Itchy Scalp Hair Loss

Itchy Scalp Hair Loss

The human hair has been regarded as a person’s crowning glory, it serves as the epitome of beauty in certain societies and has evolved and undergone a lot of modifications with different methods and to enhance its grandeur.

Hair growth undergoes a certain life-cycle. Normal hair usually grows around one inch a month and is affected by a person’s age, when a person grows older the rate in which the hair grows decreases and settles down. Shedding as much as 100 hairs a day can be considered normal and healthy hair follicles replace hair that matured.

However, no matter how hard we take good care of our hair, some people experience dreaded diseases and conditions that can lead to annoying itchiness and hair loss. If you are shedding more than expected, the hair thins and easily breaks or intense itching happens to your scalp you should consult a dermatologist and start taking the necessary steps to take care of your hair. Itchiness on the scalp may be annoying and may even cause hair loss if not properly treated and taken care of; such a situation is not permanent.

Scalp Dysesthesia is the term referring to itchy scalp hair loss. Itchy scalp hair loss is triggered by the excessive oil (or sebum) secreted at the scalp. Sebum protects and nourishes the follicle shaft, but if sebum is excessively secreted it may cause flaking, itching or inflammation and be infected with bacteria which causes itching. Shampoos, chemical and dirt may aggravate these bacteria and may prove intolerable for the person.

Here are some causes for itchy scalp hair loss:

• Folliculitis- an infection caused by strong chemical contents in shampoos which damage the hair follicles and cause it to break. These can be seen as small white pimple-like heads around hair follicles. Severe folliculitis may result the head to have larger red boils, if untreated it may leave scars and bald patches (also known as cicatricial alopecia).
• Tinea Capitis- a fungal infection caused by ringworms or dermatophytes (mold like fungi) it is characterized by itchiness on the scalp, excessive hair loss, scaling of the skin, redness, black dot-like rashes, and may lead to cicatricial alopecia and rashes may be contagious. This can also affect the eyelashes and eyebrows.
• Psoriasis – can be seen as white scales on red lesions of the skin, itching and temporary baldness, due to the quick replenishment of skin. This is non-contagious and affects a large number of Americans.
• Seborrhoeic Dermatitis – a reaction caused by the formation of yeast (Malassexia) on the scalp. The yeast feeds on the natural oils or sebum produced by the scalp and it produces harmful substances that aggravate the skin. Yellowish oily flakes, itching, dryness, redness are the cause of dermatitis.

There are various and home based remedies that can help alleviate minor itchy hair scalp hair loss in men and women. Proper application and massage of good hair oil can help strengthen roots, the use of dermatologist approved shampoos, proper hygiene and regular care will have its benefits. If in some cases that your itchiness is severe, consult your doctor.

This site aims to help readers get a deeper understanding of itchy scalp hair loss and generate as much information and recommendation in the future to help each individual minimize or remove the occurrence of itchiness.