It is often difficult to tell the difference between scalp psoriasis and dandruff. This is because both share similar symptoms such as itchy scalp and white flakes of dead skin cells. However, there is a difference between these two scalp problems and it’s important to know the difference in order to seek the correct treatment.

The first thing to note is that psoriasis may be the underlying cause of dandruff. Psoriasis is thought to be caused by immune system and a genetic predisposition to psoriasis. Quite often if a member of your family has psoriasis, you may have inherited the genes. However, not all people who have the psoriasis genes go on to develop psoriasis. People of any age can get psoriasis: children, teenagers, adults and older people. Psoriasis tends to affect males and females equally.

As mentioned, both scalp psoriasis and dandruff can cause similar symptoms. Scalp psoriasis can be triggered off by anything from cuts, abrasions, scratches and even sunburn. More often than not a flare up will happen in winter: the skin becomes flaky and dry because of a lack of natural sunlight. With scalp psoriasis, the patches are commonly seen on the back of the head but can be seen on other areas of the scalp or even cover the entire scalp. The psoriasis may not be confined just to the scalp. Scaly, silvery patches may appear on areas such as elbows, knees, lower back, groin and other body folds.

Dandruff, on the other hand, is primarily caused by naturally occurring fungus, the Malassezia yeast that feeds on the natural oils of the skin. This causes the skin to shed more quickly and to itch. Other possible causes of dandruff include not brushing hair regularly, not enough shampooing, dry skin, diet and stress. Mild dandruff often occurs after puberty, usually between 20-30 years, and tends to affect more men than women.

The treatments for both scalp psoriasis and dandruff tend to be similar. Treatments include using shampoos that contain coal tar and salicyclic acid or topical steroid creams to reduce inflammation. Since dandruff is caused by fungus, using an anti-fungal shampoo to inhibit the growth of the fungi usually does the trick.

The difference between scalp psoriasis and dandruff is that scalp psoriasis may be more resistant to regular treatment. If specific shampoos or steroid creams do not work, then your physician may recommend exposure to ultraviolet light to help the skin repair itself. If this doesn’t work, then oral retinoids may be prescribed, but usually as a last resort.

Now you know that even though scalp psoriasis and dandruff look similar in appearance, there are different causes which may require slightly different treatments.

Having either scalp psoriasis or dandruff need not be the end of the world: there are a lot of effective products and help available. If you think you have scalp psoriasis or any other form of psoriasis, study the psoriasis symptoms and consult your doctor to confirm the diagnosis. You should be aware that as well as conventional treatments, there are also natural psoriasis treatments.

Vicky Massey has a wide experience of alternative health and healing. She has a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and qualifications in massage, nutrition, healing and yoga.

There are 3 main phenomena’s or symptoms of psoriasis, which can be detected with a scraping of the psoriatic plaques:

- the “stearin spot” phenomena – with the scraping of the surface of the psoriatic plaque there will appear silvery-white scales, that resemble stearin – a tasteless and odorless substance used for the manufacturing of the soaps etc.

- the “terminal film” phenomena (aka the “psoriatic film” phenomena) – with the further scraping of the psoriatic plaque underneath the abundant silvery-white scales there appears a translucent tender skin, that resembles a film

- the “point hemorrhage” phenomena (aka the “blood dew” phenomena) – with the further scraping of the plaque there will appear a point hemorrhage – tiny dots of blood

In the progressive stage of psoriasis there is also is noted the Koebner phenomena, that was first explained by professor Koebner in 1872 – with any type of injury to the skin, be it a scratch, a cut, an irritation etc. – on the place of the injury there appears a new psoriatic plaque.

The progressive stage of psoriasis is commonly noted with the first appearance of psoriasis on the body of a person. Therefore it is extremely necessary to watch out for any injuries to the skin at the moment of the first appearance of psoriasis. Any injury, be it the scratches obtained from a pet, piercing your ears, getting a tattoo etc. – may trigger the appearance of psoriatic plaques precisely on the injured spots.

Psoriasis first appears as small red papules, covered with silvery-white scales. The papules grow and merge with one another, forming psoriatic plaques. The plaques are usually have a very pronounced boundary and can be easily distinguished from the skin that was not affected with psoriasis.

Psoriasis in the progressive stage is usually accompanied by itching, which subsides when the process transforms into the stationary stage. In the stage of regression psoriatic plaques flatten and disappear, leaving after themselves only the bright spots, which also disappear with the course of time.

Psoriasis usually “prefers” the following skin locations: the extensor surfaces of the elbows and knees and the scalp, then it may also appear on the chest, the back and the rest of the body.

Psoriasis often also manifests itself on the nails. The nails in this case become fragile, they lose their gloss and color, and they lift up above the nail bed. Psoriasis on the nails often also appears after some kind of damage of the nails – artificial nail placement etc.

Sometimes psoriasis may also affect the joints – this type of psoriasis is called psoriatic arthritis or psoriatic arthropathy. In this case there may appear pains in the joints, as well as the deformities of the joints if the process progresses further without obtaining the effective treatment.

Some lucky people never develop psoriasis anywhere other than their elbows and knees – where they have the so called “on-duty plaques”. Those lucky individuals may never experience the gore of scalp psoriasis, nail psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

I have been fighting psoriasis for 14 years – since my teenage years. During those years I have collected loads of information that helps me battle psoriasis and keep it under control.

I share hundreds of pages of unique information on psoriasis and various psoriasis treatments with other people on my website.

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