Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesWhat is ASMR?Persistent SensationTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
What is ASMR?
Persistent Sensation
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you feeling a tingling sensation in your head and scalp? Tingling can occur in various parts of the body due to damage, injury, or nerve compression. It is common for these sensations to occur in the scalp due to the high number of sensory nerve endings there. Abnormal sensations of tingling, burning, prickling, or a feeling of pins and needles are calledparesthesias.
This article will look at various causes of scalp and head tingling, along with possible treatments.
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Paresthesia: Why Your Body Parts Tingle and Fall Asleep
Causes of Head Tingling Based on Sensation
The tingling, itching, or burning sensations you may feel in your head and scalp have different causes such as dermatitis, migraines, and scabies.
Itching
Inflammatory conditions of the skin often cause red patches, plaques, scaling, or dandruff on the scalp and an increased release of histamine that causes itching. Specific dermatological conditions that can cause scalp itching include:
What Causes Scalp Tenderness?
Burning
Skin burning can also occur from an irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin, or from an allergy to harsh chemicals. This can include:
Tingling
Scalp tingling results from overstimulation of sensory nerve endings in the skin of the scalp, which can result from neurological conditions or injuries that damage nerves. These include:
Can a Pinched Nerve in the Neck Cause a Headache?
Nerve damage that can cause scalp tingling can also result from inflammatory systemic conditions that cause damage to the nervous system over time, such as:
Another disease called giant cell arteritis, which causes inflammation of large- and medium-sized arteries, including those in the scalp, can also cause scalp tenderness and tingling.
The following medications may also cause tingling as a result of drug-induced neuropathy:
Can Stress and Anxiety Cause Scalp Tingling?Severe stress and anxiety, especially when coupled with hyperventilation (rapid or deep breathing), or post-traumatic stress disorder, has been linked to paresthesias.
Can Stress and Anxiety Cause Scalp Tingling?
Severe stress and anxiety, especially when coupled with hyperventilation (rapid or deep breathing), or post-traumatic stress disorder, has been linked to paresthesias.
Autonomous sensory meridian response(ASMR) describes the sensory experience of feeling tingling and pleasant sensations in the scalp. This pleasurable tingling is typically in response to certain audiovisual triggers, such as whispering, tapping, scratching, and certain hand movements. These tingling sensations are not harmful and often help people relax.
If the Sensation Persists
Tingling sensations can come and go, but if the sensations are recurrent and last for more than a week, you should schedule a visit with your healthcare provider. Ongoing scalp tingling may be a sign of a skin condition, nervous system disorder, systemic disease, or sensitivity reaction that requires proper diagnosis and symptom management.
Treatment for tingling in the headand scalp is determined based on the cause.
Skin
Nerves
Treatment for scalp tingling from overstimulated nerve endings often requires medication to reduce inflammation and abnormal firing of nerve signals. Some medications that may be prescribed include antihistamines, anti-seizure medications (such as gabapentin), and antidepressants.
Topical treatments with shampoos or lotions that contain cooling ingredients like menthol or camphor can have a mild anesthetic effect to reduce nerve sensitivity and tingling when applied to the scalp.
Infection
Systemic Conditions
Specific treatment for systemic conditions is needed to treat the underlying cause of your scalp tingling. These include medications, maintaining an anti-inflammatory diet, and exercising regularly to decrease widespread inflammation throughout the body.
Things to Try at HomeShampoos that contain zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, and coal tar have anti-inflammatory effects and can help reduce scalp inflammation and tingling.
Things to Try at Home
Shampoos that contain zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, and coal tar have anti-inflammatory effects and can help reduce scalp inflammation and tingling.
Summary
Tingling in the scalp, which can also cause burning and itching sensations, can result from a variety of different skin conditions, infections, nervous system disorders, systemic diseases, chemicals from hair products, and more.
Persistent scalp tingling may indicate an underlying condition, such as an infection, a skin condition, or a neurological disorder. Be sure to discuss all your symptoms with your healthcare provider, even if you think they are unrelated. For systemic conditions, tingling generally improves or disappears when the underlying cause is managed.
Frequently Asked QuestionsScalp tingling does not cause hair loss. However, hair loss that results from other reasons, like central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, an inflammatory condition that causes destruction of hair follicles, can cause scalp itching and tingling.Tingling sensations in the head that come and go may not be anything to worry about. If symptoms persist over time, you should schedule a visit with your healthcare provider to determine if there is an underlying condition causing your symptoms.Poor nutrition causes widespread inflammation throughout the body, which can damage nerves and produce sensations of numbness, tingling, burning, itching, and pain.
Scalp tingling does not cause hair loss. However, hair loss that results from other reasons, like central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, an inflammatory condition that causes destruction of hair follicles, can cause scalp itching and tingling.
Tingling sensations in the head that come and go may not be anything to worry about. If symptoms persist over time, you should schedule a visit with your healthcare provider to determine if there is an underlying condition causing your symptoms.
Poor nutrition causes widespread inflammation throughout the body, which can damage nerves and produce sensations of numbness, tingling, burning, itching, and pain.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Rattanakaemakorn P, Suchonwanit P.Scalp Pruritus: Review of the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management.Biomed Res Int. 2019;2019:1268430. doi:10.1155/2019/1268430
Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center.Giant cell arteritis.
Jones M, Urits I, Wolf J, et al.Drug-induced peripheral neuropathy: A narrative review.Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2019 Jan;14(1):1-11. doi:10.2174/1574884714666190121154813
Marmor M, Shao Y, Bhatt D, et al.Paraesthesias among community members exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster.J Occup Environ Med. 2017 Apr;59(4):389–396. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000966
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