Hair Disorders and Impact on Quality of Life

Abstract

Hair and scalp diseases are frequently underestimated by health care professionals, even dermatologists. But too much hair, too little hair or hair in the wrong place has quite enormous consequences for patients. Scalp disease and its symptoms (itch, bleeding, oozing, etc.) and its signs (flaking, hair loss, scarring, etc.) similarly cause huge physical and psychosocial distress to patients. Some hair and scalp diseases are primarily psychiatric in origin (e.g. trichotillosis or trichotillomania). The psychological sequelae of hair and scalp disease is pre-eminent in the consciousness of patients. Managing hair and scalp disease is therefore the management of the physical disease at the same time as the management of the psychosocial disease. The management of the holistic patient, preferably through a multidisciplinary team, is crucial.