What is causing your scalp to pain? Find out here

Your scalp can feel tingly, numb, itchy and sensitive, sometimes all at once.

By: Lifestyle Desk
New Delhi | December 6, 2019 03:54 PM IST

3 min read

scalp, pain in the scalp, hair, scalp condition, indian express, indian express news

Scalp conditions cause you to feel a nagging pain when you run your fingers through your hair. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock)

Do you ever feel slight tenderness when you touch your scalp? Like, someone had been mercilessly tugging at your hair all day, and now it is painful to the touch? Scalp pain and tenderness is a fairly common feeling that affects a lot of people. Mostly, it happens when the scalp is inflamed and irritated. There are a variety of factors that cause this soreness. Here is everything you need to know.

What does it feel like?

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Imagine simply running your hands through your hair and feeling a sudden throbbing ache. Your scalp can feel tingly, numb, itchy and sensitive, sometimes all at once. This condition often affects the underlying blood vessels, nerves and tissues. And most of time, there are no visible symptoms.

ALSO READ | Losing hair? Here’s why it could be happening

The causes

It is believed that the biggest contributors to this condition are headaches, hair loss, allergies, eczema and psoriasis, to name a few.

The headaches that involve nerves that run from the back of the neck all the way to the forehead is a leading cause. Sometimes, this causes the scalp to become extremely sensitive, so much so that even a touch can feel painful. This tenderness can also be caused by an injury (which is uncommon). Remember that the pain can also happen if you have hair lice and rashes on the scalp.

Dandruff can cause the scalp to turn red, scaly and itchy. (Photo: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Dandruff, which is a common winter problem can also cause this pain, since it affects all the places in the body where natural oils collect. It can cause the scalp to turn red, scaly and itchy.

Next, alopecia, which is a kind of hair loss problem, can cause the scalp to become tender, leading to clumps of hair falling out. It can be heartbreaking to lose hair like this, but there are no other direct health risks associated with this condition. It often happens when the immune system begin to attack the hair follicles.

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In addition to this stress and poor diet can also affect the health of the scalp and hair.

Diagnosis

Remember that self-diagnosis is dangerous. You never know what is causing the tenderness, so it is advisable to check with your doctor first. They may ask you about your medical history and dietary habits and look for injuries if any, before beginning a thorough examination.