Annoying Pimples On Head Skin: Causes, Treatments And Preventions

Scalp acne has an impact on millions of people. It occurs when your hair follicles are blocked, inflamed or infected. In today's article, ETE Hair Happiness will help you find out why pimples are formed on your head skin as well as how to treat and prevent them from occurring.

1. Why are we getting pimples on our head?

1.1. Scalp buildup

If you find dead skin flakes in your hair or on your shoulders, you may think that you are suffering from dandruff. In fact, it is possible that you are dealing with scalp buildup. These two conditions share many of the same symptoms such as flaky scalp; but of course, they occur with different causes. Among many reasons, natural buildup and product buildup are the most two common ones. 

Natural buildup: Skin cells are constantly dying and regrowing. The dead skin cells are supposed to shed, so that new ones can grow and replace them. In some specific cases, these dead skin cells do not shed fast enough, leading to a buildup on our scalp. Also, sebum contributes to this scalp condition. It is claimed to play an important role in keeping our skin moisturized and protecting it from infection. However, if our body produces too much of this oil, it will eventually build up on our scalp. Day by day, these dead skin cells and oil will clog our pores or hair follicles. Like elsewhere on our body, pimples are formed.

Product buildup: Residue from hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners, styling creams is another cause of scalp buildup. After applying these products, if you do not rinse them out thoroughly, they will stick to both your hair and scalp. Same as the excess oil and skin cells situation, you can see acnes start to occur on your head skin. 

1.2. Lifestyle 

You should know that your lifestyle and daily routines are also causes of scalp acne. Below are the three most common habits which you need to stop doing right now if you want to protect your scalp. 

• Waiting too long to wash your hair after workouts.
• Wearing hats or other accessories which cause friction against your scalp.
• Not shampooing frequently enough.

One fact you may not know is that your scalp is claimed to be an extremely sebaceous environment just as your face. Especially, after some workouts or a long period of wearing hats, your head skin is definitely in a sweat. This also leads to an overly greasy scalp. Consequently, it is more possible for the acne to form on your head skin.

1.3. Folliculitis

Folliculitis is another common skin condition often caused by an infection of hair follicles with bacteria and even an inflammation from ingrown hairs. It is more likely to occur when your scalp is excessively greasy since fungi love oily environments. The acne caused by folliculitis looks very similar to typical pimples, but the spots are normally itchier, smaller and in larger clusters. 

2. How to treat scalp acne?

The most vital routine which you need to have is regular cleansing, so that the excess oil and dead skin cells are removed from your scalp. To optimize the effect, you should wash your head skin with oil-free cleansers or medicated shampoos. Both of these two products contain salicylic acid which helps unclog your pores or hair follicles, and gently exfoliate your scalp. 

You should also get used to applying daily astringent, anti-microbial scalp toners onto your head skin. It will ease your scalp acne condition since astringent is an ingredient helping to soak-up excess oil. Alternatively, you can use topical acne spot treatment or cream containing benzoyl peroxide. This element will reduce acne-causing bacteria as well as dry up the extra oil. 

2. How to prevent pimples on head skin?

Now that you know why acne appears on your head, you should learn how to prevent it from happening. 

Usually, we spend much time taking care of the hair, and forget about the existence of the scalp. In fact, scalp condition is the main element affecting one’s hair health. Scalp hygiene needs to be considered as your must-do routine. To avoid pimples from occurring on your head skin, you should try:

• Shampooing as soon as possible after workouts and carefully after using hair care products.
• Wearing loose-fitting hats, so that your scalp has enough space to breath.
• Getting an appropriate amount of vitamin A, D and E in order to keep your skin healthy.
• Washing your hair frequently and properly. In addition, you should not shampoo too often since it is one of the causes making your hair drier.

Scalp acne is not either a common phenomena or a serious condition, so you do not have to worry too much about it. Just remember to take care of your hair and scalp frequently to keep them healthy and pretty.