As COVID continue to spread rapidly across the globe complain of hair problem is also rising in numbers. One of the most common problems is hair root pain with or without hair loss. This condition is medically called Trichodynia. It is often associated hair loss called as Telogen Effluvium, which can be very stressful condition for people to deal with.
Our hair shaft actually doesn’t have nerves or blood cells; it’s the root of our hair follicle that is surrounded by numerous nerve endings. These are very sensitive and susceptible to pain and itching. In this article we are going to talk about a painful condition of hair root called Trichodynia and its causes and treatment.
Trichodynia is also referred as scalp dysesthesia or cutaneous dysesthesia syndrome. It is a condition where there is pain, burning or tingling sensation in the hair root or scalp. Although, more common in female, it can also affect male. It occurs when our hair growth cycle is disrupted due to several factors that cause emotional or physical stress to the body. This could be due to underlying medical conditions, nutritional deficiency or dietary imbalance.
What causes Trichodynia?
Exact mechanism that causes pain in hair root is not well understood and said to have multi-factorial origin. Several factors that can cause hair root pain or trichodynia include the following:
Emotional stress or psychopathologic conditions:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Obsessive personality disorder
Underlying medical conditions:
- Tellogen effluvium
- Alopecia Areata
- Traction alopecia
- Lupus
- Lichen planopilaris
- Scalp Psoriasis
- Cicatricial alopecia
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Folliculitis decalvans
- Contact dermatitis
- Allodynia
- Giant cell arteritis
- Hormonal fluctuations
Sign and Symptoms of Trichodynia
The most common signs and symptoms of burning scalp syndrome include the followings:
- Scalp tenderness or irritation
- Pain and burning or prickling sensation of the scalp
- Itchiness of the scalp
- Excess hair loss
- Redness of the scalp
- Increased hair loss
- Higher rate of hair shedding
Treatment of Trichodynia:
There are number of treatment options available and the key to management is to identify the causative factors either emotional or scalp conditions or nutritional deficiencies. Once the underlying has been identified and treated, hair root pain with improve within a week or two and associated hair loss will recover within 4-6 months.
For quicker relief of symptoms oral medications along with topical preparation of potent steroid lotions or any other anti-inflammatory drugs might help. If pain is associated with hair loss, then potent steroid along with topical minoxidil will help.
For nutritional deficiencies, taking oral supplements like vitamins and minerals containing L-Cystine, Zinc, Folic acid, vitamin V12 and Vitamin D3 will improve both pain and hair loss.
If it is due to emotional stress, than stress management techniques might help. Going for a walk, yoga, meditation or just having a good night sleep can help you feel better and relaxed which in turn relief the pain associated with scalp.
Besides these, changing in your daily lifestyle can also help. For example, eating a balanced diet, regularly exercising, and getting enough sleep are all good options.
It is better to visit the dermatologist near you rather than trying to figure it by yourself. Your doctor will diagnose the problem and advice the appropriate treatment
It is better to visit the dermatologist near you rather than trying to figure it by yourself. Your doctor will diagnose the problem and advice the appropriate treatment.
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