Allergic diseases are one of the most common. These symptoms appear in different parts of the body with different levels of severity. An allergy appears on the head. This ailment is called contact allergic dermatitis. The causes and treatment are described in the article.
Typically, with dermatitis there is hyperemia, severe itching, blisters. Such symptoms develop suddenly, due to contact with allergens. Symptoms of such an ailment are pronounced or occur in an erased form.
Often the appearance of contact dermatitis on the skin is associated with seborrhea, psoriasis and eczema. There is an explanation for this: at the initial stage of almost all of these ailments, there are signs of allergy - itching, redness at the site of the rash are observed.
Causes
Why does an allergy appear on my head? It occurs with endocrine ailments, diseases of the digestive system, hormonal disorders, stress. Still dermatitis may appear from:
- Cosmetics - balms, shampoos, masks used on the hair.
- Hats made from allergenic material.
- Food, for example, because of citrus fruits, nuts, seafood, chocolate.
- Bad habits, nervous breakdowns, reactions to animal hair, flowering plants, dust, drugs.
- In infants, this may be a mash due to the susceptible and delicate skin of the baby. This problem is eliminated by frequent rinsing of the problem areas of the child with clean water or applying lotions.
There are patients in whom an allergy to the head occurs due to a hereditary factor. In the presence of this ailment in the parents, it is quite possible that the child will have it. If these manifestations are detected, especially in infants, an urgent need to consult a doctor.
Why does itchy skin appear?
An allergy to the scalp may be associated with itching, which appears from:
- Parasites. To check, you need to go to a dermatologist. But at home, loved ones can also see the skin and hair at the roots.
- Dandruff. The appearance of dandruff is often the cause of severe itching of the skin. To fix it, use various improvised methods that do not alleviate the condition. Without appropriate treatment, a serious ailment develops - seborrheic eczema. Therefore, when dandruff occurs, you need to visit a trichologist, who prescribes treatment.
- Seborrhea. This ailment appears due to a disruption of the functioning of the sebaceous glands: dry seborrhea is considered to be a consequence of a decrease in the activity of the sebaceous glands, oily seborrhea appears with excessive secretion of sebum with a broken chemical composition. With dry seborrhea, dandruff, severe itching, acne on the skin are observed.
- Allergies to shampoo or care products. Often the skin itches when changing hair care products. This applies to masks, conditioners, shampoos, balms. In this case, you need to start using the remedy again that does not cause itching, allergies.
- Frequent washing and use of drying and styling devices. This drains the skin, adversely affecting the condition of the hair.
- Dry skin. Strongly dry skin is considered a protective reaction to negative external influences.
- Fungal ailments of the skin. In this case, it is necessary to perform inoculation on the fungus, after which treatment is prescribed. It includes the use of therapeutic shampoos and lotions.
Symptoms
How is allergy on the head? The main symptom is considered to be itching. At first, it may practically not appear, but gradually it becomes more noticeable. In addition to itching, the appearance of:
- Peeling of the skin with the appearance on the head of white scales, which in appearance are like dandruff.
- Hyperemia of the skin in areas of scratching, thinning and hair loss.
Often these manifestations arise from a fungal infection. In this situation, rashes affect the auricles and eyebrows. There is a type of allergy that occurs almost without symptoms. A severe itching on the head is considered a manifestation. Patients can not restrain themselves, comb the area of rashes to bleeding ulcers, risking to bring the painful microflora into the infected wound.
Other symptoms
Damage to the scalp is observed in half of patients with neurodermatitis. The main category of patients include children. In infants, allergies can manifest in different ways. In one situation, brown scales form on the skin called seborrhea. And in the second case, red spots and small bubbles appear, which burst, dry out, creating a thin scab on the head.
Typically, atopic dermatitis is manifested with concomitant symptoms. In a child under 3 years of age, the rash can spread to the cheeks. In older children, it extends to the neck, face, limbs. In adults, there is a lesion of the scalp and face, as well as the forearm and decollete. If itching occurs suddenly and does not disappear over a long period, this is a complication.
Diagnostics
If you have a headache with allergies, diagnostic procedures are needed. Doctors make the diagnosis after examining the patient and interviewing him. Allergic dermatitis is treated by a dermatologist or allergist. To confirm the diagnosis and establish an allergen, skin tests are performed.
When performing skin tests with a syringe, a little solution is injected under the skin, which includes one of the common allergens. As a control, distilled water is present in another syringe. After some time, a red spot appears at the injection site of one of the solutions, including the allergen.
A skin test should be performed only after the disappearance of skin manifestations of allergies. Usually it is carried out with allergic dermatitis, if a person works in hazardous work. So it turns out to determine the allergen. The patient will either need to prevent contact with this substance, or will need to change work.
During the diagnosis, allergic dermatitis is differentiated with toxicoderma and eczema. Eczema can differ from allergic dermatitis in that its manifestations develop for a long time. The sensitivity of the body with eczema appears immediately to various irritants.
Compared with toxicoderma, allergic dermatitis is characterized in that toxicoderma is able to occur after the allergen has penetrated inside. And dermatitis occurs when the allergen comes in contact with the skin. Allergic dermatitis is compared with lichen, seborrhea and psoriasis. In addition to skin tests, a hormonal background study and the state of the immune system are performed, an analysis of the fungus and biopsy of the affected tissues is performed. Usually allergic dermatitis is noticeable: if the disease is not treated, then gradually it passes to the face and ears.
Treatment of allergies on the scalp in the hair is performed with corticosteroids and non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs. The choice of drugs depends on the individual characteristics of the patient. And only a doctor should do this.
Antihistamines
After the allergen is established, it must be excluded. This is especially true for infants. Then prescribe antiallergenic drugs of the 2nd generation. To do this, apply:
- "Erius."
- Claritin.
- The Zodak.
The main difference between these funds is considered a minimum of side effects. The dosage is established only by the attending physician. You must also read the instructions for use.
Enterosorbents
To remove toxic components from the body, especially in children, these funds are prescribed. From enterosorbents emit:
- Enterosgel.
- Polysorb.
- "Activated carbon".
Adults need 2 days of taking such drugs. Treatment of allergies on the head in an infant is performed under the supervision of a doctor, otherwise negative consequences are likely.
Outdoor facilities
For the treatment of allergies on the head of a child, if the form of the ailment is mild or moderate, non-hormonal drugs are used. In the presence of severe irritation of the skin, it is advisable to use antipruritic external preparations, including those approved for use in a child.
For children under 3 years of age, immunosuppressants are prescribed. This is the cream "Editel", which relieves itching and prevents the further spread of allergies. But you need to know that sometimes the cream irritates the skin, especially in infants.
With the development of seborrheic dermatitis, the external agent Glutamol is prescribed. This cream remarkably moisturizes the skin and relieves hyperemia. This medicine has a mild antipruritic effect, so it is used only as an additional treatment for allergies, as well as for mild symptoms in a child.
Mild itching is eliminated by traditional anti-inflammatory ointments. It:
- "Ichthyol."
- "Naftalan".
- "Tar".
- "Dermatol."
The components present in the composition have a disinfecting, analgesic, wound healing effect. With a complication of the disease, allergic itching is neutralized with hormonal external agents. These include "Prednisolone" and "Hydrocortisone" ointment. These agents have low activity.
What else is used
If there is no effect from the treatment of allergies on the face and head, then we need strong drugs for external use - Elokom, Advantan. Properly performed treatment of an allergic disease restores skin condition in 2-3 weeks.
If a longer treatment is carried out in infants, it involves the preliminary establishment of a patient's hypersensitivity to allergens. With the implementation of therapeutic procedures, it is necessary to constantly be examined and observed by a doctor.
Diet
As you can see from the photo, an allergy on the head does not look very nice. Part of therapy is dietary nutrition. Diet should be balanced and created for each patient individually. For example, if such a reaction occurs on eggs, products with them, egg powder, then you need to remove them from your diet.
In a situation where an allergy appeared due to secondary reasons or if it is difficult to establish an allergen, you must fill out an allergic food diary, gradually removing harmful products from the diet.
Correction of the diet should be carried out only with the participation of a doctor, otherwise the body and skin may deteriorate. Hypoallergenic diet involves the use of:
- lean beef;
- lean vegetable soups with cereals;
- boiled potatoes, greens;
- butter and refined oil;
- kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk;
- rice groats, buckwheat, oatmeal;
- baked apple;
- fresh apple compote;
- fresh cucumber;
- Sahara;
- tea.
It is important to consider that a nursing woman should have a strict diet until the allergy on the skin is completely eliminated. Then you need a consultation with a nutritionist who will perform a comparative analysis of the human condition and adjust the menu.
When there is an allergy, the head itches, it gives a lot of inconvenience. In many cases, itching can manifest itself as a response of the body to an irritant, but in some situations, this phenomenon indicates certain ailments. Severe itching of the head, which occurs constantly, leads to thinning of the skin, damage, inflammation.
Conclusion
It is important to note that skin itching should not be ignored, especially with severe hair loss or the appearance of pustules, red spots on the skin. It is necessary to establish the cause of this phenomenon, and therefore patients turn to dermatologists and trichologists. After performing diagnostic procedures, optimal therapy will be prescribed. In many cases, itching is treated at home. Usually, after eliminating the source of irritation, this unpleasant symptom disappears.