[Chinese and Western Medicine Viewpoints]Find out the root cause and seek medical advice to avoid worsening itchy scalp and be careful to become bald

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Text: Shen Yashi “Ming Pao”

(Hong Kong News) Under hot and high temperature, the sebaceous glands of the scalp become more active, increasing the secretion, easy to accumulate oil and breed bacteria, making the scalp sensitive and itchy.

Seborrheic dermatitis is mostly male patients

Dr. Liu Yanming from the Department of Dermatology and Venereology said that in general, shampooing is the simplest and most effective way to relieve itching. Block pores. Of course, choose a shampoo that suits your hair type to keep oil secretion balanced.”

But if you wash your hair every day and your scalp still itches, accompanied by red rashes, a lot of desquamation, scalp edema, pustules, and even hair loss, then be careful that it may not be an ordinary itchy scalp. Need to face up to and find out the reason.

She said that there are many reasons for head itching, excluding internal diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease, other such as various inflammatory skin diseases, infections, etc., can make people’s head itchy unbearably.

Among them, seborrheic dermatitis is the most common cause. “It is a very common skin inflammation that is easy to recur. Most of the patients are male.”

The cause of seborrheic dermatitis has not been fully understood in medicine, but it is generally believed that it is related to the excessive proliferation of Bacillus dander.

Liu Yanming pointed out that this fungus exists on the skin of most adults and normally does not pose a health risk; however, stimulated by certain triggers, such as excessive sebum secretion, Bacillus dander will grow in large numbers and accumulate in the density of sebaceous glands. Higher and active areas such as the scalp.

Due to the imbalance of skin flora, it is possible to stimulate the immune system, causing a cascade of inflammation in the skin, causing redness and scaling.

Eczema without fixed lesions and no scales

Seborrheic dermatitis and eczema (atopic dermatitis) can be easily confused because of the similarities in the symptoms of itching. Liu Yanming did not deny that the two diseases belong to dermatitis, and the symptoms are similar. It is really difficult for ordinary people to distinguish, and it is necessary to rely on the doctor’s clinical experience to judge.

“Bacillus dander likes to breed in places with a lot of oil secretion, so if the patient’s scalp is itchy, red, and desquamated, similar symptoms also appear on the forehead, between the eyebrows, on both sides of the nose, ears, and chest. It tends to be caused by seborrheic dermatitis; but if the patient has a history of atopic dermatitis and complains that the scalp is very itchy, he tends to believe that it is caused by atopic dermatitis; If there is redness, rash, or itching on the scalp, you will consider whether it is contact dermatitis. Have you dyed your hair or changed shampoo recently?”

In addition, the itchy head of seborrheic dermatitis usually recurs in fixed locations, especially the hairline; on the contrary, eczema usually has no fixed lesions and can affect the entire head.

Another characteristic of seborrheic dermatitis is often accompanied by scaly or yellowish crusted patches, while acute scalp eczema attacks may be exudate, but there is no greasy scale.

Mild Shampoo for Scalp Eczema

The treatments for the two are not the same, she said.

“Slight seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp,

There are over-the-counter anti-dandruff shampoos that contain medicated ingredients,

Such as selenium sulfide,

Zinc pyrithione,

coal tar,

Ketoconazole,

Salicylic acid (salicylic acid), etc.

It is recommended to use it twice a week for at least 1 month; if the condition does not improve, or if itching is very severe, you can use topical steroid lotion or ointment to relieve discomfort upon prescription from a doctor. “

“As for scalp eczema, it is recommended to use a shampoo with mild ingredients to avoid irritating the scalp, and apply a doctor-prescribed topical steroid ointment or lotion to control inflammation and reduce itching.”

Hot and humid weather favors fungal growth

It is worth mentioning that hot and humid weather is not only prone to outbreaks of seborrheic dermatitis and eczema, but also conducive to the growth of fungi. If the fungus is accidentally brought to the head, tinea capitis may form. Patients will not only have itchy scalp and scaling , abscesses, scabs, and hair breakage, which may even lead to scarring and permanent hair loss.

“Tinea capitis is mainly caused by dermatophytes on the scalp. This type of fungus can be transmitted from person to person, or through infected pets such as cats and dogs. It is more common in children, and adults with weak immune systems may also be affected. Infect.”

She reminded that tinea capitis is highly contagious, and patients need to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and the treatment mainly depends on oral antifungal drugs, “because external drugs cannot penetrate into the root of hair follicles, the therapeutic effect is not great. Oral drugs are recommended to take at least 4 to 6 weeks, but according to clinical observations, in many cases, it takes 2 to 3 months to make sure that the hair grows back before it is considered cured.”

Mild symptoms drink herbal tea

Change pillowcases frequently and wear hats less

Apart from itchy scalp, head odor is also an embarrassing problem.

Some people have washed their hair frequently, but the oily smell is still strong.

Chinese medicine doctor Lin Huixian pointed out that from the perspective of Chinese medicine, in addition to external factors such as dermatitis and improper care, it is also related to personal constitution, such as dampness, heat and poison in the body.

Eat less fried and hot food

“Damp resistance leads to blockage of meridians, which easily accumulates metabolic waste; heat evil goes upward, outward, and reaches the top of the head, resulting in abnormal sweating, strong oil secretion, peculiar smell, head sores, and hair loss.”

If you want to get rid of the smelly head, you can start with your daily life and diet. Lin Huixian said that you should eat less fried, hot, fatty, sweet, and strong-flavored foods that cause dampness and heat in the body or yin deficiency and fire, so as to reduce the smell of oil and sweat, and eat fruits and vegetables appropriately. In addition, you can also eat foods that clear away heat and detoxify or invigorate the spleen and remove dampness, such as: Yiren, Smilax, Burdock, Yinchen, etc.

In terms of daily life, she reminded to change pillowcases frequently, and to avoid wearing hats as much as possible, so as to prevent sweat from accumulating, allowing bacteria to take advantage of and infect the scalp; Fresh peel, mulberry root, white tribulus and other traditional Chinese medicine formula shampoos with oil control effects, dry your hair with warm air as soon as possible after shampooing; work and rest regularly, do a little exercise to promote qi and blood circulation, and avoid long-term stress State, “Because of high stress, it may affect the function of the adrenal glands, thereby increasing the level of androgen, leading to increased secretion of scalp oil, causing head odor problems.”

Head odor and sores should seek medical attention early

Lin Huixian said that if the head odor is very serious, and you have head sores, or even hair loss, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Chinese medicine will prescribe traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture or scraping according to your individual constitution to help the patient recover and unblock the meridians, and the oil on the head will naturally decrease. Those with mild symptoms can take herbal tea. She recommends the following two:

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