Does Burning Scalp Syndrome Cause Hair Loss?'

Olly

Question: I have a tingling scalp which I looked up on the internet and believe is called Burning Scalp Syndrome. I read that it can make my hair may fall out - is that true and is it permanent? How do I stop it?

Answer: Hi, Olly. First off, although we all look our symptoms up on the internet, whilst this can be helpful, there is also a lot of incorrect information out there. With this in mind, we would recommend you get a professional diagnosis of your condition before seeking any type of treatment. Depending on how long you have had it, it could also be something as simple as sunburn or a scalp irritation caused by an overly-drying shampoo, or an allergic reaction.

Working on the assumption that you do have Burning Scalp Syndrome, this is often linked, anecdotally, to hair loss but possibly not in the way you think.

The tingling caused by this condition occurs when a high percentage of hair enters the resting phase of the hair growth cycle at once. This is known as the Telogen stage and comes after the active growth stage and before the hair is pushed out to make room for new hair to come through. At any one time up to 10 per cent of the hairs on your head will be in either the telogen or catagen (resting or growth) phase and when the number of dormant hair follicles exceeds this amount, Burning Scalp Syndrome can occur.

As such, yes, you will experience hair loss, and it may seem more than normal but it is nothing to worry about and is not permanent. Once the hair loss stabilises the symptoms tend to dissipate; you can wait for this to happen naturally or can seek treatment such as minoxidil to promote regrowth.

However, this is often reported by men and women in the early to mid-stages of genetic hair loss. So, although Burning Scalp Syndrome itself does not cause shedding - it simply occurs alongside natural hair fall - it does have associations with male and female pattern hair loss which are permanent and progressive conditions.

If you are concerned about losing your hair, we would recommend you speak to a hair loss specialist. They will be able to get to the bottom of any scalp and hair loss condition you may be experiencing and recommend appropriate treatment options.