There's a wide range of causes. Dandruff and an inflammatory skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis are the most common causes of itchy scalpAn itchy scalp, or scalp pruritus, is a common problem that can cause frustrating symptoms, such as frequent scratching and discomfort. Sometimes, an itchy scalp is accompanied by visible signs, such as scabbed or flaking skin. Other times, your scalp can itch without any skin changes.https://www.healthline.com › health › itchy-scalp
There are many other scalp conditions that may cause itching and can mimic the symptoms and some of the physical findings experienced with a head lice infestation. Below, we'll get into what else could cause an itchy head! Tinea Capitis is a common fungal infection that causes irritation and inflammation of the scalp.
Red rash, pus-filled bumps, and hair loss: These can be signs of ringworm, especially if they all occur at the same time. Silvery-white scales on a dry scalp with red patches: These symptoms suggest scalp psoriasis. Difficulty sleeping: A possible sign of head lice or scabies, due to the severe itching.
Lice and dandruff look somewhat similar, but have key differences that can help set them apart. For one, dandruff is on the scalp itself and falls off easily, while nits (lice eggs) stick to strands of hair and are hard to remove. While both can be itchy, lice can cause severe itching.
An intensely itchy scalp without signs of a rash or another skin reaction can be a sign of a nerve problem. Your doctor may say you have neuropathy (neu-rop-ah-thie). It's the medical word for a problem along a nerve due to damage, disease, or an abnormality in the way the nerve works.
Use fingers to separate hair and create a part. The part should allow you to clearly see the person's scalp. Look for lice crawling on the scalp where the hair is parted or on the hair shaft. The lice will be dark in color and the size of a poppyseed.
Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis
These are the most common reasons for an itchy scalp. “Your body's inflammatory response to an overgrowth of yeast causes the itching and flaking associated with these conditions.
Itching is a common symptom of skin lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Itching is less common in most types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The itching might be caused by chemicals released by the immune system in reaction to the lymphoma cells.
Scalp pruritus is a common and distressing symptom. It is most commonly associated with seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis but appears often without any noticeable skin lesion or obvious diagnosis.
"Stress raises levels of androgens (male hormones) in our body,” Dr Chan explains. “This causes our scalp to become oilier, which dandruff-causing yeast love to feed on (hence the itching)."
Changes in body temperature: During sleep, natural fluctuations in skin temperature may be associated with increased itch intensity. Hormone fluctuations: At night, your level of anti-inflammatory hormones (corticosteroids) naturally falls, which may exacerbate itchiness.
The diagnosis of a head lice infestation is best made by finding a live nymph or adult louse on the scalp or hair of a person. Because nymphs and adult lice are very small, move quickly, and avoid light, they can be difficult to find.
Scalp psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. It causes raised, discolored plaques on your scalp or on the skin around your scalp that may be dry, itchy and irritating.
Conditions that may cause itching are varied and include liver disease, kidney failure, iron deficiency anemia, thyroid problems, and even certain cancers in rare cases (leukemia, lymphoma). In these cases, itching will typically affect your whole body while your skin appears normal.
Although itching is common in people with lymphoma, having itchy skin does not necessarily mean you have lymphoma. Itching can have many different and far more common causes, including allergies, skin conditions such as eczema, skin infections or menopause.
Not only is itch associated with greater anxiety, but stress has also be shown to exacerbate itch, leading to a true itch-anxiety cycle. Many chronic itch patients report that psychological stress is a factor that aggravates their itch.
While both dandruff and head lice cause an itchy scalp that's really where their similarities end. The itching dandruff causes is caused by dry, flakey skin and often the clumps of skin can be felt in the hair. While the itching caused by lice is from the moving bugs. Occasionally lice can be felt moving in the hair.
The oval-shaped eggs often look yellow or white but may be the same color as your hair. They are found on the first 1-2 inches of hair shaft closest to the scalp (not the end) and are hard to remove. You may confuse them with dandruff or flakes from hairspray build-up. Head lice nits usually hatch in 8 to 9 days.
To confirm a case of head lice, you need to find live lice. 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.
Lice and nits can live on pillows and sheets. Lice glue their eggs to the hair strands of their host. However, if a piece of hair with an egg falls out while the lice host is sleeping, an egg could end up on pillows or sheets.
They are small, oval-shaped, usually a yellowish-white color, and are firmly attached to the sides of hair shafts. The terms can be confusing because some people only use "nits" to refer to empty egg casings while "lice eggs" is used for eggs that can hatch (viable eggs).
Head lice survive less than one or two days if they fall off the scalp and cannot feed. Head lice eggs (nits) cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they do not remain under ideal conditions of heat and humidity similar to those found close to the human scalp.
1 Several underlying brain disorders present with dysesthesia, most commonly as neuropathic itch. This type of itch has been described in several neurologic conditions, including stroke, tumors, vascular malformations, demyelinating disease, and radicular compression.