Piedra is the Spanish word for stone.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, noncontagious, easy-to-manage skin condition. This type of dermatitis causes itchy red patches and greasy scales on your skin along with white or yellow crusty or powdery flakes on your scalp. “Seborrheic” refers to the “sebaceous” glands while “derm” means “skin.”
What are keratin plugs? Keratin plugs are bumps on your skin. They are usually white, pink or the same color as your skin. They develop when hair follicles (tiny holes in your skin) get clogged with dead skin cells and a protein called keratin.
"It's part of the lining of the hair follicles. When you see a white bulb at the end of a strand, this is your hair shedding from the hair root, which is within the normal cycle."
At the base of the hair root is a small ball-like formation called a bulb. This is where new cells are formed. These cells receive nutrition from the blood supply under the skin.
Lice eggs (nits).
These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look a bit like dandruff, but aren't removed by brushing or shaking them off.
Have you ever scratched your scalp and noticed white, waxy buildup under your nails? That's sebum mixed with dead skin cells. It's hard for shampoo alone to wash away your oily scalp issues. And issues like stress and weather can increase the scalp's sebum production, making you even oilier.
Scalp buildup occurs when natural oils, dead skin cells, and hair products accumulate on the scalp. Over time, this can create flakes very similar to those that form in other conditions, such as psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis.
Your immediate reaction to an itchy scalp might be to give it a good scratch but resist the temptation! Scratching your scalp can damage your hair. While it's a natural reaction to itchiness, scratching your head can cause serious damage to both your hair and scalp. Itch can be a sign that your scalp is unhealthy.
While sebum moisturizes your hair, keeping it soft and silky, excess amounts of it can give you an oily scalp. Too much sebum in your scalp can also lead to conditions like dandruff or scalp acne, that may eventually lead to hair loss.
Can someone have nits but no lice? It may be possible to have nits but no lice. If a person cannot find any nymphs or adult lice in the scalp and the nits are more than a quarter of an inch from the scalp, these may be dead and from an old infestation.
There are no over-the-counter or prescription treatments that totally kill both lice and nits. Nits cannot be washed out or brushed out of the hair. They must be picked or pulled out with a special nit comb or by hand. Various natural remedies exist for treating lice but there is no scientific proof that they work.
Pilar cysts are relatively rare benign cysts that grow from your hair follicles. Most pilar cysts surface on your scalp (head), but they can appear on your face, neck, arms and legs. Pilar cysts are sometimes called trichilemmal cysts or wens. Healthcare providers use surgery to remove cysts.
If you do not comb out all the remaining nits, they will hatch and restart the cycle in 7-10 days from that point. That's why we recommend 3 treatments over a 12-day period of time. This stops the life cycle of lice. These are nits at different stages and a louse.
Children can have a few nits without actually having a case of head lice. Usually children have no more than 10 to 20 live lice. Good lighting is important when you are checking. Head lice move fast and are hard to see.
Some common bugs that can be mistaken for lice are ants, bedbugs, and fleas. A few things all these bugs have in common is they're small in size, can be dark colored, and can give you an itchy head. A few things that can be mistaken for lice nits are dandruff, hair product, or dirt.
What is Demodex? Demodex is a genus of microscopic mites that live in human hair follicles. The tiny creatures are arachnids, cousins of spiders and ticks.
What are body lice? Body lice are flat wingless insects with six legs, each ending in a claw. They are greyish or brown in colour and range in size from 2mm to 5mm. Body louse eggs (nits) are small, white and oval-shaped.
Not everyone feels lice moving around on their scalp, but some people do. Dr. Garcia says that most of her patients say they “don't feel anything,” but others may get a creepy, tickling sensation as lice move around their head.
What Does Sebum Buildup Look Like? Sebum buildup appears as white or yellowish oily residue on the scalp. It sometimes produces flakes on the scalp and may be mistaken for dandruff, scalp eczema, or psoriasis.
So what is this small white particle? In fact, the white small particles in the roots of the hair are fat particles composed of sebum and oil.
An unhealthy scalp is characterized by dryness, flaking, itching or excessive build up. The hair may break easily, fall out or the texture of the hair may change. What steps can a client take to ensure a healthy scalp at home? Clients should cleanse their scalp regularly.