Itchy & scaly scalp? It can be psoriasis…

Been noticing a lot of flakes all over your shoulders? Do you find yourself scratching your head off all the time? It could turn out to be more than mere dandruff. What you could be suffering from could be a type of psoriasis.

What exactly is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is an auto-immune disorder where the white blood cells or the defense cells of the body, instead attacking a disease, start attacking the skin cells.

Normal skin sheds dead cells and regenerates new cells simultaneously. It takes about 28 days for the same. In psoriasis, the skin behaves as if there is a wound and the cells shift from normal growth mode to regenerative mode resulting in cells being created in as little as 2-4 days.

These immature cells are pushed to the surface but the skin is unable to shed it off, resulting in accumulation of malformed immature cells, causing shiny scales and flaking.

While what really causes psoriasis is still unknown, having it in the family puts one at a higher risk to it.

Other triggers include injury, infections, exposure to prolonged stress and anxiety, prolonged use of medications like NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like frequent use of pain killer, anti pyretics and hypertension medications.).

Climatic conditions also play a role in triggering psoriasis. It is seen to be more prevalent in cold dry climatic conditions.

Psoriasis is more common in young women than men, affecting the age group of 20-60 years and the prevalence is less in the age group of 70 and above.

Scalp psoriasis is much more than dandruff

Scalp psoriasis is one of the common types seen in about 80% of the people suffering from psoriasis and is characterized by raised reddish scaly patches on the scalp. It can pop up as a single patch or can present itself as diffused patches all over the scalp. It can spread to nape of neck, behind or inside ears, and to the forehead.

Usually confused with dandruff, on one hand scalp psoriasis can be mild and go unnoticed, while on the other, it can be very severe and last a long time, causing thick crusted sores causing intense itching and scaling.

Itching often causes sleep disturbances and also can be embarrassing to the individual.

Dealing with psoriasis can lead to stress, while stress often leads to psoriasis leading to a vicious cycle.

Symptoms typically include scaly red bumps, silvery white scales, dry scalp, severe itching, burning and soreness, dandruff like itching, and hair loss due to the constant itching and picking of the skin.

Though it is not contagious, it leads to a lot of psychological problems like exclusion from society, lack of confidence and embarrassment.

Why is treatment needed?

Psoriasis if left untreated can lead to complications like psoriatic arthropathy (affection of the joints), oncholysis (nail deformation), erythroderma (serious condition which involves psoriasis of the entire body that requires hospitalization and can be fatal) and psychological disorders like depression, obsessive aggressive behaviors, social isolation and fear of rejection.

Homeopathic treatment for scalp psoriasis 

The commonest scalp psoriasis treatment  available for psoriasis is the use of steroids like methotrexate and topical steroidal, or immune suppressants which help in controlling the symptoms of the disease but not the disease itself.

These medications carry long term side effects like liver and renal toxicity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, stretch marks on the skin, and relapse of the symptoms on stoppage of medications.

Homoeopathy offers a more holistic approach to the disease and helps treat psoriasis at the root level, by correcting the auto immunity while giving relief in the symptoms of itching, flaking and redness too. Homoeopathic medications go to the core of the issue in the particular individual suffering from psoriasis and help correct it at the level of both body and mind.

And the best thing about homoeopathic medications is that it does it without any adverse reactions that could harm the individual, thereby giving a more permanent solution without any relapses of the disorder.

So the next time before you dismiss the continuous itching and flaking as dandruff, think again!

Maybe it’s time to leave it to the expert!