There are many reasons why your child may have a dry patch of skin on his head. He may be suffering from dry skin due to dry air, or he may have an underlying medical condition. Underlying medical conditions that cause dry skin patches include cradle cap, eczema and psoriasis. Your doctor or dermatologist will be able to determine the cause of the dry patch and assist with any treatments.
Symptoms
Dry patches on the head may be visible as dry flakes of skin and redness on the scalp. If your child's hair is thick, you may not be able to see her scalp easily, but you will see dry flakes of skin on the hair, or dandruff.
If the dry skin is itchy, your child may try to scratch at it to relieve the itch. Excessive scratching will likely cause the area to become red and irritated.
Causes
There can be many reasons for dry patches of skin on your child's head. If the air is dry, as it often is in winter seasons, the dry patch may be caused by lack of humidity in the air.
Cradle cap is another common condition affecting infants. Cradle cap is excess skin collection on the scalp that does not shed, as it should. You may notice skin flakes or dandruff, along with scales of skin on the scalp.
Another condition is eczema. Eczema affects roughly 10 percent to 20 percent of children, according to the Royal Children's Hospital of Melbourne. Eczema is often found on the face, but can appear anywhere on the body. It is itchy, red and becomes irritated with excess heat and moisture.
Psoriasis is a skin condition in which skin cells grow quickly and build up in layers on your skin. The dead skin cells do not shed as they should and, instead, accumulate in grayish-colored layers.
Treatments
Depending on the cause of the dry patches, you may or may not need medication to treat your child's dry skin patches. If the cause of the dry skin patch is not too severe, using a moisturizing shampoo or even some lotion may be enough to treat the dry skin.
If the reason for the dry skin is more severe, your child's doctor may recommend special prescription hair products. Oral treatments are another possibility the doctor or dermatologist may consider in treating the dry skin patch.
Complications
Dry skin on the scalp may or may not be irritating or painful. If it is itchy, and your child is always scratching at it, he can increase the risk of the area becoming infected.
Prevention/Solution
Using moisturizing shampoos will aid in bringing back some moisture to your child's dry scalp. If your child does have a medical condition such as eczema or psoriasis, you may need to use prescription medications in order to treat and prevent future occurrences.
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