Itchy scalp and other symptoms: dandruff, hair loss, flaking

Many people are familiar with the obsessive sensation of itching - when any area of the body itches, a persistent feeling of discomfort arises, irritability appears, mood and sleep deteriorate. Itching of the head is especially unpleasant: you want to get rid of the problem as soon as possible, but how to do this? First of all, you need to understand the mechanism of the unpleasant sensation and find its cause. Then everything is simple: eliminate the cause - the itching disappears.

Intensive constant scratching will not solve the problem, but will only aggravate it: scratches, abrasions will appear, an infectious process may join in. Therefore, it is better not to experiment, but to immediately begin to search for the causal factor and eliminate it.

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Risk factors

Most often, the head itches due to pediculosis, scabies, seborrhea, and ringworm.

Less commonly, discomfort may be caused by:

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

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

• in case of violation of hygiene rules and regulations;
• during pregnancy or menopause in women;
• in allergic processes;
• in case of hypovitaminosis;
• for insect bites;
• in case of overheating, dry skin;
• when washing hair frequently.

Read about other causes of itchy scalp here.

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Epidemiology

Skin cells are constantly renewed, and this is an absolutely healthy process in the body. But sometimes the renewal process is accompanied by itching and other uncomfortable sensations. There are no exact statistics on this phenomenon, but we can say with confidence that not hundreds or thousands, but millions of people around the world constantly face this problem. Moreover, in more than half of them, itching is accompanied by other troubles - baldness, redness, etc.

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Symptoms

Itching sensations cannot be confused with any other symptoms - it is an unpleasant feeling of discomfort that causes a lot of inconvenience to a person. Not always such discomfort is accidental: in most cases, itching of the head is a symptom of a disease or other specific condition that must be identified and eliminated.

Itching rarely occurs as an independent symptom. It is usually combined with other symptoms that should definitely be paid attention to. This approach in many cases helps to determine the cause of the condition.

• Itching of the scalp and hair loss are observed with seborrhea: severe itching, disruption of sebum production, dandruff are the main signs of this pathology. Seborrhea can be dry, oily or combined, and a trichologist deals with its treatment.
• Itching and flaking of the scalp are often observed when the wrong hair washing products are chosen. In this case, the hair may have an untidy, dull appearance, without shine. Split ends and increased fragility may be present. Changing shampoo and conditioner in most cases helps to solve the problem. It happens that the head and eyes itch, conjunctivitis and lacrimation may develop. All these are undoubted signs of an allergic process.
• Itchy scalp without dandruff is a common symptom of allergy to dyes and detergents, cosmetics, medications and food products. Itchy scalp and allergies are almost always interconnected. The patient experiences severe discomfort, but rashes, peeling, hair loss do not always occur, but only at later stages of the problem.
• Itchy scalp and dandruff are possible symptoms of a fungal infection. To clarify the diagnosis, you should consult a dermatologist or trichologist. Most likely, treatment with subsequent control diagnostic methods will be required.
• Redness of the head and itching can be a consequence of many diseases: diabetes, allergies, liver diseases, etc. Also, itching of the head and red spots often accompany dermatophytosis - a fungal disease, which includes trichophytosis, microsporia, favus. In addition to redness, severe hair loss is observed in pathological foci. The diagnosis is based on laboratory tests.
• Itching of the head and neck often bothers patients with problems with the spine - or more precisely, with the cervical-collar zone. In addition to itching, such patients complain of pain in the neck, a feeling of "crawling ants", numbness of the neck and upper limbs. Unreasonable headaches may occur. When the spinal nerves are pinched, itching of the back of the head first appears, which then turns into numbness. Sweating may increase, and the head may hurt. In such a situation, a neurologist can help.
• Itchy scalp and pimples can be the first signs of psoriasis. At first, the scalp itches and sores appear – pustules with a serous component. When the pustules open, crusts form in their place, and the itching sensations intensify.
• Dry scalp and itching are observed with a low-fat diet, with hypovitaminosis, in old age, with excessive hair care. Discomfort can occur in the hair growth zone, on the forehead, on the back of the head, but most often a combined itching of the head and ears is detected, which also requires special diagnostic studies.
• Itching on the scalp with crusts is a sign of seborrhea. The layers of the skin become inflamed, excessive sebum production occurs, the stratum corneum thickens, white scales and reddish plaques with crusts appear. The disease is quite difficult to treat, but this should be done so that the pathology does not spread to healthy areas of the skin.
• If your head itches at night, you should be examined for pediculosis or demodicosis. Insects are active mainly at night, so such diseases are characterized by "night" symptoms. Usually, the diagnosis is made after the first examination of the scalp.
• If your head and hands itch, you should check your liver function. With internal intoxication associated with insufficient liver function, itching sensations often spread throughout the body. Yellowing of the skin, loss of appetite, and pain in the liver projection area are also possible. Itching of the body and head can also be the result of a malfunction of the endocrine system - for example, diabetes or metabolic disorders.
• This combination of symptoms, such as gray hair and itchy head, often indicates the presence of senile itching, caused by age-related changes in the body. We will talk about senile itching a little later.
• Some patients have an itchy head in the morning if they "overdid it" with alcohol the day before. The first cause of this condition is intoxication, so to quickly get rid of the problem, specialists recommend drinking enough clean water.
• The patient notices: when I sweat, my head itches. Indeed, this happens - for example, with high blood pressure, frequent stressful situations, mental problems, diabetes, heart disease, or during female menopause. For an 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. Occipital lymph nodes are capable of reacting to any acute pathologies: in this case, various sensations may occur - from mild discomfort to severe pain that worsens overall well-being. Additionally, the clinical picture of the underlying disease is observed.
• If your head itches, but there are no lice, this is a reason to see a doctor. The cause will have to be sought in the body as a whole, starting from failure to observe personal hygiene rules, ending with diagnostics of the endocrine and nervous systems, checking the state of the hormonal background.

Itchy scalp during pregnancy

Pregnant women have a particularly sensitive body, so their heads often itch even from the slightest irritants – for example, from a new detergent or berries eaten the day before.

In addition to allergies, liver problems often occur during pregnancy: with cholecystitis, cholecystopancreatitis, hepatitis, the head may also itch, as well as the whole body - limbs, back, neck. Such itching tends to intensify at night - first the head itches, then other parts of the body.

Hormonal changes in the woman's body also play an important role. Itching, which occurs due to a sharp change in hormone levels, is insignificant and disappears immediately after the birth of the child.

If your head itches after giving birth, this may already be a reason to contact a specialist. The doctor will prescribe additional examinations - perhaps the cause was stress, or the consequences of a difficult birth, or the result of systematic lack of sleep. A woman's life changes dramatically with the birth of a child, new worries, experiences, sensations appear, which can cause a kind of nervous itching of the head. On the one hand, this is a normal phenomenon, but the new mother should still consult a doctor: it may be necessary to undergo a course of treatment with mild sedatives. Another probable side of the problem may be regular lack of sleep, because the mother has to get up several times at night, and sometimes there is little time left for sleep. Itching caused by lack of sleep goes away when the regime is established.

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Itchy scalp in men

Few people know, but many men have itchy heads due to poor nutrition. If the diet is dominated by fatty, fried, carbohydrate foods, which complicate the digestive processes, then as a result, the metabolism can be seriously disrupted, which causes unpleasant sensations. A full diet of fresh and varied healthy products will help solve this problem.

Less often, men, like women, have itchy scalps from shampoo. The causes are allergic processes or normal irritation of the skin by aggressive components of the detergent.

Stress is a common cause. It is generally accepted that it is mostly the fairer sex that worries and experiences, but this is not true. Men tend to hold emotions in for a long time: as a result, negativity and fatigue accumulate, blood pressure increases, sleep is disturbed, the condition of the skin and hair worsens, and the head itches.

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

Itchy scalp in a child

Is your child constantly scratching his head? Parents immediately start worrying – what is the reason for this phenomenon? There can be many reasons for itching, and no less than in an adult:

• lice infestation;
• fungal infections;
• psoriasis;
• seborrheic eczema;
• scabies;
• psoriasis.

According to statistics, the most common cause of itching in childhood is allergies. A rash appears - single or multiple, associated with intolerance to certain foods, medications, chemicals and detergents. Allergies can even occur from ordinary tap water, the composition of which is unacceptable for a baby. Itching and rash often occur after wearing certain clothes, hats, or when using synthetic bedding or pillows with allergenic fillers. It is not possible to determine why a baby's head is itchy in all cases. Therefore, it is often necessary to exclude one factor after another until a positive result is achieved.

Senile pruritus of the scalp

When an elderly person has an itchy scalp, it is called senile or old age itch - this condition is associated with the aging process in the skin, with various chronic diseases inside the body, with a slowdown in metabolism. The most common cause is dermatoxerosis - this is an age-related change in the skin against the background of atrophic processes in the vessels and tissue dehydration. Other factors are considered to be:

• reduction of body fat;
• dysfunction of sweat and sebaceous glands;
• fading of the protective function of the skin.

As a rule, the overwhelming majority of elderly people have several chronic diseases of internal organs, which can also affect the appearance of scalp itching. Such diseases include:

• atherosclerosis of blood vessels;
• endocrine disorders (thyroid gland, pancreas, etc.);
• water-salt metabolism disorders;
• diseases of the digestive system;
• pathologies of the nervous system;
• immune disorders;
• diseases of the joints, spine.

Also typical for the elderly is the so-called drug itch, which is associated with the constant use of various medications.

Diagnostics itchy scalp

Primary diagnostic measures are carried out by a dermatologist: this is the doctor you should contact first if your head is itchy. What primary diagnostics may include:

• questioning the patient (when the unpleasant sensations first appeared, how severe they were, whether there are other symptoms);
• study of the patient's medical history and life;
• a thorough physical examination including assessment of the patient's skin and hair condition.

Secondary diagnostics includes laboratory tests:

• general blood test and biochemistry;
• general urine test;
• coprogram - stool analysis;
• taking a scraping from the itchy area or from the location of the scales (if there is a suspicion of a fungal infection);
• microscopy of biological material (if there is a suspicion of demodicosis);
• luminescent diagnostic method (if mycoses and dermatoses are suspected).

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

Differential diagnostics are carried out between itchy dermatoses and other skin pathologies, diseases of the digestive and endocrine systems, parasitic lesions, mental disorders that are accompanied by itching.

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Treatment itchy scalp

Read more about methods of treating itchy scalp 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 into quite unpleasant consequences. A person should definitely contact a medical specialist to determine the cause of the pathological condition.

If dermatological diseases are not treated, they can spread to other areas and further throughout the body, affecting healthy skin. Allergic processes are also fraught with complications, especially if contact with the allergen is long or constant. In severe cases, it is even possible to develop anaphylactic shock with angioedema - this is a critical condition with an extremely negative prognosis.

Many skin diseases, if left untreated, become chronic and become especially difficult to get rid of.

Constant scratching of itchy areas can lead to infection of the damaged skin, a particularly common complication that requires difficult and long-term treatment.

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Prevention

How to prevent itching on the head? First of all, you need to take care of your skin and hair, but you can’t overdo it in this matter either: excessively frequent and intensive hair washing, frequent use of masks and scrubs have no less negative impact on the condition of the skin, 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 passed on to other people for use.

Detergents can have an adverse effect on the scalp. Therefore, when choosing a shampoo, conditioner or shower gel, you need to carefully study their composition. A substance called sodium lauryl sulfate is especially often an allergen, so people prone to allergic reactions should not buy shampoos with this component. As a conditioner or balm, it often makes sense to use folk remedies: for example, treat your hair with lemon water, rinse with nettle or chamomile infusion, etc.

It is necessary to make changes to the diet, adding foods with a high content of vitamins and minerals. Nutrition should help strengthen the immune system, improve the condition of the skin, nails, and hair. If there are chronic diseases, then it is necessary to regularly undergo treatment courses to prevent weakening of the body.

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

In everyday life, one should avoid all kinds of stress and conflict situations, since the health of the nervous system largely determines the condition of the entire body.

To avoid itchy scalp, the best prevention is a healthy lifestyle, developing resistance to stress, and choosing the right care and cosmetic products.

Forecast

To avoid unpleasant consequences in the form of spreading the disease and secondary infection, do not self-medicate. If your head itches, do not wait for the condition to normalize on its own. It is better to consult a medical specialist without any embarrassment. Detailed diagnostics with determination of the root cause of discomfort and subsequent adequate treatment will allow you to quickly get rid of such a problem as itchy head.