Why does a crust appear on the head of a 4-10 year old child?

Etiology of origin of scales

With an excess of sebum, fungi begin to multiply on the head, forming a crust.
The mechanism of formation of scales in children from 2 to 10 years old is similar to that in children under one year old. As a result of increased sebum production, a favorable environment is created for the proliferation of fungi Pityrosporum ovale. Normally, they are present on the skin of a healthy person and do not manifest themselves in any way. As soon as their numbers increase, inflammation, peeling, and scales occur.

Causes of crusts

Dr. Komarovsky warns that the appearance of crusts on the scalp in children under 3 years of age is not something terrible. This is a completely normal phenomenon for this age, indicating increased activity of the sebaceous glands. With proper care, they are easy to get rid of.

The autoimmune disease psoriasis can also cause crusting

If crusts appear on the head of a 4-5 year old child, this is not the norm. Causes:

• improper scalp care;
• deficiency of biotin, zinc;
• overheating of the scalp;
• the use of hats made of synthetic fabrics that do not allow air to pass through;
• allergy;
• hereditary predisposition.

Sometimes the reasons are more serious. For example, the appearance of crusts in children 6-7 years of age and older indicates health problems:

• hormonal disorders;
• endocrine diseases;
• pathologies of the nervous system;
• addition of a bacterial infection;
• atopic dermatitis, diathesis, psoriasis, erythroderma.

If a child is overweight and has crusts on the scalp, Leiner's disease is likely.

Is treatment necessary?

The crusts on a baby's head are absolutely harmless in themselves, but they have an unsightly and unkempt appearance. For this reason, you want to remove them so that the child looks neat. But first you need to make sure that they really do not pose a danger. If you manage to separate the scale from the head, you need to check if there is a red spot left. The absence of a stain is a good sign.

In most cases, crusts on a baby’s head disappear on their own by 9-12 months, without the use of any procedures.

However, in cases of severe cases of the disease, the doctor gives recommendations on what shampoo or lotion to use to get rid of such crusts.

Symptoms and forms

In infants, a crust on the head is a consequence of exfoliation of the upper layer of the dermis.
Yellow crusts on the head of a child can appear up to 14 years of age due to the massive proliferation of the fungus. In older children they disappear forever. In young children they do not provoke severe physical discomfort, but in a child of 8-9 years old who goes to school and communicates with peers, they can cause complexes. The crusts don't look very attractive.

Most often the scales are yellow, but they can be gray, brown, or white. They are not accompanied by itching, burning, or irritation, but if you accidentally tear off the crust, the skin underneath will be red and you will feel discomfort.

The presence of inflammation, itching, burning, pain indicates the addition of a bacterial infection.

There are 3 types of scabs on a child’s head. Each is accompanied by its own symptoms:

• Dry. This type is typical for newborns in the first months of life. Caused by a dry form of seborrhea. Initially, small scales are formed, which eventually merge together, forming large gray or yellow crusts. In places where they form, hair may fall out, so the formation of bald spots is a common consequence of seborrheic dermatitis.
• Fatty. It is also common in infants. Caused by hyperfunction of the sebaceous glands. Large layers consisting of dandruff and sebum are formed. If this problem remains during puberty of a teenager, acne and pimples appear on the face.
• Combined. This type is typical for adolescents; it practically does not occur in infants and children under 10 years of age. Dry crusts begin to appear on the child's head, and oily skin on the face and behind the ears.

It is imperative to remove scales. How to do this depends on the reason.

How to choose a shampoo and will it help?

The easiest way to get rid of crusts is to apply baby shampoo to your baby's scalp and leave it on for 5-10 minutes while bathing. The crusts will become softer. Some of them will be washed off during rinsing, some will come off when you dry the child’s head with a towel, the rest will need to be carefully combed out with a soft brush or a comb with rounded teeth at the ends. If there are few crusts, then one or two such procedures will be enough. If there is a lot, then more.

To combat crusts, any baby shampoo approved for use from the first days of a child’s life is suitable. But if you wish, you can purchase a special shampoo for milk crusts. Will it be more effective than regular? Read the reviews. For some it helps immediately, for others it doesn’t help at all. If the baby has a lot of crusts and layers, then most likely the shampoo will not give a quick effect. Other remedies for crusts To combat profuse manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis, oil products are suitable: children's cosmetic oil, special oil gel against crusts, emollient cream. Half an hour to an hour before bathing, smear the child’s head with this product and put a hat on him. While bathing, wash your baby's hair with baby shampoo, and then comb it with a soft brush or blunt-tooth comb.

It is important!

One procedure may not be enough. After a few days, if necessary, it can be repeated. Do not overdo it. Using shampoo every day will dry out your baby's scalp and make his sebaceous glands work even harder. That is, the effect will be the opposite: there will only be more crusts.

If you notice that under the scabs your baby’s skin is red, begins to get wet, and bleeds, consult a doctor. It is also worth showing your baby to the doctor if crusts cover not only his head, but also his face, neck, and groin.

So:

1. Crusts on the baby’s head are formed due to the intense secretion of sebum under the influence of maternal hormones, as well as due to the activity of Malassezia fungi, which are present on the skin of every person.
2. It is not necessary to remove milk crusts, but they will take a long time to disappear.
3. You can choose any shampoo to combat milk crusts, the main thing is that it is approved for use from the first days of life. The use of a special shampoo against milk crusts does not guarantee a complete and quick effect.
4. You can remove milk crusts using baby oil. To do this, you need to apply it under your cap an hour before bathing, and then rinse with shampoo and carefully comb out the crusts with a soft brush.
5. If these remedies do not help, and crusts appear not only on the head, but also on the child’s face and body, consult a doctor.

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How to get rid of crusts

In children, the crust is removed with a comb after washing their hair.
A dermatologist or trichologist will help make a diagnosis. Sometimes consultation with other specialists is required - an endocrinologist, neurologist, immunologist, allergist.

The crusts can be easily removed, but this is not a method for getting rid of them. Hygiene procedures only eliminate visible manifestations, but do not treat the cause itself - fungus, bacterial infection, allergies, etc.

It is necessary to get rid of crusts using an integrated approach:

• learn how to remove them correctly;
• observe the rules of personal hygiene;
• choose suitable cosmetics;
• use medicated shampoos, oils;
• follow a diet.

Medicines for the treatment of scabs should only be taken with the permission of a doctor.

To make the crust peel off better, you can smear the scalp with olive oil.
The procedure for removing scales from a child under 10 years old is not much different from combing the crusts from the head of an infant. Although it is more difficult to remove the crusts from a girl due to the length of her hair.

To make this process painless for the child, the mother must follow these steps:

1. During evening bathing, wash your hair with medicated shampoo. You can add a decoction of chamomile and string to the bathtub with bathing water.
2. Dry your hair with a towel, do not rub, so as not to injure the skin.
3. Rub each crust with oil, preferably olive, sunflower or almond. You can use Vaseline.
4. Put on a cotton cap at night and put the child to bed.
5. In the morning, comb out the scabs with a special comb with rounded teeth or a brush.
6. Wash your hair and make sure there are no scales.

Cleanse twice a week after washing your hair.

Pediatricians recommend washing your hair no more than twice a week, even if you use the highest quality shampoo. Too frequent water treatments lead to dryness, the skin begins to peel, loses its protective properties, so pathogenic flora multiplies.

Medical cosmetics, medicines

Tar shampoo helps strengthen the skin's immunity and eliminates fungus.
A medicated shampoo will save you from crusts on your child's head. You need to buy it at the pharmacy. This could be a special antifungal shampoo Sebazol, Dermazol, Nizoral. These types of products fight fungus and dandruff. They are used no more than 2-3 times a week. Afterwards you need to comb out the scales.

When choosing a shampoo, it is advisable to refer to the doctor's recommendations. Products containing zinc, salicylic acid, and selenium sulfides can be effective. But they have age restrictions.

Natural shampoos, for example, based on birch tar, have a good effect. Therapeutic cosmetics for seborrheic dermatitis include products from the Mustella line; they are safe even for babies.

In addition to oils and shampoos, more serious remedies for yellow crusts on a child’s head may be required:

• antifungal ointments – Lamisil, Mycospor;
• care products for seborrheic skin - Topicrem, Aqualan, Bioderma, La-Cri;
• zinc preparations (for oily seborrhea);
• corticosteroid ointments – Elokom, Akriderm;
• antihistamines - L-Cet, Eden, Loratadine;
• antibiotics (if a bacterial infection is attached) - penicillin drugs;
• immunomodulators – Elidel, Protopic.

With daily use of the drugs, symptoms disappear after 2-3 weeks.

It is important to exclude the child from contact with any allergens, aggressive substances, and remove allergenic foods from the diet. Spicy foods, sweets, fatty foods, fried foods, fast food, smoked foods, sausages, pickles, and marinades are also excluded.

How to remove crusts on a child’s head?

When trying to get rid of unpleasant growths, do not try to tear them off with your nails or scratch them. This way you can introduce an infection into the child’s body and cause unnecessary complications.

The formation of crusts is considered a natural process for newborn babies. But proper care and hygiene will significantly reduce their number:

• Distribute the oil over the entire surface of the baby's head, paying special attention to the growths. Rub the oil into the skin and put a cap on the child’s head; it will help soften the crusts better.
• After 30-40 minutes, bathe your baby, carefully washing the soaked crusts.
• You can complete the procedure by gently combing your head, which will remove some more growth. An important point: do not put too much pressure on the head with the comb, trying to tear off the skin flakes. It is better to use a soft brush that does not injure the baby's head.
• You can repeat the procedure 2 times a week. This will help to gradually get rid of the crusts and will not harm the child’s health.

Prevention measures

Dry air in the room has an adverse effect on the child’s skin.
To prevent scales on the head, you need to avoid overheating the child, maintain the room temperature no higher than 23˚C, and humidity no lower than 60%.

You need to wash your hair only with special shampoos, do not use soap, and moisturize your skin with oils. If a child is allergic, choose caring cosmetics taking into account the recommendations of an allergist.

To maintain a strong immune system, it is necessary to ensure a balanced diet, walk in the fresh air every day, and prevent ARVI during the season of respiratory diseases.

If the crusts on the head do not go away well, then the wrong products are being used. Only a doctor can choose effective treatment.

In order not to worsen the child’s condition, you cannot rip off the scales with your nails or hard objects without softening. Such actions will lead to skin injury and severe pain.

Body overheating

What causes crusts to appear on the scalp in children? Why does this trouble arise? A common cause is dry, warm indoor air and infrequent ventilation of the home. Some parents are too concerned about their baby not catching a cold. As a result, the child is constantly wearing a bunch of things. The scalp begins to produce a large amount of sweat. The latter connects with fatty secretions.

A combination of factors increases the risk of seborrheic crusts. The picture gets worse if the child has to wear a hat all day long. It is quite natural that with the onset of cold weather, parents should definitely put a hat on their baby. However, when you are in a warm room, this seems completely irrational.

Causes

There is an opinion that the baby's scabs appear due to breastfeeding, and when the mother stops breastfeeding, they disappear. That is why such crusts are called milk crusts. But this is a myth. There is no connection between gneiss and breastfeeding.

Although gneiss is not a disease, it looks unaesthetic, so parents try to get rid of it

Seborrheic crusts are called not because they indicate a disease, but because the forming scales are similar in appearance to those that form with seborrheic dermatitis.

The main cause of gneiss is hyperfunction of the sebaceous glands. In a baby, many organs and systems operate in “tuning” mode. Firstly, the hormonal background fails, which changes somewhat after birth. Secondly, the sweat and sebaceous glands have not yet learned to cope with their tasks, so scales form on the head as a result of excess sebum secretion. There are other factors that can aggravate this condition.