cell division, which is a vicious cycle. Hereditary predisposition leads to high rates of division.
Sometimes a violation of the immune system that occurs after stress after an infectious disease leads to such a process. For example, the number of people with psoriasis among those infected with the immunodeficiency virus is three times that of healthy people.
Hundreds of years ago, it was believed that people with psoriasis were cursed and could pass these diseases on to others.
Other factors that lead to the development of psoriasis include:
- Genetic diseases develop when viruses and bacteria enter the body, leading to changes in the structure of chromosomes.
- Skin infections, purulent inflammations.
- Violation of lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Chronic inflammation - sinusitis, otitis media, tonsillitis and others. In patients with psoriasis, high rates of lymphocyte and leukocyte counts in the blood have been observed.
- Too dry or too humid air where the patient is constantly.
- Stress, anxiety, depression.
- Taking antibiotics and immunomodulators leads to worsening of immunity and, as a result, psoriasis.
- Increase your risk of alcohol and smoking.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals in the body, unhealthy diet, consumption of foods containing allergens, overweight.
- Endocrine diseases.
- Diseases of the internal organs.
If anyone notices the appearance of symptoms of psoriasis, local dry skin, roughness, redness, contact a dermatologist immediately for a diagnosis.
For some reason, psoriasis appears on the head, from which the special structure of the skin can be observed, common microtraumas that occur during scratching of the skin at this site.
According to statistics, one percent of people worldwide suffer from psoriasis, while eight out of ten patients have localized psoriasis in only one in ten. 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 a patient is prone to psoriasis, their symptoms may suddenly appear under the slightest stress or anxiety. Select the patient risk group. Typically, symptoms of psoriasis 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 lungs are characterized by the development of small lesions covered by the same small psoriasis plaques.
- In severe forms, psoriasis affects the entire area of the head, the lesions unite, the skin becomes dry, psoriasis plaques form in large plates, the skin becomes much rougher.
Platoon
Scalp psoriasis occurs in several stages.
- The progressive stage is characterized by the development of the disease and the development of new lesions.
- At the inpatient stage, the symptoms of the disease do not change in any way. New ones don’t show up, old ones don’t change.
- In the regressive phase, the symptoms disappear. It can take up to two years.
Symptoms may vary seasonally. In winter psoriasis, the cause of the disease may be a lack of ultraviolet radiation, but if the symptoms intensify in the summer, the opposite is the case - excessive ultraviolet radiation.
Symptoms
Skin diseases affect not only the patient’s physical condition but also their mental stability. Psoriasis, which is a chronic, incurable disease, is particularly difficult to tolerate. In order to improve the quality of life, the symptoms of the disease must be constantly eliminated, which requires a lot of time, effort and sometimes money.
If the psoriasis on the body can be hidden with clothes, this trick will not work on the scalp. Usually, patients in this area begin to develop psoriasis. Psoriasis does not spread further, especially if your symptoms are treated continuously with good and effective medications, but the disease can spread to other parts of the body.
Scalp psoriasis is also called seborrheic. The disease is characterized by a strong exfoliation of the scalp reminiscent of dandruff. In addition, the patient suffers from itching and psoriatic plaques form in this area.
An important fact for patients with psoriasis is that the scalp hairs do not fall out either at the onset of the disease or during its development.
The skin under the psoriatic plaques may bleed when scratched, so patients should not scratch their skin. Due to the inflammatory process, the affected area may be red.
The disease sometimes progresses and regresses. With relapse, the symptoms return, in which case medications should be given to the patient to start the time of remission. In remission, the symptoms of psoriasis are not pronounced.
The length of each period depends on a number of factors. The duration of remission can be up to two years.
To find out what psoriasis looks like on the scalp, let’s move on to the symptoms photo section.
Treatment
So far, no one has been able to find a cure for psoriasis.
There are many medications available to treat the symptoms of psoriasis. The use of medicines and folk remedies, as a result of complex therapy, improves the patient's quality of life.
First, you should contact a dermatologist to diagnose the disease. Your doctor will perform all the necessary tests and analyzes to make an accurate diagnosis.
Folk remedies
Folk recipes are used to treat psoriasis of the scalp. It is recommended to be used as part of a complex therapy to increase the effect of the drugs.
It is forbidden to use the recipes of traditional medicine on your own. These should be discussed with your healthcare professional and should only be used after approval.
The following treatments are often used to treat psoriasis of the scalp:
- Celandine is effective in relieving inflammation. The herb is washed and dried, red wine is added and the skin is treated with the resulting product.
- White wine tincture is made from baskets of sunflowers. The juice is squeezed from the sunflower and used to treat the skin.
- Elder is also effective in relieving itching, inflammation and redness. The inflorescence is soaked in water for two hours. The solution should be taken orally.
- The honey is mixed with egg white and shampoo, applied to the affected areas and washed with water.
Medicines
Medicines to treat each patient are selected in the presence of a treating physician, based on test results, the stage of the disease, and the level of immunity. It tells you how to treat psoriasis on the scalp.
It is not always the medicine prescribed by a dermatologist, not even an experienced one may be suitable for a patient. Many products have no effect at the beginning of use. It is recommended that the drugs be taken in a complex therapy, ie a combination of several dosage forms.
There are several groups of drugs and different treatments for psoriasis.
Hormonal agents contain active components - hormones that act very effectively on the body and quickly relieve symptoms, but it is not recommended to use them for a long time.
Steroids can be systemic, administered orally, in tablet form, or administered intravenously / intramuscularly. Ointments containing hormones are much less effective. But they should not be used for a long time because the skin at the site of application of the product may change the pigment, become thinner, become traumatic, prone to secondary infection.
In addition, withdrawal symptoms are common after the use of hormonal drugs. In this case, after long-term treatment and stopping the drug, the symptoms return, but with even greater symptoms.
Therefore, long-term use of hormonal preparations, application to sensitive skin areas, application of large areas of skin, and discontinuation of the drug is not recommended, and the dose should be gradually reduced. .
Non-hormonal medications are also commonly used to treat psoriasis. They are used to relieve symptoms, inflammation, itching and redness. The list of contraindications and side effects is much smaller.
The main active ingredients in this group of drugs relieve inflammation, constrict blood vessels, soothe the skin, hydrate and soften it. Among the active ingredients, zinc, tar, salicylic acid and other substances are recorded.
They can be used at any stage of the disease. In addition, such drugs have many forms of release. Opinions also differ on their effectiveness and suggested uses, and opinions on their effects in the treatment of psoriasis of the scalp can be studied in the forums.
Zinc can be used as needed, but tar-based products are not recommended twice a week. It should also be used in combination with moisturizers because tar dries the skin.
Patients often choose ointments to treat scalp psoriasis.
Cosmetics are also very popular among patients because they improve the appearance of the scalp while not having any therapeutic effect.
Among the cosmetic products, users choose oils and shampoos that hydrate the skin, eliminate itching and dandruff on the scalp with psoriasis.
For the treatment of psoriasis, drugs are used that suppress the immune system, metabolism, and stop the process of skin cell renewal and division.
These funds should only be taken under medical supervision as there is a large list of contraindications and side effects.
It is also necessary to improve the general condition of the patient by following a special diet that excludes foods containing allergens from the patient's diet. We recommend that you take vitamin and mineral complexes.
Physiotherapy may be prescribed to patients. For example, ultraviolet radiation is indicated for "winter" psoriasis.
Prophylaxis
The following recommendations should be followed for prevention:
- You need to take good care of your skin, wash it more often with baby or other hypoallergenic soap.
- Avoid alcohol and smoking.
- Avoid stressful situations. Depression, anxiety can cause relapse.
- Follow your daily routine.
- Take vitamin and mineral complexes.
- Follow a special diet that excludes allergens from your diet. In addition, the diet is selected individually according to the patient and the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates required.
Many question whether scalp psoriasis is contagious. The answer is no, this disease is not contagious.