It’s quite often difficult to tell the difference between the symptoms of scalp psoriasis and dandruff. The reason being that both these problems share similar symptoms such as white flakes of dead skin cells and itchy scalp. However, there is a difference between these two scalp problems and it’s important to know the difference in order to seek the correct treatment.
The first thing to be aware of is that the underlying cause of dandruff may be psoriasis. The main causes of psoriasis is thought to be a genetic predisposition and an immune system problem. You have a strong chance of inherting the genetic predisposition towards psoriasis if a member of your family has the disease. However, not everyone who has the psoriasis gene goes on to develop psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin disease that can affect people of any age. Psoriasis tends to affect men and women equally.
Remember, both scalp psoriasis and dandruff have similar symptoms. Scalp psoriasis symptoms are often triggered off from seemingly innocent cuts, abrasions, scratches and even sunburn. More often than not a flare up will happen in winter: the skin becomes flaky and dry because of a lack of natural sunlight. With scalp psoriasis, the patches are commonly seen on the back of the head but can be seen on other areas of the scalp or even cover the entire scalp. The psoriasis may not be confined just to the scalp. The scaly, silvery patches can appear on your knees, elbows, lower back, groin and other body folds.
Dandruff, however, is thought to be mainly caused by the Malassezia yeast, a naturally occurring fungus, that feeds on the natural oils of the skin. Because of this, the skin starts to shed too quickly and causes it to itch. Other suggested causes are not brushing the hair regularly, not enough shampooing, dry skin, poor diet and too much stress. Mild dandruff tends to occur during the ages of 20-30, affecting more men than women.
Both scalp psoriasis and dandruff treatments tend to be very similar. These include shampoos containing salicyclic acid or coal tar and topical steroid creams to reduce any inflammation. Since dandruff is mainly caused by fungus, it can be treated effectively by using an anti-fungal shampoo.
Even though scalp psoriasis and dandruff are similar, scalp psoriasis can be more difficult to treat. Your physician or dermatologist may recommend exposure to ultravoilet light if shampoos or steroid creams don’t work. If these treatments don’t work then as a last resort oral retinoids may be prescribed.
Now that you are aware that even though scalp psoriasis and dandruff have similar symptoms, the causes are different and may require differing treatments.
The great news is that having scalp psoriasis or dandruff is not a disaster as there are many great products out there that can effectively treat the scalp. If you think you have scalp psoriasis or any other form of psoriasis, study the psoriasis symptoms and consult your doctor to confirm the diagnosis. You should be aware that as well as conventional treatments, there are also natural psoriasis treatments.
.
Mail this post
