There might not be a single person who hasn’t experienced acne. It generally appears on the skin when the hair follicles get clogged with oil or dead skin cells or both. It is painful and looks unpleasant. Although acne generally appears on the face, do you know your scalp gets affected by it too? You might have experienced that at times, pimples appear on your scalp. It is called scalp acne, which can be painful and make combing extremely painful. So, how do they form? How is it treated? And, is there any way to prevent it? For answers to these questions, Onlymyhealth spoke to Dr. Vinay Singh, Senior Consultant, Dermatology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram.
How Does Skin Acne Develop?
“Acne or pimples develop due to the greasy nature of the scalp,” explained Dr. Singh. You have thousands of hair on your scalp. Each hair is connected to the hair opening, called the sebaceous gland. Due to greasiness and dirtiness, oil and dirt enter these glands causing scalp acne.
Signs Of Skin Acne
(Photo Credit: Freepik)
The symptoms of skin acne are quite evident, which include:
- Painful bumps on your scalp that you can easily feel with touch.
- When you comb, the process is painful.
Also read: 5 Tips To Take Care Of Oily Scalp & Dry Strands
Treatment For Skin Acne
As soon as you feel acne or pimples on your scalp, you must see a dermatologist. The doctor will:
- First access the scalp acne.
- After that, he/she might prescribe you medication to reduce the size of the glands and unclog the pores.
- In case of an infection, you might be given some antibiotics.
- The doctor might also recommend a good shampoo or cleaner that is specific to your condition.
Just like you see a doctor to treat acne on your face, you should visit an expert for scalp acne, otherwise, the experience can be painful.
Also read: Love Getting A Scalp Massage Frequently? Check Out These 5 Benefits
How To Prevent Scalp Acne
As scalp acne forms due to dirt and oil, it hints at the overall state of your scalp. Prevention lies in understanding how to steer clear of the two. Hence, to prevent scalp acne:
- If you have a greasy scalp, shampoo your hair regularly. If you are prone to frequent acne, you should consult a dermatologist who might recommend you a good shampoo.
- Dirt plays a big role behind it. Hence, steer clear of polluted areas to prevent scalp acne.
- Keeping your scalp clean and grease-free, and steering clear of dirty and polluted areas is what you can do to keep your scalp free of acne.
Preventing scalp acne has a lot to do with keeping your scalp clean and healthy. For doing that, you should clean it frequently and use a good shampoo for this purpose, recommends Dr. Singh. Also, if you are prone to hair-related issues, like dandruff, instead of falling for advertised products, consult a dermatologist who can recommend products specifically for your case. It will help you to treat the condition while not worsening it at the same time. These are some of the things you can do to take care of scalp acne and your scalp.
(With inputs from Dr. Vinay Singh, Senior Consultant, Dermatology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram)
Photo Credit: Freepik