How Do You Get Rid of a Scalp Infection?
Scalp infection arises due to fungi, yeast and bacteria that enter hair follicles or the skin on the scalp. Scalp infection leads to hair loss and also premature baldness. The reasons for scalp infection are:
An oily scalp– The scalp secretes oil naturally and when it secretes excess oil, the scalp gets very oily.
Contamination – Usage of objects or products that are contaminated can cause infections. The contamination can occur due to contaminated water, pillow covers, combs, henna leaves, soapnut powders and even salon pieces of equipment.
Stress – When the body undergoes stress, it releases hormones of stress named cortisol. The cortisol hormones lead to excess secretion of fatty acids in the scalp named sebum. Various organisms feed on these fatty acids leading to scalp infection.
How Do You Know If Your Scalp Is Infected?
Depending on the type of infection the symptoms vary for the scalp infection. Some of the common symptoms that hint you about the scalp infection are:
- Redness on the scalp
- Itchiness in the scalp
- Pus formation in the scalp
The causes of the scalp infection can be due to fungus, ringworms or yeast. They start with dandruff, rashes or hair loss and then lead to pimple formations that turn scaly and red that show an increase in the infection.
With notable symptoms, it can be detected whether there is a bacterial scalp infection or scalp yeast infection.
What Causes Fungal Infection on Scalp?
The fungal infection can spread in 3 ways:
Person to Person – when people share common objects the fungi present in them may spread through them to the scalp. The objects that are shared such as combs, brushes, furniture and even unwashed towels are the potential carriers of the fungi.
The fungi can silently spread through a person’s skin and hair but the person would not be aware of it since there would be no symptoms of having any infection.
Pets – pet animals and farm animals are prone to spread fungal infection through their skin. When the animals and the farm are infected they easily spread it to the family members including kids.
Air – The fungal infection can simply spread through the air itself. The fungi spores can enter the air from the infected person and spread to some other person’s head.
Some of the symptoms of the scalp fungal infection are:
Severe dandruff forms on different parts of the head. It is often mistaken as Psoriasis but they are fungal infection.
Scalp fungal infection can be detected when there are bald patches on the head that are scaly and also have inflammation in the patchy areas.
Painful boils are spread in different places on the scalp.
Few scalp areas may start swelling up that may also start oozing at times. This should be treated immediately to avoid permanent scarring and also hair loss.
There can be symptoms of high fever and swelling of the neck due to high scalp fungal infection.
To treat scalp fungal infections antifungal doses of medicines such as Griseofulvin and Terbinafine are given for 8-12 weeks depending upon the severity of the scalp fungal infection.
The dermatologist may also suggest medicated shampoos to help in reducing the spread of infection. The contents of the shampoo may have ciclopirox olamine and selenium sulphide which helps in reducing the fungal presence on the scalp.
Along with the medications, you can follow some of the precautions listed below:
- Wash the scalp regularly
- Being aware of the infection spread that can happen from pets or people too.
- The commonly shared areas such as schools, gyms and health care centres should be kept very clean.
- Wash hands regularly
- Avoid touching the infected animals. Get the domesticated animals and pets checked regularly for any signs of fungal infection.
- Avoid sharing personal stuff such as hairbrushes, clothes and towels.
Can Scalp Fungus Causes Baldness?
Yes, scalp fungus can cause baldness. The baldness caused due to fungus (also known as ringworm) causes patchy hair loss on the scalp. It is also known as “Tinea Capitis”.
Once the tinea captis or ringworm spreads on the scalp they start forming into pimples that grow larger over time creating scaly bald patches. The fungus then gets into hair fibres in the infected area of the scalp weakening the hair fibres that leads to hair breakage that forms bald patches.
The other scalp fungal infections that cause hair baldness are Folliculitis, Piedra, Demodex folliculorum and Seborrheic Dermatitis.
Natural Hair Bangalore provides the best treatment for fungal infection of the scalp. The hair experts available with us resolve fungal infections on hair scalp with the best treatments.
