Lichen and Hair Loss

Lichen or Lichen Planus (its full name) is a common inflammatory condition of the skin which depending on the area affected can cause different symptoms and is why it is hard to determine in the first place. It is important to firstly note that Lichen Planus and any other types of Lichen disease isn’t a viral, bacterial or fungal infection rather it is an autoimmune problem much like lupus however is almost always simple the infection of the skin. As such it can’t be passed on. It shows no sign of it being an inherited condition and isn’t related to any lack of specific nutrients in the body. Lichen shows no bias in affecting male over female or vice versa and is also not biased against any racial type over another.

The disease is called Lichen because the inflammation caused on the skin and its shape which looks much like the lichen plant which grows on trees and rocks. The problem is that the cause of Lichen isn’t really known and can be set-off by any external factor acting on the human body and as such treatment isn’t as simple as treating a normal bacterial, viral or fungal infection.

As mentioned earlier Lichen is a skin infection and can have many different affects depending on which part of the body’s skin it decides to invade. Of particular interest to us is when it happens to the scalp which causes hair loss. Hair loss caused by lichen is very easy to determine as it exhibits the same conditions as lichen that happens in any other part of the body. The characteristics of lichen are flat topped spots or bumps that have a discolored pink to purple hue and normally measure1/4 of an inch in diameter at most. The flat surfaces of the bumps are slightly reflective because of the slight scaling that happens when the skin dries on the surface.

When it happens on the scalp lichen will have a negative impact on the hair follicles by causing the hair follicles to react in a hap-hazard fashion. It sends false messages to the hair follicles and a mixed signal of growth and rest in the hair follicles happens. On the onset of this condition hair produced by the affected follicles will be course and come out with strange and unnatural patterns sometimes curling in an uncontrolled manner or growing thicker or thinner than usual. After extended periods of this exposure the hair follicle will die and not produce any more hair.

This is exactly why it is very important to understand lichen and its symptoms especially if the condition were to occur on your scalp where it is more than likely to take out patches of hair which might not grow back if the problem were not addressed properly. Most medical practitioners will advise that lichen is hard to treat with any medication because it is actually an autoimmune disease however we feel that leaving it for extended amounts of time especially on the scalp is a very stupid thing to do. Instead we recommend that action be taken immediately so that your hair follicles are not adversely affected. We recommend a steroid cream on the affected are at least twice daily in order to keep the problem from getting worst while a shift in your diet to more vegetables and less meats to clean up your system.