Your scalp often plays second fiddle to your hair. Until it starts begging for attention, that is. Hair loss is primarily caused by some infection-related and conditions and infectious agents. With several common conditions, your scalp may itch and get irritated.

Ringworm

It would shock most of you to know that ringworm is not wormlike; but rather a fugacious infection. This infection can happen in any part of the body, like in the scalp where it causes patches of hair loss. Most medical doctors refer to ringworm as “tinea capitis.” Ringworm is also a fungal infection that affects the nails and is same as athlete’s foot. When ringworm affects the scalp, it starts as a small pimple and gradually increases in size, leaving scaly patches of temporary baldness. The part affected is prone to fungus which finds its way into the hair fibres making the hair break off easily, brittle and cause a bald patch of skin. An affected scalp can be very red, itchy, and inflamed with oozy and blistering scaly patches.

The outer part of the patches is usually very red and the centre looks like a normal skin. This fungus infection was called ringworm because of the ring nature of its appearance.

The most common cause of ringworm worldwide is the fungus microsporum audouinii, while trichophyton tonsurans can cause tinea capitis, but mainly in the US and Latin American countries. Other fungi that may cause tinea capitis include Trichophyton schoenleinii and Trichophyton megninii in Southern Europe and Africa, and Trichophyton violaceum in the Middle East.

The fungus Microsporum gypseum, commonly found in soil can sometimes cause tinea capitis and is often transmitted to humans by coming in contact with infected animals. The common carriers of ringworm are cats, and one can also contact the fungus from infected pets. Therefore it is important to note that ringworm is contagious, even by simple skin contact with an infected person or through the use of contaminated items such as unwashed clothing, combs and shower or pool surfaces.

Treatment

Treatment available for this fungus differs depending on the exact fungus that is involved. Some ringworm infection will disappear even without treatment. Though, in most cases an anti-fungal is used.

Head Lice

Lice are wingless insects about the size of a sesame seed. They feed on blood, and the females lay their eggs on the hair close to the scalp. Although they don’t cause serious illness, they are something that children – and their parents – would rather live without. Having lice doesn’t mean a child is dirty, as they can pop up in anyone’s hair.

Treatment

To treat, you can use over-the-counter lice kits usually contain a special shampoo that is left on the hair for 10 minutes and then washed out, and a fine-toothed comb to remove any remaining eggs.

Clearing up lice also requires that you thoroughly clean house. Vacuum the rugs and furniture, and then wash all of the child’s clothes, hats, bedding, and towels in hot water. Dry-clean items you can’t wash, like stuffed animals, or seal them in plastic bags for two weeks. Experts recommend that you continue to check the hair for two to three weeks to make sure that all of the lice and nits (eggs) are gone. Use another lice kit after 10 days. This will kill any bugs that survived the first round of treatment.

Dandruff

Little white flakes signal an old-fashioned case of dandruff. It can be annoying when the flakes fall on a dark shirt. Dandruff is simply a buildup of shedding dead skin. There is no known cause, but it may be due to a fungus on the skin. You can’t catch dandruff from someone else, and it isn’t dangerous, but it can be itchy and a bother. Luckily, there’s no redness or scabbing of the scalp.

Treatment

There’s no cure, but it’s fairly easy to control by washing your hair more often with a medicated shampoo.

Folliculitis

Folliculitis is a term mainly used for swelling of hair follicles. Its appearance is like acne with small swollen rings that surrounds the opening of a hair follicle. The hair fibre may be there at the beginning of a folliculitis, but as the folliculitis develops the hair falls off. In the case where folliculitis is serious and harsh, inflammation tends to be prevailing and can cause lasting damage to the hair follicles, thereby causing little bald patches.

Despite the fact that folliculitis is usually caused due to bacterial infection, there are still non-infectious forms of folliculitis. These are the ones caused by greases and oils that jam up in the hair follicles. Infection of the hair follicles by staphylococcus aureus is the most common one. And there is the “Hot tub folliculitis” which grows in insufficiently chlorinated water and is caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Treatment

Nonprescription topical antibiotics can be used to treat minor folliculitis.

Piedra

Piedra (trichomycosis nodularis) occurs when fungus has infected the hair fibres. One can see visible hard nodules on hair fibres as an indicator that one suffers from piedra. Without a doubt, “piedra” means stone in Spanish. The nodules are a concretion of fruiting bodies and hyphae of the fungus, which is same as an ascostroma that is responsible for the release of fungal spores.

Piedra are of two basic types: Black piedra and White piedra.

Black piedra is caused by the fungus called Piedraia hortae which is mostly found in tropical countries, while white piedra is caused by Trichosporon beigelii and is majorly found in Southern parts of the United States and Europe.

Piedra infection is liable to affect the hairs on ones scalp, body and genital areas. This infection is very gentle. Though, the fungus weakens the hair fibre in the case of a severe infection, thereby causing easy hair break off. This can result in a patchy, diffuse hair loss.

Treatment

In most cases the treatment applied here involves shaving off affected areas. Anti-fungals can also be used.

Demodex folliculorum

It is a general believe that hair loss is contributed by Demodex folliculorum and that treating it would enable hair re-growth. But the simple truth remains that the organism is not responsible for hair loss.

Demodex is just a little worm-like creature that depends on dead skin and oils and lives on skin and in hair follicles so as to have lots of both.

Humans are born free of Demodex, but during childhood, through contact with others, the skin can become infected with it. Most importantly, their existence on our skin is unknown to us. They are gentle little creatures. Demodex are liable to cause irritation, especially in the eyelashes. So, note that you may be suffering from Demodex if you have itchy eyelashes.

It is important to note that Demodex can only cause you the above discussed damage and not hair loss.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic Dermatitis is a skin condition, but liable to cause infection and hair loss if dermatitis is found on the scalp or other skin areas. Dermatitis can cause scaly, oily, inflamed itchy skin that can be so painful when touched.

Some infants contact seborrheic dermatitis from their mothers when maternal androgens are transfered from the mother to the baby across the placenta. Conditions such as head injury, parkinson’s disease, and stroke can also be linked with seborrheic dermatitis. Stress and chronic fatigue can worsen the person’s health. Hormone fluctuation period, such as puberty cycle can activate the onset.

Although all this irritation is not really pointed at the hair follicle, if hair follicles are close to the inciting cells then they can be affected. An inflamed skin is an unhealthy environment for hair follicles to grow. So, seborrheic dermatitis may not directly cause hair loss.

Even if seborrheic dermatitis can engage a proliferation of yeast, seborrheic dermatitis is non-infectious. That means, you cannot contact seborrheic dermatitis from any person. Yeast in seborrheic dermatitis often emanates from the affected person’s own skin. We all have yeasts of various types living on our skin – the problem in seborrheic dermatitis is that the yeasts may grow to far greater numbers than normal.

Treatments

There is more than one treatment for this. Application of medicated anti-dandruff is the easiest of treatment, and also shampoos could be used to control the skin proliferation and scaling. Depending on the case, several shampoos might be recommended.

Shampoos used for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis may contain sulfur, selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione, tar, salicylic acid or oil of cade.

In attempt to control the skin flora, some dermatologists may prescribe antibiotics, and this can help reduce the inflammation indirectly. A corticosteroid cream can also be used to control the body’s immune response while treating the inflammation directly. Seborrheic dermatitis can be very stubborn initially, so it is recommended to stay with treatment. And also a great idea to use preventive treatment even though you no longer feel the symptoms.

Psoriasis

This skin condition can show up anywhere, but often happens on the scalp. It causes the body to make too many new skin cells. This buildup can form thick, crusted scales that can feel itchy or sore.

Treatment

You usually treat psoriasis with steroid creams or ointments. Shampoos with tar or salicylic acid may also be helpful. Ultraviolet light therapy (shining UV light on the skin to slow the growth of skin cells) is another option. Severe cases may need medication taken by mouth or in an injection.

Lichen Planus

Lichen planus affects the skin or mouth. No one knows what causes it, but there are a number of theories, ranging from stress to genetics. It may also be linked to the hepatitis B or C virus, dental materials, or thyroid disease. Doctors believe lichen planus is an autoimmune disease, which means your immune system attacks your own body by mistake. People who have lichen planus develop flat-topped, purple, or reddish bumps on their skin. And they usually itch. Other symptoms include redness, irritation, and (sometimes permanent) hair loss.

Treatment

Although the bumps will eventually go away on their own, treatment or removal of the trigger can ease symptoms and clear up the rash quickly. The main treatment is steroid medications that are rubbed on, injected, or taken by mouth. Sometimes doctors use a type of ultraviolet light therapy called PUVA (psoralen plus UVA radiation) or antibiotics.

References:
www.webmd.com