Psoriasis and hair loss: causes, symptoms & treatment

By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2021-02-18

Psoriasis and hair loss: are they related each other? Is a hair transplant in a scalp with psoriasis possible? The fact is that many people who suffer from psoriasis, often suffer from hair loss, too. A hair transplanted usually is the best solution to solve this problem, and this type of surgery has very good reviews, especially in Turkey; however, an operation of this kind can be affected by certain diseases, especially those related to skin.

Although a hair transplant with psoriasis is viable, it is important to follow some tips before and after the operation to avoid any discomfort and complications, and thus ensure that the hair surgery is a complete success. If you suffer from psoriasis and are interested in a hair surgery, you should pay attention to what follows.

Can you lose hair if you have psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease suffered by millions of people in the world; an immune disorder makes cells grow much faster than normal causing the appearance of scabs and scales. It usually causes some type of hair loss because in most cases appears on scalp, where hair falls out because of some symptoms like itching, irritation, dryness, or peeling: patients with psoriasis feel the need to scratch, damaging follicles and thus triggering hair loss.

The aforementioned are the mild symptoms of the disease, which are the most common among people with psoriasis: but if these symptoms are not addressed with an adequate long-term treatment - usually with the prescription of topical creams - they can become more serious.

Psoriasis can appear in any area of our body, but almost half of cases occur on the scalp. Normally hair should grow again once the symptoms of psoriasis have been treated; however, in severe cases the follicle becomes so damaged that it is necessary to resort to a hair transplant.

Can you get a hair transplant if you have psoriasis?

Any disease suffered by our scalp ends up affecting our hair; psoriasis can affect our hair health, especially if it is not treated properly. However, it is important to note that as long as a treatment and some basic tips are followed, a hair transplant in a scalp with psoriasis is perfectly possible and not necessarily causes complications.

Therefore, it is important that if we are going to undergo a hair surgery and we suffer from psoriasis, we should make sure that we have the disease under control and are following a treatment under a dermatologist supervision: in this way we not just guarantee the success of the operation, but we also reduce the discomfort that the operation may cause in those who suffer from psoriasis. Let's see some tips.

Tips before hair transplant

Before carrying out the operation, in addition to follow an appropriate medical treatment, we can reduce the itching caused by psoriasis - and therefore the risk of losing more hair when scratching convulsively - using a good hair conditioner or a hydrating shampoo, which reduces skin dryness.

Of course, it is essential that we do not use hair straighteners or hair dryers - which will increase scalp dryness and irritation - or hair products aggressive to skin or containing substances such as menthol. Thus, we reduce the risks and discomfort before a hair transplant with psoriasis.

It is also very important to avoid any factor that may trigger an outbreak of psoriasis and complicate the hair transplant, such as alcohol or tobacco consumption, sun exposure, certain medications, stress, or scratching the irritated area. A trick to avoid scratching if we feel irritation is to relieve the itch by moistening the affected area with a wet wipe.

Tips after hair surgery

Once we have got the hair transplant - and if we have followed the previous tips, it will have no complications and not too much discomfort - it is important to keep the scalp clean using special and non-aggressive shampoos, that can be specific for people with skin conditions.

When washing our hair after the hair transplant with these shampoos - normally the day after the surgery - we should do it with smooth and slow movements, lightly massaging the operated area with fingers, but without scratching or pressing to avoid any damage to the new implanted follicles and avoid triggering a psoriasis outbreak. Of course, in this postoperative stage, tips aforementioned for before the surgery are also valid.

However, the most important tip of all is to seek a trustworthy clinic with a skilled and experienced medical team specialised in psoriasis and hair loss treatments. Clinicana is the best hair transplant clinic in Turkey and uses the latest technology: request a free online consultation, and ask us for a free, no obligation estimate. Get your hair back now!