Itching of the head and other symptoms: dandruff, hair loss, peeling

Many know the obsessive sensation of itching - when you scratch any part of the body, there is a persistent feeling of discomfort, irritability appears, mood and sleep worsen. Particularly unpleasant is the itching of the head: I want to get rid of the problem as soon as possible, but how? First of all, you need to understand the mechanism of the appearance of an unpleasant sensation and find its cause. Further all is simple: we eliminate the reason - an itch disappears.

Intensive permanent combing will not solve the problem, but will only aggravate it: scratches, abrasions, infection process can join. Therefore, it is better not to experiment, but immediately begin to search for the causal factor and eliminate it.

[1], [2]

Risk factors

Most often the head itches at pediculosis, scabies, seborrhea, ringworm.

Less common discomfort can be caused by:

• diseases of the liver and gallbladder;
• impaired kidney function;
• parasitic pathologies;
• endocrine pathologies;
• HIV disease;
• blood diseases;
• mental disorders;
• autoimmune reactions;
• fungal diseases;
• eczema, psoriasis.

If we are talking about a physiological itch, then it is possible:

• in violation of hygiene rules and norms;
• during pregnancy or menopause in women;
• at allergic processes;
• with hypovitaminosis;
• with insect bites;
• overheating, drying of the skin;
• with frequent hair washing.

Other causes of itchy scalp read here.

[3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]

Epidemiology

The cells of the skin are constantly being renewed, and this is an absolutely healthy process in the body. But sometimes the process of updating is accompanied by itching and other uncomfortable sensations. There is no accurate statistics of this phenomenon, but it can be said with certainty: not hundreds or thousands of people are constantly confronted with this problem, but millions of people around the world. Moreover, more than half of them have itching accompanied by other troubles - baldness, redness, etc.

[9], [10], [11],

Symptoms

Itching can not be confused with any other symptoms - this is an unpleasant feeling of discomfort, which gives a person a lot of discomfort. Not always this discomfort is accidental: in most cases, the itching of the head is a symptom of a disease or other specific condition that needs to be identified and eliminated.

Itching rarely occurs as an independent sign. Usually it is combined with other symptoms, which must be paid attention. This approach in many cases helps to determine the cause of the condition.

• Itching of the head and hair loss are observed in seborrhea: severe itching, disturbed sebum production, dandruff are the main signs of such pathology. Seborrhea is dry, oily or combined, and it is treated by a trichologist.
• Itching and flaking of the head are often observed with the wrong choice of means for washing hair. In this case, the hair may have an untidy, dull appearance, without shine. There may be split ends, increased brittleness. Changing the shampoo and balm in most cases helps to solve the problem. It happens that the head and eyes are itchy, conjunctivitis, lachrymation can develop. All these are indisputable signs of an allergic process.
• Itching of the head without dandruff is a common sign of allergies to coloring and washing substances, cosmetics, medicines and food. Itching of the head and allergy are almost always interrelated. The patient experiences severe discomfort while erupting, peeling, hair loss is not always, but only at subsequent stages of the problem.
• Itching of the head and dandruff - possible symptoms of fungal attack. To clarify the diagnosis should contact a dermatologist or trichologist. Most likely, you will need treatment with subsequent control methods of diagnosis.
• Reddening of the head and itching can be the result of many diseases: diabetes, allergies, liver diseases, etc. Also, itching of the head and red spots often accompany dermatophytosis - a fungal disease, which can include trichophytosis, microsporia, favus. In addition to redness, in the pathological foci there is a strong hair loss. The diagnosis is made on the basis of laboratory tests.
• Itching of the head and neck often worries patients who have problems with the spine - or rather, with the neck-collar zone. In addition to itching sensations, such patients complain of pain in the neck, a sense of "crawling," numbness of the neck and upper limbs. Perhaps the occurrence of causeless headaches. When the spinal nerves are jammed, the head occipitalises initially, which then becomes numb. Sweating can increase, the headache can hurt. In such a situation, a neurologist can help.
• Itching of the head and acne can be the first signs of psoriasis. In the beginning the head is scratched and sores appear - pustules with a serous component. When the pustules are opened, crusts form in their place, and the itching sensations are intensified.
• Dry scalp and itching are observed with low-fat nutrition, with hypovitaminosis, in old age, with excessive hair care. Discomfort can occur in the hair growth zone, on the forehead, on the occiput, but more often than not there is a combined itching of the head and ears, which also requires special diagnostic tests.
• Itching on the head with crusts is a sign of seborrhea. Skin layers become inflamed, excessive sebum develops, the stratum corneum thickens, white scales and reddish patches with crusts appear. The disease is difficult to treat, but it should be done so that the pathology does not spread to healthy areas of the skin.
• If the head itches at night - it is necessary to conduct a test for the presence of pediculosis or demodecosis. Insects are activated mainly at night, so with such diseases is characterized by "night" symptoms. Usually the diagnosis is made after the first examination of the hair.
• If your head and arms itch - it is necessary to check the liver. With internal intoxication associated with insufficient hepatic function, itching sensations often spread throughout the body. It is also possible yellowing of the skin, lack of appetite, pain in the projection of the liver. Also, the itching of the body and head can be the result of a malfunction in the endocrine system - for example, it can be diabetes or impaired metabolism.
• This combination of signs, like gray hair and itchy head, often indicate the presence of senile itching caused by age-related changes in the body. We will talk about senile itching a little later.
• Some patients scratch their head in the morning, if on the eve they "overdid" with the use of alcoholic beverages. The first cause of this condition is intoxication, so to quickly get rid of the problem experts recommend drinking enough clean water.
• The patient notices: when I sweat, my head itches. Indeed, this happens - for example, with high blood pressure, with frequent stressful situations, mental problems, diabetes, heart disease, or during the women's menopause. For accurate diagnosis it is necessary to take into account the presence of other pathological signs.
• Lymph nodes on the neck and itchy head - these symptoms can be present in many infectious diseases. The occipital lymph nodes are able to react to any acute pathology: different sensations can arise from slight discomfort to severe pains that worsen overall well-being. In addition, there is a clinical picture of the underlying disease.
• If the scalp is scratched, but there is no lice - this is an occasion to consult a doctor. The reason will have to be looked for in the body as a whole, starting from non-observance of the rules of personal hygiene, ending with the diagnosis of the endocrine and nervous system, checking the hormonal background.

Itching of the head during pregnancy

In pregnant women, the body is particularly sensitive, because often their head itches, even from the slightest irritants - for example, from a new detergent or eaten berries before.

In addition to allergies, during pregnancy often failures occur in the liver: with cholecystitis, cholecystopancreatitis, hepatitis can also itch the head, as well as the whole body - limbs, back, neck. Such an itch tends to overtighten at night - the head is scratched first, then the other parts of the body.

Hormonal rearrangements in the body of a woman also play an important role. Itching, which occurs due to a sharp change in the level of hormones, is insignificant and disappears immediately after the birth of the child.

If the head itches after childbirth, then it can already be a reason to call a specialist. The doctor will prescribe additional examinations - perhaps the cause was stress, either the consequences of severe labor, or the result of a systematic lack of sleep. The life of a woman with the birth of a child changes radically, new worries, feelings, feelings that can cause a peculiar nervous itch of the head. On the one hand, this is normal, but nevertheless the newly mum should consult the doctor: it may be necessary to undergo a course of treatment with mild sedatives. Another possible side of the problem may be regular lack of sleep, because mothers have to get up at night several times, and sometimes there is little time to sleep. Itching, caused by a lack of sleep, passes when the regime is adjusted.

[12], [13], [14]

Itching of the head in men

Few people know, but many men have a headache due to malnutrition. If the diet is dominated by fatty, fried, carbohydrate food, weighting the course of digestive processes, as a result of this, the metabolism may seriously deteriorate, which causes unpleasant sensations. Full nutrition with fresh and varied healthy foods will help to solve this problem.

Less often in men, as well as in women, itches the head from shampoo. The causes are allergic processes, or the usual irritation of the skin with aggressive components of the detergent.

Stress is a common cause. It is generally accepted that the fairer sex is worried and worried, but it is not so. Men tend to keep emotions in themselves for a long time: as a result, there is an accumulation of negativity, fatigue, increased blood pressure, sleep disturbed, the skin and hair condition worsens, the head itches.

Other factors that occur not only in men, are violations of hygiene, pediculosis, metabolic disorders. If it is difficult to determine the cause, it is better to consult a specialist.

Itching of the child's head

Does the child constantly scratch his head? Parents immediately begin to worry - what is the reason for this phenomenon? The grounds for the occurrence of pruritus can be many, and not at all less than in an adult person:

• defeat by lice;
• fungal lesions;
• scaly lichen;
• seborrheic eczema;
• scabies;
• psoriasis.

According to statistics, the most common cause of pruritus in childhood is an allergy. There is a rash - single or multiple, associated with intolerance of any products, medicines, chemicals and detergents. Allergies can occur even from ordinary tap water, the composition of which is unacceptable for the baby. Often, itching and rashes occur after wearing certain clothes, caps, or using synthetic bed linens, or pillows with allergenic fillers. To determine why the baby's head is itching, it is not possible in all cases. Therefore, often one has to exclude one factor after another, until a positive result is achieved.

Senile itching of the head

When an elderly person itches his head, it is called senile, or senile pruritus - this condition is associated with the processes of aging in the skin, with various chronic diseases inside the body, with a slowing of metabolism. The most common cause is dermatoxrose - this is an age-related skin change against the background of atrophic processes in the vessels and dehydration of tissues. Other factors are:

• reduction of fatty layer;
• violation of the function of sweat and sebaceous glands;
• fading protective function of the skin.

As a rule, the overwhelming number of elderly people have several chronic diseases of the internal organs, which can also affect the appearance of the itch of the head. To such diseases carry:

• arteriosclerosis of blood vessels;
• endocrine disorders (thyroid, pancreas, etc.);
• violation of water-salt metabolism;
• diseases of the digestive system;
• pathology of the nervous system;
• immunity disorders;
• diseases of the joints, spine.

Also for the elderly is the so-called medicinal itch, which is associated with the constant intake of various medications.

Diagnostics of the itching of the head

Primary diagnostic measures are conducted by a dermatologist: it is to such a doctor that the first thing to be handled is if the head is itchy. What can be the primary diagnosis:

• questioning the patient (when the first unpleasant sensations, how much they were expressed, whether there are other symptoms);
• studying the medical history and life of the patient;
• a thorough physical examination with assessment of the skin and hair condition of the patient.

Secondary diagnostics includes laboratory tests:

• general clinical analysis of blood and biochemistry;
• general examination of urine;
• coprogram - stool analysis;
• taking a scraping from the itching area or from the location of scales (if there is a suspicion of a fungal infection);
• microscopy of biological material (if there is a suspicion of demodicosis);
• luminescent method of diagnosis (with suspected mycoses, dermatoses).

If necessary, instrumental diagnostics is carried out - as a rule, it is prescribed by other specialists: gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, oncologist, etc.

Differential diagnosis is performed between itchy dermatoses and other cutaneous pathologies, diseases of the digestive and endocrine system, parasitic lesions, mental disorders that are accompanied by itching.

[15], [16], [17], [18], [19]

Treatment of the itching of the head

Details about the methods of treating the itch of the head are read in this article.

Complications and consequences

Severe itching of the head is a problem that should not be ignored. If you do not pay attention to its elimination, then in the future it can turn out to be quite unpleasant consequences. A person should always consult a medical specialist to determine the cause of the pathological condition.

If you do not treat dermatological diseases, then they can spread to other areas and further throughout the body, hitting the healthy skin. Allergic processes are also fraught with complications, especially if contact with the allergen is prolonged or permanent. In severe cases, even the development of anaphylactic shock with angioneurotic edema is a critical condition with an extremely negative prognosis.

Many skin diseases in the absence of treatment become chronic, and getting rid of them becomes especially difficult.

If the itching areas are constantly combed into damaged skin, infection can occur - this is a particularly common complication that requires severe and prolonged treatment.

[20], [21], [22]

Prevention

How to prevent itching on the head? First and foremost, you need to take care of your skin and hair, but you can not overdo it: too frequent and intensive washing of hair, frequent use of masks and scrubs affects the condition of the skin no less negatively, and can lead to unpleasant sensations.

It is unacceptable to use other people's hats, combs or towels, even in special situations. All these items are for individual use, and are not transferred for use to other people.

An adverse effect on the scalp may have detergents. Therefore, when choosing a shampoo, rinse or shower gel, you need to carefully study their composition. Especially often the allergen becomes a substance called sodium lauryl sulfate, so people prone to allergic reactions, shampoos with such a component is not desirable. As a conditioner or balm it often makes sense to use alternative means: for example, treat the hair with lemon water, rinse with infusion of nettle or chamomile, etc.

It is necessary to make changes in the diet, adding foods that are high in vitamins and minerals. Food should help strengthen the immune defenses, improve the condition of the skin, nails, hair. If there are chronic diseases, then you need to regularly take treatment courses to prevent the weakening of the body.

Women are advised not to abuse hair dyes, styling products, and rarely use hair dryers and curling irons. It is important to remember: everything is good in everything.

In everyday life, you should avoid all kinds of stresses and conflict situations, since the health of the nervous system largely depends on the state of the whole organism.

In order not to scratch your head, the best prevention will be a healthy lifestyle, the upbringing of resistance to stress, and a competent choice of caring and cosmetic means.

Forecast

To avoid unpleasant consequences in the form of the spread of the disease and secondary infection, self-medication should not be practiced. If your head itches - you should not expect that the condition will normalize by itself. It is better to contact a health professional without any hesitation. Detailed diagnosis with the definition of the root cause of discomfort and subsequent adequate treatment will soon get rid of a problem such as an itch of the head.