A fairly common disorder, scalp psoriasis is a skin disorder that results in raised, reddish, and scaly patches on the scalp and can show up in a single patch, several patches, or even spread to areas beyond your scalp such as your forehead, back of your neck, or around your ears. The severity of this form of psoriasis can vary from very mild and unnoticeable to quite intense and irritable. Fortunately, no matter how severe, scalp psoriasis cannot be transmitted from one person to another through contact. Although doctors are not completely certain of the causes of scalp psoriasis, approximately half of the roughly 16 million people in the United States that suffer from psoriasis develop psoriasis of the scalp.

There are several different symptoms that one may develop if they are unfortunate enough to develop the scalp psoriasis. For mild cases of scalp psoriasis, the patient may only experience slight fine scaling on the skin, with little or no noticeable symptoms to third parties. For those with more moderate or severe cases, more serious symptoms may be present. These symptoms include scaly, red, or bumpy patches on the scalp, white scales, flaking that appears similar to dandruff, dry scalp, itching, burning or soreness, and even hair loss. It is important to note that although the psoriasis itself does not cause the hair loss, the very dry scalp with scales may lead to significant scratching, picking, and treatments that can lead to hair loss; however, this hair loss is typically temporary.

Despite the potential symptoms and lack of definitive cause for scalp psoriasis, there are several treatment options available for those who suffer from scalp psoriasis. The first line of defense is topical treatments used directly on your skin. These typically include medicated shampoos, creams, gels, oils, ointments, and soaps. Most of these products can be purchased over the counter; however, the stronger topical treatments will require a prescription from a doctor. Be mindful, for these options to be effective, these topical treatments must be put on the scalp, not just the hair. If you suffer from more severe scalp psoriasis, your doctor may prescribe an oral medication such as corticosteroids, cyclosporine, or methotrexate. Because these oral medications can have severe side effects, they require serious monitoring by your doctor.

One of the best products available to treat psoriasis is Dr. Marder’s “Total Relief Scalp Therapy Shampoo”. Located in beautiful South Florida, Dr. Marder is a board certified dermatologist who founded Dr. Marder Skincare in 2011 in order to develop breakthrough scalp care formulations for his own patients, as well as for mass markets. Dr. Marder strongly recommends his product for all those who suffer from scalp psoriasis. This product has gone through clinical studies, which determined that over 95% of individuals using Dr. Marder’s Total ReliefTM for scalp psoriasis saw improvements in their itching and scaling within just one week. If you are experiencing scalp psoriasis, be sure to try Total Relief by Dr. Marder.