How to Prevent & Treat Scalp Acne

Acne is less commonly found on the scalp than on certain other areas of the body, however, it can be just as much of a nightmare. Read on to discover the causes behind scalp acne, as well as how to prevent and treat it.

 

 

The Causes of Scalp Acne

Scalp acne typically appears as small zits or pimples on the scalp, as well as on the back of the head, both of which can be sore and itchy. Like most kinds of pimples, the ones found on your scalp form after hair follicles or pores get clogged with sebum or dead skin cells. It is also possible for acne to appear after mites, yeast or bacteria have gotten into your pores, causing a reaction.

The most common acne-causing factors include:

• a buildup of products, such as hair gels, leave-in treatments, or hairspray
• oil or dead skin cells clogging your follicles
• not washing your hear after sweating a lot
• not taking the time to wash your hair thoroughly
• sweating while wearing hats or head coverings

The main germs that can cause severe scalp acne include:
• Cutibacterium
• Staphylococcus epidermidids
• Demodex folliculorum
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Propionibacterium acnes
• Yeasts from the Malassezia family

Types of Scalp Spots

When spots appear on your scalp, they could appear for quite a number of reasons. Here are some of the most common ones:
Scalp folliculitis - this is a condition where bacteria causes your hair follicles to become inflamed and infected, resulting in the appearance of very itchy, small, red bumps.

Seborrheic dermatitis - this is a condition which causes dandruff and can leave the scalp looking red and scaly, which can leave marks that look like pimples if you pick at them.

Pilar cysts - these are hard bumps that are full of keratin, which form beside the hair root. These bumps do not usually have a white head, unlike scalp acne.

How to Prevent Scalp Acne

Having a clean scalp goes a long way towards preventing the appearance of scalp acne. Therefore, the best way to prevent scalp acne is to wash your hair after every workout and whenever it feels oily.

Further ways to reduce the chances of scalp acne appearing are:

• getting enough vitamin A, D, and E, to keep the skin healthy
• wearing loosely-fitting headgear
• switching to natural, hypoallergenic hair care products
• avoiding using too many different hair products
• watching your diet to see what kinds of foods cause flare-ups

How to Treat Scalp Acne

Doctors usually recommend medicated or scalp treatment shampoo to treat scalp acne since they will remove any dirt or excess oil while preventing future buildups from occurring.

Many natural shampoos for scalp acne can be found online, and the most common ingredients they use include:

• tea tree oil
• glycolic acid
• salicylic acid
• ketoconazole
• ciclopirox
• benzoyl peroxide
For more severe cases of scalp acne, your doctor may need to prescribe some of the following treatments:

• steroid injections
• oral antibiotics
• topical antibiotic ointments or steroid creams
• antihistamines
• stronger acne medication, such as isotretinoin
• phototherapy sessions

 

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Scientists have found a cancer-fighting chemical in human skin bacteria

Bacteria that commonly live on your skin's surface just might be protecting you from cancer.

'Because each person has many different [staph] strains on their body, we found 6-HAP genes on about 20 percent of the normal population, ' the researcher said. "Still, the revelation that it engages in anti-cancer activity is entirely new".

The findings could lead to a new way to decrease the risk of skin cancer or a less toxic way to treat existing cancer, the lead researcher told.

"It is early to say for sure", the researcher said. The scientists described that a specific bacteria strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis secretes a chemical that eliminates harmful bacteria which have been depicted as responsible for infections. But the specific bacteria in question - a strain called Staphylococcus epidermidis - appears to produce a specific anti-cancer compound known as 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP), the researchers found. The chemical did not inhibit the growth of normal human skin cells, because they possess 6-HAP-deactivating enzymes that were not present on cancerous cells.

One in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer by age 70, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Perhaps, the research findings of this study is bit different from the previous research.

They conducted a research in which testing was performed on mice. More than 95 percent of these are non-melanoma skin cancer, which is typically caused by overexposure to the sun's UV rays. 

Those with the bacteria on their skin that did not make 6-HAP had many skin tumors, but mice with the S. epidermidis strain producing 6-HAP did not. It's still unclear if the absence of this bacteria will trigger the growth and development of cancerous tissue.

A researcher has discovered approximately 2 years ago that a type of common skin bacteria protect against cancer because it produces a protein which can protect humans against the oxidative stress caused by free radicals. We further need to understand how these microbiomes play an important role in human biology. Because of this, future studies seeking to exploit the protective potential of skin bacteria "would have to be attempted with high caution", the researcher warned.

However, she added that bacteria tend to have a high mutation rate, and thus a high potential for giving rise to antibiotic resistance.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

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