The 10 Most Common Scalp Conditions

Many problems can affect the top of your head, from an autoimmune disease that attacks your scalp from the inside to fungal and bacterial infections that cause crusts and itchy scalp conditions.

Like other areas of the body, your scalp can be affected by a wide range of skin conditions and diseases. But on your head, they can also cause hair loss that you’ll want to get under control — quickly.

Read on to learn about 10 of the most common scalp conditions and the related symptoms, causes, and other characteristics. We’ve also shared the most effective treatment options to keep your scalp healthy and your hair full.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic form of eczema. It can develop in parts of your body with lots of sebaceous glands (which produce and secrete oil), including your scalp, face, and the folds of your skin.

The most common symptom of seborrheic dermatitis is a greasy, flaky rash on the scalp, certain parts of the face, and ears.

The area of skin affected by seborrheic dermatitis might feel itchy. It’s also common for the affected skin to take on a white or yellowish color and break off into dandruff flakes.

Seborrheic dermatitis usually occurs during adulthood or infancy. When it occurs in infants, it’s referred to as cradle cap.

Treatment Plan:

Most of the time, you can treat seborrheic dermatitis using over-the-counter anti-dandruff shampoos. These shampoos often contain active ingredients such as coal tar, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid, ketoconazole, zinc, and/or resorcinol.

You may need to talk to your healthcare provider to get prescription medication for more severe cases of this common scalp condition. You can learn more in this guide to seborrheic dermatitis and hair loss.

Male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, is the most common form of hair loss that affects men. It can develop at any point during adulthood and range from a minor receding hairline to complete baldness.

Male pattern baldness is caused by a combination of genetic factors andthe effects of a male sex hormone called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT.

There are several different stages of baldness. If you’re genetically predisposed to this form of hair loss, you may notice your hair gradually thinning and falling out over time.

Treatment Plan:

Male pattern baldness is treatable with medication. Currently, the most effective treatments are the prescription medication finasteride (sold under the brand name Propecia®) and the topical over-the-counter medication minoxidil (Rogaine®).

Check out this guide on male pattern baldness for the steps you can take to prevent hair loss and ways to treat it.

Contact dermatitis is a form of eczema that can occur when your skin comes into contact with an irritating substance. It can develop anywhere on your body, including your scalp.

The most common symptom of contact dermatitis is a visible rash that may cause your skin to itch, burn, or blister.

Contact dermatitis is often caused by irritants such as certain active ingredients in soaps, shampoos, hair dyes, and other personal care products. Items containing nickel, such as belt buckles or scissors, can also cause contact dermatitis.

In other cases, contact dermatitis occurs after contact with allergens such as preservatives or poison ivy.

Treatment Plan:

Contact dermatitis often improves on its own. In severe cases, you may need to treat it using oral or topical corticosteroids or haircare products that include zinc pyrithione.

Telogen effluvium is a type of temporary hair loss that develops after a triggering event. It usually causes diffuse hair shedding that occurs across your entire scalp.

Unlike male pattern baldness, which is caused exclusively by DHT and genetic factors, telogen effluvium can develop due to illness (particularly with a fever), stress, surgery, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and certain types of medication.

It’s common for telogen effluvium hair loss to begin several months after the triggering event.

Treatment Plan:

Although telogen effluvium can be frightening, it isn’t permanent. This form of hair loss usually stops once the underlying cause — such as stress or an illness — is diagnosed and effectively treated.

This guide to stress and hair loss goes into more detail about how telogen effluvium develops and the symptoms you might experience.

Folliculitis is a common scalp condition in which hair follicles become infected with bacteria, scalp fungus, or virus.

Often, folliculitis develops from bacteria in hot tubs and swimming pools. It’s also common for this type of infection to develop from fungal skin infections or viruses such as herpes simplex.

If you have folliculitis, you may notice small, acne-like lesions on your scalp or in other parts of your body with lots of hair follicles. A light red ring may surround the lesions, and the affected area of your skin may feel itchy and/or painful.

Treatment Plan:

Certain habits may increase your risk of developing folliculitis, such as wearing tight clothes, having skin rub against itself, and touching your skin frequently. So, if you develop this condition, start by taking a look at how you’re treating your head.

Many cases of folliculitis will improve and eventually disappear on their own. However, some may require treatment with antibiotics, antifungals, or antiviral medication.

Alopecia areata is a form of autoimmune hair loss. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it can cause round or oval-shaped bald patches to develop on your scalp, face, and/or body.

This type of hair loss occurs when your immune system mistakenly targets and attacks your hair follicles, causing the follicle to shed hair.

Most of the time, the first sign of alopecia areata is a round or oval-shaped bald patch on your scalp. Over time, alopecia areata may cause a band of hair loss or widespread hair loss that affects your entire scalp.

Treatment Plan:

Alopecia areata is treated in various ways, including corticosteroids, hair growth medications such as minoxidil, immune system suppressants such as methotrexate, topical creams, ointments, and other treatments such as anthralin.

The hair loss caused by alopecia areata isn’t permanent, meaning your hair should gradually grow back once the underlying cause is treated. However, alopecia areata can become permanent if left untreated.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease that can cause plaques and scales to develop on your skin, including on your scalp.

These plaques develop because of increased cellular growth. Psoriasis causes your skin cells to grow faster than normal, resulting in a buildup of cells and flaky skin.

Some people with psoriasis experience symptoms such as itching and burning.

While psoriasis doesn’t cause hair loss, you may notice hair thinning if you scratch or pick at the affected areas of your scalp.

Treatment Plan:

Although there’s no cure for psoriasis, it’s often treatable using medicated shampoos, systemic medications, topical products, and options such as phototherapy.

Tinea capitis, or scalp ringworm, is a fungal infection that can damage the scalp and hair follicles.

Common symptoms of tinea capitis include a red, itchy, and scaly rash that develops across the affected area. The rash may look inflamed around its edges, like other forms of ringworm that can affect the torso and limbs.

Tinea capitis often causes hair shedding. This is because it causes inflammation, which can damage your hair follicles and result in scarring alopecia, a form of permanent hair loss. In some cases, the infection may spread from the scalp to the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Most cases of tinea capitis occur in children between three and 14 years of age. However, it’s also possible for this type of fungal infection to affect adults.

Treatment Plan:

If you have tinea capitis, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider. This type of infection can be treated using antifungal medications. You may also want to use antifungal shampoos and other topical products to stop it from spreading.

This guide to scalp fungus provides more information on how tinea capitis can develop and the steps you can take to treat, manage, and prevent it.

Head lice — also referred to as nits — are small parasitic insects that can live on your scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. Although not considered a health hazard, head lice can cause itching, irritability, and other annoying symptoms.

Most cases of head lice affect children under 11 years of age. However, it’s also possible for head lice to spread to teens and adults.

Head lice spread through head-to-head contact, as well as through the use of shared clothing, bedding, and other items.

Treatment Plan:

Head lice can be treated using pediculicides (medications that kill lice), special lice combs, and by thoroughly cleaning items that could contain lice eggs, such as hats, scarves, towels, pillowcases, and clothing.

Lichen planus is a disease that can affect your skin, nails, and mouth. It typically causes shiny, red-purple bumps to develop on your skin. In some cases, these bumps may have thin white lines called Wickham’s striae.

When lichen planus affects the scalp, it’s referred to as lichen planopilaris. This form of lichen planus can damage your hair follicles and cause you to develop hair thinning or patchy areas of hair loss across your scalp.

Lichen planus usually develops in middle-aged people. Experts don’t yet know the precise cause, although we know that certain genes, medications, viruses, and metal substances may play a role in the condition.

Treatment Plan:

Although lichen planus isn’t curable, it’s often treated with antihistamines, topical corticosteroids, retinoids, and other medications.

A healthy scalp and healthy hair go hand in hand. By caring for your scalp, you’ll create the optimal environment for your hair to grow to its full potential.

Unfortunately, one of the rare or common conditions on the above list might still damage hair shafts, creating thinning hair or patches of hair loss.

If you’ve noticed the signs of one of the scalp conditions listed above, it’s important to reach out to a healthcare provider for personalized assistance — treating any of these conditions as soon as possible is the only way to help avoid hair loss.

Check out our above guides for more information on how, when, and where to treat each of these conditions.

You can also view a full selection of hair loss treatments online, including products formulated to stop scalp buildup and keep your hair follicles in optimal condition.