Sore spots on scalp are common but curable medical condition. The sores can be caused by different things and the treatment is offered depending on the underlying cause. The sores on scalp could become crusty or flaky and the person could complain of pain when touching those sores. The sores are lesions, which occur on skin of scalp and begin as small pimples that are reddish in color. The lesions might occur due to excessive dry part of scalp skin, irritants, infections, follicle inflammation, and at times increased stress.
Such sores could be sensitive to touch making it difficult to move your hair when washing, combing, dry blowing, or doing other treatments. At times, even brushing or simple undo of ponytail could induce hurting skin feeling, something that reduced the quality of life you live. Besides, these sores may itch a lot and lead to thinning of your hair.
What are the common causes of sores in scalp?
There are different factors that lead to development of sores on scalp and the common one is excessive use of harsh and cheap chemical conditioners, shampoos, and styling products. These products cause the formation of reddish spots or sores on scalp by striping the hair its natural scalp oil thus rendering the skin to be dry.
A dry skin can become easily irritated and itchy or infected. It also causes the hair follicles to be damaged as well as prone to infections. The excessive scalp oil or sebum products alongside the flaked crusty skin make the moist scalp skin to become reddish and inflamed.
The scalp skin also itches a lot and this encourages scratching, which makes the inflammation to increase and opens the skin for infections with fungi, bacteria, and yeast. These microbes hide inside hair follicles where they feed themselves. If you have white-headed pimples especially at the follicles, they it could mean that you are suffering from folliculitis. When such condition is left untreated, it could advance and grow to red boils that lead to bald patches.
Sore spots on scalp may also be caused by a rash that resembles black dots caused by fungus tinea. This kind of infection is witnessed in children and it gives rise to symptoms such as red, itch, scaly patches that are round in shape. Hair loss also occurs and baldness forms because of excess peeling of scalp.
Scalp sores could also be caused by infection like scalp psoriasis. This is caused by microbial infections and it is not contagious. The condition is mainly witnessed in the dry months of winter when there are frequent changes in temperature under the scalp. These scalp crusts are quite different from dandruff.
Seborrhoeic dermatitis is a condition of scalp, which resembles eczema, and it is caused by Malassezia. This condition is parasitic in presence of natural oil production on scalp and it releases toxic substances, which causes irritation of scalp. This problem mainly arises when you use cosmetic products that are not suited to your scalp. Seborrhoeic dermatitis breaks down scalp oils and leads to dandruff and skin flaking. The condition also releases byproduct that makes the scalp skin to irritate. The sores that are caused by this kind of fungus or Malassezia globosa are normally devoid of pain and they remain limited to the hairline.
Vital infections like chickenpox and shingles might also cause scalp sores and sores on other parts of body. Acne is also associated with scalp sores and it may arise due to changes in hormones, blocked pores, infection, incorrect diet, or ingrown hair. People with allergic skin reaction such as contact dermatitis might also suffer from the scalp sores. This skin allergy condition occurs in two forms, and one is the allergic contact dermatitis and the other one is irritant contact dermatitis.
With allergic contact dermatitis, it is hypersensitive and occurs due to changes in the body immune system, which act on the substances perceived as allergens. The irritant contact dermatitis on the other hand, arises from direct contact of irritants on skin or some cosmetic products.
Moreover, though in rare cases, scalp sores may occur due to stress associated with exhaustion, work pressure, and emotional tension. Even in circumstances where the sores are induced by external physical factors, if you have increased stress, it may slow down healing process of these sores.
Treatment of scalp sores
The treatment of scalp sores is based on the course of the condition. If it is arising due to allergy reaction from things like cosmetics, a person should avoid using those products. Natural oils like avocado, lavender, and chamomile or eucalyptus oils may be used to sooth the scalp skin.
A person needs to eat nutritious food that is rich in zinc and vitamin C in order to help in speeding up the healing process and avoiding recurrence of the painful scalp. By visiting a dermatologists, endocrinologists, or trichologist, you could have the condition examined properly to determine what could be causing it.
