Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the upper layers of the epidermal cells, which is accompanied by the presence of flakes of dead skin. The most common disease is psoriasis on the head. The disease is accompanied by the presence of large or small formations in the scalp.
Quite often, the lesion is localized 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 harmless to society.
Factors in the development of psoriasis
The main cause of skin malformations is impaired metabolism.
As already noted, the disease is not infectious, so the patient is not able to harm the health of those 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 lasts about 30 days.
During this period, the upper layer of the epidermis is gradually replaced by new ones. In psoriasis, an excessive growth of new cells may be observed, which begin to overlap with the old ones. The division period is reduced by 4 days. As a result, small scaly lesions appear on the surface of the scalp.
In most cases, they present as a slight inflammation with itching. During the process of exfoliation of the old layer of the epidermis, pink spots of different shapes form on the surface of the skin. Gradually, they begin to be covered with new formations of skin cells.
Scientists have identified a number of reasons that can also trigger normal metabolic dysfunction, 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 negatively affect the course of the disease.
- Incorrect power supply. The patient's diet contains many products with a large amount of food additives and carcinogens. A poor diet can be the initial stage of psoriasis.
- Mechanical damage to the hairline. With repeated injuries, dandruff may appear. The bacteria present on the comb are able to enter the affected area of the scalp, thus triggering the disease mechanism.
- Problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
- Unstable temperature conditions. This problem manifests itself during the period of seasonal changes in weather conditions.
- Long-term drugs.
- Endocrine system failure.
- Genetic predisposition of the organism.
If there are major signs of psoriasis on the scalp, it is recommended to seek the help of a professional dermatologist. He will select the appropriate treatment to avoid the appearance of new lesions. Scalp psoriasis occurs in most cases in people between the ages of 30 and 36. It rarely occurs in young children
Symptoms
In the early stages of psoriasis, the patient does not feel any change. The disease progresses slowly and without discomfort. On visual examination, in rare cases, the doctor observes the presence of dandruff in insignificant quantities. With a more complex course of scalp psoriasis, the patient experiences severe itching and burning on the back of the head, forehead and ears. Patches with dry scaly elements form on the affected areas.
Microcracks start to form on the skin, through which the infection enters the body. At the site of desquamation, the dry parts of the skin begin to develop rapidly. Under mechanical stress, these plaques begin to flake off, leaving red spots. In this case, the patient should choose the appropriate drug to prevent the progression of the disease.
Main tracking locations
Psoriasis on the head is a fairly common type of disease today, which occurs in one in four people. Inappropriate treatment is the main reason for the spread of the disease throughout the body. The disease can take many forms, each with new health problems.
The main sites of scalp psoriasis are:
- skin around the ears, behind the head, behind the headset;
- frontal lobe area, parietal area;
- posterior region of the cervical spine;
- area of separation of hair growth.
The disease has two forms: mild and severe.
During the initial phase, the patient does not experience any unpleasant sensations. The main symptom may be the persistent presence of dandruff, which appears two days after washing the hair. With a severe form of the disease, the patient has psycho-emotional discomfort, a constant burning sensation and itching on the affected area of the skin.
Scalp psoriasis: classification and varieties
Psoriasis on the head 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 slight itching in the area of the affected area. With 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 to the periphery of 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 more force.
- Regressive.Characterized by the presence of a large number of white circles in the affected area. The skin begins to dry a lot. A large number of scaly formations are present on the surface of the papules.
A severe course of the disease can lead to the death of hair follicles, which causes premature baldness in parts of the head. The scaly areas gradually thicken due to the dead skin cells. On visual inspection, light-colored growths are observed on the surface of the hairline. Men are exempted from military service, because 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 the characteristic diseases accompanied by the presence of similar symptoms. These include the pustular type.
It includes several groups:
- generalized form;
- palmoplantar;
- is annular.
A 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. With the pustular type of the disease, the patient has a progressive nature of the spreading foci that require good drug treatment. In the presence of a non-pustular type, the skin is less sensitive to attacks from new formations.
The course of psoriasis in childhood
In young children, early stage scalp psoriasis is often compared to an allergic reaction - there is a slight redness on the surface of the skin with some peeling elements. In most cases, the affected area is compared to diaper rash, candidiasis, and eczema.
The disease is progressing slowly. Often, the initial impetus for the appearance of defects in the scalp consists of various drugs with aggressive components. The child should be treated under the guidance of an experienced dermatologist.
The initial phase of treatment is a strict diet. Citrus fruits, all kinds of dyes, fatty foods, carcinogens are completely excluded from the diet. Medicines are prescribed to prevent the spread of the affected areas. Mainly prescribed lotions, sprays, shampoos based on medicinal components. This therapy helps restore hair follicles, preventing their death.
Important
Correctly selected medical measures significantly reduce 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 of the head in the hospital and at home
All psoriasis medications are generally 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 far from always possible due to the constant growth of hair, so special balms and shampoos come to replace various ointments.
Not everyone knows how to treat psoriasis on the head, especially when they are faced with the disease for the first time. But most internal medications are hormonal.
In the case of drug therapy, various drugs with a general fortifying and sedative effect are often used. These can be well-known vitamin complexes, based on folic and niacin. Treatment of the disease in a hospital is mainly carried out in cases where the psoriasis is severe or moderate. Specific treatment methods and medications are prescribed depending on the stage of the disease: stationary, progressive or regressive.
At the stage when clinical treatment is required, patients no longer have time to hesitate, and active measures begin to remove 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 has passed to the next stage - the moment of regression, the patient is already referred for further treatment at home. The treatment usually lasts two weeks. And the doctor will have to explain how to treat psoriasis on the head at home when he comes out of the hospital.
Home treatment
To date, there is no medicine that can help get rid of a disease like psoriasis forever. The main goal of home treatment is first and foremost to control its development.
An increase in the delivery phase time interval occurs due to the use of the following funds:
- Special shampoos.
- Healing ointments.
- Infusions of various herbs.
- Baths with the addition of infusions of herbs.
- UV irradiation.
When prescribing treatment at home, it is important to know a few rules to follow:
- All prescribed medications should be taken regularly.
- In the absence of severe symptoms, it is sufficient to use products containing aloe vera. Only with a severe course of the disease it is necessary to switch to the use of hormonal drugs.
- By using the prescribed creams, it will be possible to maintain a normal level of skin hydration.
- In case of an appointment for 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 advisable to use the most common means. Most doctors agree that it is undesirable to use several different ointments and drugs at the same time, as it will be impossible to determine the effectiveness of a particular remedy for you.
- Take a break during treatment. In addition, the average break time between classes varies from several 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 them as soon as possible. In such a case, the diet is usually sufficient.
How to treat psoriasis on the head with traditional methods
You can try to cure the disease using various folk remedies. Of course, using them only on their own, it is unlikely that amazing results can be achieved, since psoriasis on the head can only be cured with complex treatment.
Folk remedies are good to help alleviate the situation and at the same time act as additional therapy. Celandine is a plant on the basis of which the funds are used in the case of a wide variety of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the skin.
It has been proven over and over again that in the case of treating psoriasis, 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 you experience any discomfort while using 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 with care in the treatment, since they cause allergic reactions.
One of the most popular mask recipes, which you can prepare yourself, is as follows: mix egg white with a teaspoon of honey and apply the resulting mixture directly to your hair, mixing itrubbing on the scalp with light massaging movements. Wash off the mask after 30 minutes.
Different masks based on oils are quite effective. You can take an essential oil like rosemary or tea tree and add a teaspoon 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.
Note that you will need to lather your hair more than once. Onion compresses are often used against the disease. They are very easy to do. It is enough to cut a little of the fruit in the state of porridge and apply it directly to 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 rather serious, minus, which is a strong odor, which is unlikely to get rid of on the very day of applying the compress.
Therapeutic diet
One of the most important conditions for effective treatment of psoriasis is strict adherence to a specially formulated diet.
Its essence lies in the exclusion of a number of foods from the diet:
- Coffee.
- Various citrus fruits.
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Fruits, vegetables, but only red.
- Soft drinks.
- Spicy food.
- Any confectionery containing chocolate.
- Products containing 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 all its forms. Once the symptoms have partially disappeared, it will be possible to reuse the foods on the list of products prohibited in food. However, you need to watch the reaction of the body. As soon as the symptoms reappear, the product should be eliminated from your diet.
Hair care rules
Brush your hair very gently 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 patches on your head, you can use soap every two months to wash your hair.