A sunburned scalp is typically characterized by itchy, flaking and peeling skin and hair loss and more. Explore facts, pictures, causes, signs, and symptoms of the sunburned scalp. Furthermore, learn how you can get rid of them with medical treatments and home remedies.
Signs and Symptoms of Sunburned Scalp
Your scalp is one of the prime spots of your body that are more susceptible to be affected by sunburns. Â Usually, the scalp has delicate and sensitive skin that can easily be damaged by sunlight. Besides your head is covered by hair, your scalp is still at a risk of developing sunburns.
Direct exposure of your scalp to sunlight can lead to various skin problems. These include skin burns, age spots, black spots, white spots, wrinkles, and freckles on your skin. More dangerously, sunlight can lead to skin cancer.
Usually, you can develop symptoms of sunburns on your scalp after exposing it to direct sunlight. Sunburns on the scalp can occur when you walk outside exposed to the sun. Also basking in sunlight for a long duration of time can lead to sunburns on your skin.
The common signs and symptoms that are characterized by sunburned scalp include the following:
- Inflamed, redness and tender skin on the scalp
- Dry, scaly, flaking and peeling of skin on top of the scalp
- Itchiness or burning sensation in the affected area of the scalp
- Baldness or hair loss in patches on the head
- Red fluid-filled blister that burst, ooze and form yellow crust
- Black, brown, pink, red, white, dark spots, dots, marks and patches on the scalp
- Raised bumps, sores and scabs on the scalp
Causes of Sunburned Scalp
According to mayo clinic, the sun is the main causal agent of sunburns. However, you can easily be affected by sunlight due to other risk factors that might encourage sun damage. Here are some of the risk factors that can cause your scalp to develop sunburns:
1. Direct exposure of the scalp to sunlight
Your scalp can get sunburns after direct exposure to sunlight. The scalp is one of the potential areas of your body that can easily be damaged by sunlight. This is because that your scalp provides large surface areas that are exposed to direct sunlight.
In addition, the skin of your scalp can trap and absorb a lot of heat energy from the sun that can cause the skin to burn. The hair on your head might not be able to protect fully the delicate skin on the scalp. But instead, the hair on the scalp can increase the risk of getting sunburns by trapping and absorbing more heat energy from the sun.
The sunlight has harmful UV-rays that may lead to either chronic or acute effect on your scalp. The acute effect of sunlight includes mild sunburns, spots, patches that are not permanent and they cannot advance into health complicated problem.
The acute effect of sunlight on your skin will always be characterized by few burns on the skin, blisters, black spots, and white spots or patches. Also, the affected area might develop a dry scaly skin that has a slight pain that can go away after a few days.
The chronic effect of UV light on your scalp can lead to major skin problems that might advance into health complicated problems. You can tell that your scalp has chronic damage of UV-rays if you notice the following conditions.
- Severe pain or burning sensation on scalp
- severe red skin burns
- Burnt skin blister that is fluid-filled
- Permanent and chronic dark spots and patches on scalp
- Skin peeling, hair loss, and baldness
Chronic effect of UV-rays can also lead to serious skin conditions such as skin cancer, solar lentigines, actinic keratosis, Melasma, freckles, wrinkles, and premature age spots. These conditions are more permanent and difficult to manage.
To prevent the problem of the sunburned scalp, you can try to avoid long and direct exposure of your skin to sunlight. If this is not possible, you can alternatively apply sunscreen cream on your scalp or wear a hat that can help to protect your skin against the damages of sun rays.
2. allergic to sunlight
Your skin can develop various problems due to an allergic reaction that is stimulated by sunlight. Your skin can respond to sunlight by producing a chemical compound known as histamine. This can lead to skin burns, blisters, sores, freckles, wrinkles, dark spots and white spots on the skin.
3. Lighter skin
Being a light skin is one of the risk factors that can encourage sunburns. Medically, having a lighter skin suggest that your skin has less melanin or skin pigment. Less amount of melanin on your skin might not be able to protect the skin tissue against the effect of harmful UV-rays from the sun.
If your skin tone is lighter, you might experience more problem of sun damage as compared to individuals with dark skin complexion. If your skin is lighter, it is advisable to apply suitable sunscreen on your skin before you are exposed to sunlight.
4. Albinism
Being an albino is a risk factor that can encourage sunburns on your skin. Albinism is an inherence disorder that can lead to lack melanin or skin pigment. Lack of skin pigment is a predisposing factor that can allow sun damage on the skin.
The photosensitive skin of the albinos might not be able to tolerate sunlight hence they can develop various problems on the skin. Burnt skin blisters, sores, freckles, wrinkles, skin cancer, dark spots, and patches are some of the skin problems that can occur to albinos due to exposure to sunlight.
How to Get Rid of Sunburned Scalp
You can get rid of sunburns on your scalp using various treatment methods. You can use home remedies to treat mild sunburns on your scalp. Alternatively, you can go for medical treatment by visiting your doctor in case you develop severe burns on your scalp that are likely to advance to a more serious health condition.
Treatment
Medical treatment is the best option you can go for if your scalp has severe sunburn. After visiting your doctor, he/she may decide the suitable plan for diagnosis and treatment of your health problem. Some of the treatment methods that your doctor might use to solve your problem include:
- Prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs that can help in the healing of burnt scalp
- Prescription of ointment creams that can help to soothe and relieve burns on your scalp
- Surgical incision that can help to drain out the fluid-filled burnt blister on the scalp to facilitate the healing
Home Remedies
For the case of mild burns on your scalp, no need to visit your doctor for medical treatment. Alternatively, you can use natural home remedies to get rid of sunburns on your scalp. Here are some of the treatment methods that you can use:
1. Cold compress
You can soothe an itchy sunburned scalp using a cold compress. The low temperature of the cold compress can help to ease pain and relieve swollen skin in the affected area of the scalp.
How to use:
- Place an ice-cold water in a basin
- Soak the towel in the water
- Cold compress your scalp with the soaked towel
- Repeat to cold compress the affected area several times in a day until the pain goes away
2. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is an effective natural remedy that can help to soothe itchy sunburnt blister on the scalp. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help to relieve sunburns on the skin.
How to use:
- Get Aloe Vera cream, gel or juice
- Apply the Aloe Vera cream or gel to the affected area of your scalp
- Leave it to stay on your skin for 30 minutes before rinsing it off with water
- Repeat this procedure three times in a day until the sunburns on your scalp are relieved
3. Olive oil
Olive oil has a cooling effect that can help to soothe itchy sunburnt blisters on your scalp. Also, it can moisturize dry, scaly, and flaky skin on your scalp to facilitate the healing of sunburns. The oil has a natural antiseptic property and anti-inflammatory abilities that can help to heal sunspots.
How to use:
- Wash your scalp with cold water and pat dry it with a washcloth
- Apply the olive oil to the affected arena of the scalp with sunburns
- Allow the oil to stay on your skin for the whole day
- Repeat this steps three times in a day until the sunburns on your scalp heals completely
- Instead of using olive oil, alternatively, you can apply any other essential oil such castor oil, coconut oil, Lavender oil, Neem tree oil and almond oil
4. Raw honey
Raw honey is an excellent home remedy that can help to relieve sunburned scalp. A raw honey has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to facilitate the healing of itchy sunburnt blisters on your scalp.
How to use:
- Get 2 teaspoons of raw honey
- Apply it to the affected area of your scalp
- Leave it to stay on your scalp for about 10 minutes before rinsing it off
- Repeat to apply it twice in a day until sunburns on your scalp go away
5. Tomato juice
You can use tomato juice as a home remedy that can help to heal sunburned scalp. Tomato juice has a lot of vitamins and minerals that can help to initiate the healing process of sunspots on the skin.
How to use:
- Get ¼ cup of fresh tomato juice and mix with equal amount of the buttermilk
- Apply this mixture to the affected area of your scalp
- Allow it to stay on your skin for about 20 minutes before rinsing it off with water
- Repeat his steps three times in a day
How to Prevent Sunburned Scalp
You can prevent sunburns on your scalp using the following tips:
- Apply a suitable sunscreen on your scalp such as SPF 50 lotion
- Shielding your scalp against direct sunlight by using a hat or an umbrella
- Avoid long hour exposure of your scalp to sunlight by staying indoors
- Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water to moisturize your skin
When to See a Doctor
You can see your doctor over sunburned scalp if you notice the following conditions
- If the sunburns on your scalp has persisted within a period of three weeks
- When sunburns on your scalp cause severe itches that make you feel a discomfort
- If the sunburns on your scalp develop into chronic sores, bumps, black marks that refuse to go away
- When your scalp develop strange sunburns bumps that can bleed easily
- If the sunburnt blister become filled with pus that oozes out and crusts over into yellow scabs
- If a sunburn on your scalp is associated with other strange symptoms such as fever, vomiting, headache, dizziness, sunken eyes, fainting, and others
- When your infant, baby, toddler or child develop severe sunburns on the scalp
Sources and References
[showhide type=”links” more_text=”Show Sources and References” less_text=”Hide Sources and References”]
- Sunburns on the scalp: https://www.wikihow.com/Deal-with-a-Scalp-Sunburn
- Causes of sunburns on the scalphttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sunburn/symptoms-causes/syc-20355922:
- How to get rid of sunburns on the scalp: https://www.realsimple.com/health/first-aid-health-basics/first-aid/sunburn-relief-for-scalp
- Treatment of sunburn on the scalp: https://www.livestrong.com/article/128803-treatments-sunburned-scalp/
- Home remedies of sunburns on scalp: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/aches-and-pains/10-all-natural-sunburn-remedies
- How to prevent sunburns on the scalp: http://www.instyle.com/news/how-to-prevent-sunburn-on-scalp [/showhide]
