A certain percentage of people on the planet suffer from psoriasis. First of all, psoriasis happens to appear on the scalp, and it is recommended to treat it when the first symptoms appear. The cause of the disease has not been determined, but the symptoms are already obvious. It is recommended to consult a doctor for treatment, comprehensive treatment, and preventive measures.
reason
Psoriasis is a disease, and its root cause is still a mystery to humans. A lot of research is going on on this topic, new results have appeared, and new reasons and theories for more problems have been put forward. With psoriasis, the rate of formation of new cells increases. As a result, too many cells are formed, the skin begins to harden, and the inflammatory process begins.
So far, the following facts have been considered to be the cause of the disease-in psoriasis, the cell division process is disrupted and the formation rate of keratinocytes increases, leading to the appearance of the disease.
The increase in cell turnover rate leads to an inflammatory process, which in turn leads to a higher rate of cell division, which is a vicious circle. A genetic predisposition leads to a high split rate.
Sometimes, after an infectious disease, the invasion of the immune system due to stress causes such a process. For example, among people infected with immunodeficiency virus, the number of psoriasis patients is three times that of healthy people.
Hundreds of years ago, it was believed that people with psoriasis would be cursed and could spread these diseases to others.
Other factors that contribute to the development of psoriasis:
- When viruses and bacteria enter the human body and cause changes in the chromosome structure, genetic diseases will develop.
- Skin infection, purulent inflammation.
- Violation of lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Chronic inflammation-sinusitis, otitis media, tonsillitis, etc. In many patients with psoriasis, a high ratio is observed when analyzing the number of lymphocytes and white blood cells in the blood.
- The air at the patient's location is too dry or too humid.
- Stress, anxiety, depression.
- Taking antibiotics and immunomodulators can lead to impaired immunity, which can lead to psoriasis.
- Increase the risk of using alcohol and tobacco.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals in the body, unhealthy diet, eating foods containing allergens, overweight.
- Endocrine diseases.
- Visceral diseases.
If a person notices the appearance of psoriasis symptoms, localized skin dryness, roughness, and redness, then you should immediately contact a dermatologist for diagnosis.
Psoriasis appears on the head for some reason, in which the special structure of the skin is noticed, and microtraumas often occur when scratching the skin in this place.
According to statistics, one percent of people in the world suffer from psoriasis, while eight out of ten patients with psoriasis are located in the head area, and four out of ten patients are located only on the head. In six out of ten people, the disease is not limited to the scalp, it also spreads to the elbows, knees, palms and other areas.
If the patient is prone to psoriasis, then his symptoms may appear unexpectedly under the slightest stress or anxiety. Assign patients to risk groups. Usually, symptoms of psoriasis first appear in patients between 15 and 25 years of age.
Type (table)
Symptoms may vary depending on the type of psoriasis. The two main forms of the disease are mild and severe.
- The lungs are characterized by the formation of small lesions covered with the same small psoriasis plaques.
- In the severe form, psoriasis affects the entire head area, the lesions merge, the skin is dry, psoriasis plaques form large areas, and the skin becomes rougher.
stage
Scalp psoriasis occurs in several stages.
- The progressive stage is characterized by the development of the disease and the formation of new lesions.
- During the quiescent phase, there is no change in the symptoms of the disease. The new does not appear, and the old does not change.
- With the degeneration stage, the symptoms are eliminated. It can last up to two years.
Symptoms may vary from season to season. The cause of psoriasis in winter may be a lack of ultraviolet radiation, but if the symptoms worsen in summer, the cause is just the opposite—excessive ultraviolet radiation.
symptom
Skin diseases will not only affect the patient's physical condition, but also affect his psychological stability. Psoriasis is a chronic disease, that is, an incurable disease that is particularly difficult to bear. In order to improve the quality of life, it is necessary to continuously eliminate the symptoms of the disease, which requires a lot of time, energy, and sometimes even money.
If the psoriasis on the body can be covered with clothes, then the psoriasis on the scalp will not work. Usually, patients will start to develop psoriasis from this area. Sometimes psoriasis does not spread further, especially if its symptoms are continuously treated with good and effective drugs, but the disease can spread to other parts of the body.
Scalp psoriasis is also called seborrheic dermatitis. The disease is characterized by severe scaling of the scalp, similar to dandruff. In addition, the patient suffers from itching, forming psoriasis plaques in this area.
For psoriasis patients, an important fact is that the hair on the scalp does not fall out during the onset or development of the disease.
The skin under the psoriatic plaque bleeds when scratched, so patients should not scratch the skin. Due to the inflammatory process, the affected area may be red.
The disease progresses and subsides periodically. With recurrence, the symptoms of the disease will recur. In this case, the patient should use drugs to eliminate the symptoms so that the relief time begins. During the remission period, the symptoms of psoriasis are not obvious.
The length of each period depends on many factors. The remission period can be up to two years.
In order to understand what psoriasis on the scalp looks like, let us continue to look at the symptom photos section.
treat
So far, no one has been able to find a cure for psoriasis.
There are many medicines available to treat the symptoms of psoriasis. Thanks to the use of medicines, folk remedies, and comprehensive therapies, the quality of life of patients has been improved.
First, you need to contact a dermatologist to diagnose the disease. The doctor will conduct all necessary research and analysis to establish an accurate diagnosis.
Folk remedies
For the treatment of scalp psoriasis, use folk recipes. It is recommended to use them as part of complex treatments to enhance the effects of drugs.
The independent use of traditional medicines is prohibited. They should be discussed with your healthcare professional, and they should only be used after approval.
The following therapies are commonly used to treat scalp psoriasis:
- Celandine can effectively alleviate the inflammatory process. The herbs are washed and dried, red wine is added, and the skin is treated with the resulting product.
- White wine tincture made with sunflower basket. Squeeze the juice from the sunflower and treat the skin with this medicine.
- Elderberry can also effectively relieve itching, inflammation and redness of the skin. The inflorescence is soaked in water for two hours. The solution is taken orally.
- Mix honey with egg whites and shampoo, apply to the affected area, and wash off with water.
drug
In the presence of the attending physician, the drugs used to treat each patient are selected based on the test results, disease stage, and immune level. He will tell you how to treat scalp psoriasis.
The drugs prescribed by dermatologists are not always suitable for patients, even for experienced drugs. Many products have no effect at the beginning. It is recommended to take combination therapy drugs, that is, a combination of multiple forms of drugs.
There are several groups of drugs and various treatments for psoriasis.
Hormonal drugs contain active ingredients-hormones, which have a very effective effect on the body and can quickly relieve symptoms, but long-term use is not recommended.
Steroids can be systemic, they are taken orally in the form of tablets, or administered intravenously/intramuscularly. Ointments containing hormones in the composition are much less effective. But it can not be used for a long time, because the skin of the application site will change its pigment, become thinner, have trauma, and is prone to secondary infection.
In addition, after using hormone drugs, withdrawal symptoms often occur. In this case, after long-term treatment and stopping the medication, the symptoms will recover, but the symptoms will be more severe.
Therefore, it is not recommended to use hormonal preparations for a long time. It is suitable for sensitive skin areas, large areas of skin use, and cancellation of the use of the drug, and the dosage should be gradually reduced. .
Non-hormonal drugs are also commonly used to treat psoriasis. They are used to relieve symptoms, inflammation, itching, and redness of the skin. Their list of contraindications and side effects is much smaller.
The main active ingredients of this group of drugs are anti-inflammatory, constrict blood vessels, soothe the skin, moisturize and soften the skin. Among the active ingredients, zinc, tar, salicylic acid and other substances are noted.
They can be used at any stage of the disease. In addition, there are many different release forms of such drugs. Their effectiveness and recommendations for use are also different. You can study their effectiveness in the treatment of scalp psoriasis on the forum.
Zinc can be used as often as needed, but it is recommended not to use tar-based products more than twice a week. In addition, they should be used with moisturizers because tar can dry out the skin.
Patients often choose ointments to treat scalp psoriasis.
Cosmetics are also very popular with patients because they can improve the appearance of the scalp, but at the same time they have no therapeutic effect.
From cosmetics, users will choose oils and shampoos that moisturize the skin, eliminate psoriasis, scalp itching and dandruff.
For the treatment of psoriasis, drugs that suppress the immune system, metabolism, and prevent the process of skin cell renewal and division are used.
These funds can only be used under the supervision of a doctor because they have many contraindications and side effects.
It is also necessary to improve the general condition of the patient by following a special diet, and to exclude foods containing allergens from the patient's diet. It is recommended to take multivitamins and minerals.
It is possible to prescribe physical therapy for the patient. For example, ultraviolet radiation is suitable for "winter" psoriasis.
prevention
As a precaution, the following recommendations should be followed:
- You need to take good care of your skin and wash it more frequently with baby soap or other hypoallergenic soap.
- Refuse to drink and smoke.
- Don't get into a stressful situation. Depression and anxiety can cause relapse.
- Follow daily life.
- Take multivitamins and minerals.
- Follow a special diet to exclude allergens from the diet. In addition, the diet is individually selected for the patient and the amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrate needed.
Many people question whether scalp psoriasis is contagious. The answer is no, this disease is not contagious.