Having an itchy scalp can sometimes be very embarrassing. Say, for example, you’re meeting someone new and you’ve put on your most fabulous outfit, you’re looking your best, and you’ve just spent 45 minutes styling your hair to make it look perfect. Imagine that you are sitting at the dining room table in front of the person who might be “the one” and all of a sudden your scalp itches. What do you do for a living? Scratch it? Do you try to ignore it and try to keep thinking about colorful conversations at the table while having a burning sensation in your head that is dying from being scratched? If you scratch it once, that might go unnoticed, but if you continue to scratch your head during dinner, this will certainly show, and not in a positive way.
Considering that itchy scalp is extremely common in adults (most of us will suffer from some sort of itchy scalp at some point), there is still a huge stigma about scratching an itchy scalp. Perhaps this dates back to the days when we were on the playground and having an itchy scalp made us a social outcast because it was a symptom of lice. Fortunately, in the adult world of itchy scalp, it usually doesn’t mean that we have lice, but it can actually be indicative of a lower condition that our scalp may be suffering from.
Itchy scalp can be caused by a variety of conditions, to get to the bottom of how to solve the problem, we will look at the two most common causes of itchy scalp.
Seborrheic dermatitis
This is the most common reason why our scalp itches. This type of dermatitis most commonly affects areas of our body where we have many sebaceous glands (those glands that produce natural oils to keep our hair and skin healthy). So this type of dermatitis is not actually found specifically on the scalp, but the scalp is one of those areas of the body that produces a lot of natural oils, so it is very common to have seborrheic dermatitis there (other parts of the body). that this type of dermatitis can form is around the face and torso). Seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp will cause an itchy sensation and the skin that is affected by the dermatitis will become flaky, red, and may even cause hair loss in some people around that area. Skin that is very scratchy around this area may flake slightly and this can contribute to dandruff. A known cause of this type of scalp dermatitis is a fungus called Malassezia Globosa. This fungus is known to grow on the scalp and produce toxic substances that can irritate and inflame the skin. The best way to treat seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp is to use a medicated antifungal shampoo that can kill the fungus that is causing the dermatitis.
Eczema
Many people experience eczema in various parts of their body. From the feet to the scalp, eczema can be prevalent anywhere. Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition that, unlike seborrheic dermatitis (which generally only affects the areas where the sebaceous glands are), eczema can appear anywhere, even on the scalp. When eczema is localized on the scalp, this can be extremely problematic for those who suffer from it because one symptom of eczema is the continued excessive production of dead skin cells. This can cause some extremely adverse effects on appearance because people with scalp eczema can appear to suffer from very severe dandruff with a large amount of flaky white chunks all over their hair and falling onto their shoulders. This gives the impression that the person is not clean, but in reality it is just the excessive production of skin cells and shedding, and has nothing to do with their cleanliness. Modern science has yet to find the exact cause of eczema. But there are some critical factors to help people control their eczema. One of these factors is ensuring that people with this condition reduce skin irritation whenever possible. People with eczema have sensitive skin, so they should not take long hot showers, they should only bathe in lukewarm water. They should install a shower filter to remove irritating chemicals like chlorine and soften the water so it doesn’t irritate the skin on the scalp.
When drying after showering, they should also pat their hair dry, rather than rubbing their skin excessively. Also, people with eczema should avoid chlorinated pools at all costs, the chemicals in the water will irritate their skin and cause accelerated shedding.
Having itchy scalp or excessive dandruff does not mean that a person is unclean or unhealthy, it just means that they may be suffering from treatable skin conditions on the scalp. So next time you’re on a special occasion with someone and they scratch their heads too often. You can be sure that most adults will go through exactly the same things they do, and you don’t need to judge them for it.