{"id":93303,"date":"2026-09-17T12:51:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elithair.com\/?p=93303"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:55:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:55:31","slug":"the-scalp-and-the-nervous-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/blog\/the-scalp-and-the-nervous-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Scalp and Nervous System: Why the Scalp Burns, Tingles, Feels Tight or Goes Numb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"border-left:4px solid #0079F1;padding:0 0 0 14px;margin:0 0 26px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 14px;color:#2e3033;font-size:17px;line-height:1.65\">The scalp burns, tingles or feels numb, and yet the mirror shows nothing at all. Sensations like these fall into two broad groups of causes: visible findings in the skin, and signals that arise at the nerve or are amplified in pain processing. A dangerous cause is rare, but that does not make them automatically harmless. Just how common the problem is was shown by a study by Askin and colleagues (<em>Skin Appendage Disorders<\/em> 2021): of 249 patients with hair disorders, 89, or 35.7 per cent, reported trichodynia, meaning pain or burning of the scalp. This article goes through each sensation in turn and explains when watching and waiting is reasonable and when it is not.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#013366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px\">Key points at a glance<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0 0 14px;padding:0;color:#2e3033;list-style:none\">\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:3px 0 3px 24px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:3px;color:#0079F1;font-weight:700\">&#10003;<\/span>Burning, tingling, tightness and numbness are sensations, not diagnoses: they arise in the skin, at the nerve or in central pain processing<\/li>\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:3px 0 3px 24px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:3px;color:#0079F1;font-weight:700\">&#10003;<\/span>An unremarkable scalp is no proof that the cause is psychological, because several skin conditions burn before anything becomes visible<\/li>\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:3px 0 3px 24px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:3px;color:#0079F1;font-weight:700\">&#10003;<\/span>Sudden neurological deficits with paralysis, speech or vision problems are an emergency: call 999. Blisters, fever or a new temple headache from around age 50 need immediate medical assessment<\/li>\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:3px 0 3px 24px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:3px;color:#0079F1;font-weight:700\">&#10003;<\/span>Stress demonstrably amplifies perception, but it only works as an explanation once skin and nerve causes have been checked<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033\">The table of contents shows what you will find where. After that, the article goes through symptom by symptom, from burning and tingling to the feeling of tightness and the numb scalp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kopfhaut-nervensystem\">Scalp and nervous system: why the skin on the head is so sensitive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scalp and the nervous system are directly connected: the skin over the skull is richly supplied with sensory nerve fibres, and the sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerves carry their signals into the central nervous system, where pain, emotion and autonomic responses are processed. How strongly a stimulus on the scalp is experienced differs from person to person; a reliable comparison with other regions of the body is not available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scalp contains mechanoreceptors for pressure and touch, free nerve endings and nociceptors that report pain and temperature stimuli. Their signals travel along afferent pathways, and even light stimuli such as a comb or a hair tie produce a clear signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which nerve is responsible for which area is summarised in the review by Kemp, Tubbs and Cohen-Gadol (<em>Surgical Neurology International<\/em> 2011): the forehead and front of the crown are supplied by the supraorbital nerve and the supratrochlear nerve as branches of the first trigeminal division, the temple and ear region by the zygomaticotemporal nerve and the auriculotemporal nerve from the second and third divisions, and the back of the head by the greater and lesser occipital nerves from the second cervical segment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice this means: where the complaint sits is the first diagnostic clue. Complaints at the back of the head that radiate towards the crown follow a different nerve territory than burning at the temple. Because the cervical segment C2 overlaps with neighbouring segments and with trigeminal territories, however, neck and occipital complaints often cannot be separated sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This sensitivity serves a purpose. The scalp covers the skull and reports mechanical and thermal stimuli early. The trade-off is that it also responds more sharply to traction, tension and inflammation than other areas of skin.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:560px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/innervation_kopfhaut.webp\" alt=\"Anatomical illustration of a head in half profile with three coloured supply zones of the scalp nerves\" class=\"wp-image-96512\" style=\"width:560px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/innervation_kopfhaut.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/innervation_kopfhaut-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/innervation_kopfhaut-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/innervation_kopfhaut-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-left:4px solid #0079F1;padding:2px 0 2px 14px;margin:0 0 26px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#013366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px\">The colour zones in the graphic<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;color:#2e3033;list-style:none\">\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:4px 0 4px 26px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:9px;width:14px;height:14px;border-radius:3px;background:#0079F1\"><\/span>Forehead and front temple: supraorbital nerve and supratrochlear nerve, first trigeminal division<\/li>\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:4px 0 4px 26px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:9px;width:14px;height:14px;border-radius:3px;background:#9BC1EE\"><\/span>Lateral temple and ear region: zygomaticotemporal nerve and auriculotemporal nerve, second and third trigeminal divisions<\/li>\n<li style=\"position:relative;padding:4px 0 4px 26px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:9px;width:14px;height:14px;border-radius:3px;background:#013366\"><\/span>Back of the head and neck: greater and lesser occipital nerves from the second cervical segment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kopfhaut-brennt-psyche\">Scalp burning: telling skin, nerve and psychological causes apart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the scalp burns, three levels can be responsible: the skin itself, the nerves supplying it, and pain processing, which is shaped in part by strain. Burning without a visible finding is called trichodynia or scalp dysaesthesia in dermatology, and that is the description of a symptom, not a psychiatric diagnosis. In the study by Askin and colleagues (2021), 35.7 per cent of 249 patients with hair disorders had such complaints, most often with scarring alopecia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important point first: an unremarkable, non-reddened scalp does not rule out a cause in the skin. For scarring alopecias such as lichen planopilaris, DermNet lists burning, pain and itching as typical symptoms. In a study on itching in lichen planopilaris and frontal fibrosing alopecia, 73.8 per cent of those affected reported itching, accompanied by tingling in 19.7 per cent and burning in 14.8 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A developing contact sensitisation, an early folliculitis or a skin barrier damaged by surfactants can also burn before anything is visible. The window between the first symptom and a visible finding can be weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conclusion &#8220;nothing is visible, so it must be psychological&#8221; is therefore backwards. What is correct is that strain can change pain processing and markedly amplify an existing abnormal sensation. That is not the same as imagined, and it does not replace an examination of the skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What you can do yourself before the appointment: describe the sensation precisely. Location, time course, pattern and accompanying signs lead to the right specialty faster than the question of whether it is &#8220;physical or psychological&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kopfhaut-brennt-faerben\">Scalp burning after colouring or bleaching: irritation or allergy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the scalp burns after colouring or bleaching, two mechanisms are possible, and they differ above all in their time course. Chemical irritation sets in during the processing time or shortly afterwards, stays limited to the treated area and usually subsides within one to two days. In principle it can affect anyone who gets enough of an irritant onto sensitive skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An allergic contact reaction follows a different pattern. It is an acquired reaction of the immune system and typically shows up only hours to days after contact, often on the second day. Itching, redness, weeping and swelling are then often not limited to the treated area but involve the hairline, ears, neck or eyelids. It can also appear for the first time after years with the same product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is an emergency if swelling of the face or eyelids, tightness in the throat, shortness of breath or circulatory problems follow a colouring. In that case, call 999. Extensively weeping or blistered skin after bleaching also needs to be looked at the same day and not covered up with skincare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For everything below that, the caveat from earlier applies: an incipient contact sensitisation may at first only burn before anything is visible. Whether an individual case is irritation or allergy is clarified by dermatological testing, usually patch testing, and not by trying out the next product. Until then the rule is: no re-colouring, not even with a different brand.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:720px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/haarfaerbung_kopfhaut.webp\" alt=\"A hairdresser&#39;s hand brushes colour cream along the parting onto a reddened scalp\" class=\"wp-image-96513\" style=\"width:720px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/haarfaerbung_kopfhaut.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/haarfaerbung_kopfhaut-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/haarfaerbung_kopfhaut-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/haarfaerbung_kopfhaut-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"symptom-landkarte\">Symptom map: which sensation points to what<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following map sorts the five most common sensations by time course, pattern and accompanying signs. Every cell is an observation, not a diagnosis. The grid structures the assessment; it does not replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n@media (max-width:640px){\n.rt-table-wrap{overflow-x:visible!important;border:0!important;border-radius:0!important}\n.rt-table{min-width:0!important}\n.rt-table thead{display:none}\n.rt-table,.rt-table tbody,.rt-table tr,.rt-table td{display:block;width:100%}\n.rt-table caption{display:block;padding:0 0 12px!important}\n.rt-table tr{margin:0 0 12px;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:10px;overflow:hidden}\n.rt-table tr:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n.rt-table td{display:flex!important;flex-direction:column;gap:3px;padding:12px 14px!important;\nborder:0!important;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef!important;background:#ffffff!important}\n.rt-table tr td:last-child{border-bottom:0!important}\n.rt-table td::before{content:attr(data-label);font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.04em;\ntext-transform:uppercase;color:#5799F1}\n.rt-table td:not([data-label])::before,.rt-table td[data-label=\"\"]::before{display:none}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"rt-table-wrap\" style=\"overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:28px 0;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:12px\">\n  <table class=\"rt-table\" style=\"width:100%;min-width:720px;table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-size:15px;margin:0\">\n    <caption style=\"caption-side:top;text-align:left;color:#003366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px;line-height:1.35;padding:14px 16px 10px;background:#ffffff\">Scalp symptom map: sorting observations, not diagnosing<\/caption>\n    <thead>\n      <tr>\n        <th style=\"width:18%;background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Sensation<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Time course<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Typical pattern<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Points to a cause in the skin<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Points to nerve or tension<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Next step<\/th>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n    <tbody>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Burning<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Time course\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Acute over hours to days after a new product, colouring or sun<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Gradual over weeks with trichodynia<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Typical pattern\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Widespread or at one circumscribed spot<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Often stronger in the evening<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to a cause in the skin\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Redness, scaling, crusts or pustules<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Hair loss exactly at the burning spot<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to nerve or tension\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>No visible finding<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Fluctuating intensity<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Clear link to phases of strain<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Next step\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Brief, mild, clearly triggered and quickly subsiding: observe with a diary. Persistent or unclear: see a doctor promptly<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>With a visible finding or hair loss, go to dermatology<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Tingling<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Time course\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Acute and one-sided over days before blisters appear<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Gradual over weeks with a systemic cause<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Typical pattern\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Spot-like and migrating, or following a nerve territory<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Sometimes also in the hands and feet<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to a cause in the skin\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Reddened patch<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Early blisters<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Weeping spots<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to nerve or tension\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>No change in the skin<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Tingling in the hands or feet at the same time<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Timing linked to a new medication<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Next step\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>One-sided with pain: see a doctor immediately; with paralysis, speech or vision problems, call 999 right away<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Also in the hands or feet: see your GP for blood tests<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Feeling of tightness<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Time course\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Usually gradual over weeks<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Often strongest in the morning<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Typical pattern\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Widespread and dull over temple and crown<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Changes with hairstyle, head posture or jaw tension<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to a cause in the skin\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Dryness and flaking<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Tightness right after washing, colouring or bleaching<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to nerve or tension\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Neck and temple muscles tender to pressure<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Complaints after sitting for long periods<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>A pulling sensation in the jaw in the morning<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Next step\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Take the tension out of your hairstyle and review your hair care<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>With jaw complaints, see a dentist<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>With headache, see your GP<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Numbness<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Time course\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Suddenly within minutes<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Or gradually after pressure, injury or a procedure<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Typical pattern\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Clearly defined area<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Often around scars, donor sites or pressure points<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to a cause in the skin\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Rarely any skin signs<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>At most a scar or a pressure mark<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to nerve or tension\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>The area follows a nerve territory<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Touch is perceived as muted, but not as painful<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Next step\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Sudden, one-sided, with paralysis, speech or vision problems: call 999<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Otherwise have it assessed by a doctor promptly<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Pain on touch<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Time course\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Acute with an infection or sunburn<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Recurring in attacks with migraine<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Typical pattern\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Even combing, a hat or a hair tie hurts<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>With migraine often one-sided<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to a cause in the skin\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Sunburn or redness<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Open or weeping areas<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Points to nerve or tension\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Accompanying headache<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Sensitivity to light and sound<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Fever or infection<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Next step\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>With headache attacks, see a neurologist for assessment<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>With fever, see your GP<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody>\n  <\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"empfindliche-kopfhaut-nerven\">Sensitive scalp and nerves: why combing or a hat hurt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the nerves of a sensitive scalp already respond with pain to combing, a hair tie or a hat, medicine calls this allodynia. The stimulus is normal, the pain threshold is lowered. The sensation is real, even if the skin looks completely unremarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best studied is the connection with migraine. In the population-based cohort by Han and colleagues (<em>Scientific Reports<\/em> 2021) with 2,501 participants, the prevalence of cutaneous allodynia was 16.0 per cent among people with migraine and 14.5 per cent with probable migraine. Older US cohorts such as the work by Lipton and colleagues (2008) report markedly higher figures of 39 to 63 per cent, which is mainly due to different measurement instruments. What is reliable, therefore, is the statement that allodynia is common with migraine, not any single percentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond that, there are mechanical and external triggers: tightly tied hairstyles and hairpiece clips worn for hours, sunburn, a skin barrier disturbed by aggressive surfactants or frequent bleaching, and the period after shingles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With flu and feverish infections, many people find that even light touch at the hairline hurts. Behind it is probably an inflammation-mediated lowering of the pain threshold: in the human experiment by de Goeij and colleagues (<em>PLOS ONE<\/em> 2013), the pressure pain threshold of 27 healthy volunteers fell by 20 per cent within two hours of endotoxin administration. The scalp was not measured separately there, but the pattern fits, and the sensitivity usually subsides as the infection clears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An important distinction: touch sensitivity without hair loss is something different from touch sensitivity with hair loss at exactly the same spot. The second case belongs under the dermatoscope.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:720px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/spannung_schmerz_person.webp\" alt=\"A man holds his head with both hands, eyes squeezed shut, conveying a feeling of tightness and a scalp that is painful to touch\" class=\"wp-image-96514\" style=\"width:720px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/spannung_schmerz_person.webp 750w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/spannung_schmerz_person-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"spannung-kopfhaut\">Tightness on the scalp: causes in the galea, dryness and the ponytail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A feeling of tightness on the scalp usually does not arise in the skin itself but underneath it: in the tendon sheet, the galea aponeurotica, and in the muscles that pull on it. Many describe it as though the skin were too small for the head, or as a widespread pressure over temple and crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The anatomical basis: the frontalis muscle and the occipitalis muscle tense the same tendon sheet, the galea aponeurotica, and form a functional unit with it. The idea that sustained tension at one end of this unit is felt as widespread pressure across the entire scalp is a plausible explanatory model. This chain has not been measured directly, and other causes of the feeling of tightness deserve equal consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An entirely different source of the same feeling is dryness. After washing, in winter or after bleaching, the skin feels tight because the barrier is disturbed. This tightness typically sets in right after contact with water or a product and improves with milder care within a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third mechanism is traction from the hairstyle. What is known as ponytail headache is described as an entity of its own, referred to in the headache literature as external-traction headache. Published prevalence figures are around 40 per cent in one study population and 53.8 per cent in an older survey of 90 women. The fact that the pain often appears only when the ponytail is undone is explained by the follicles and surrounding nerve endings having been held in one direction of pull for hours, with the load reversing when the hair is released. That is not a directly measured mechanism; the frequency, by contrast, has been surveyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A useful self-check: does the feeling change if you wear your hair down for a day, consciously relax your jaw or move your head? If it does, that points to a mechanical component. If none of it changes anything and the spot remains tender to pressure, it needs to be looked at.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:560px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/galea_muskelkette.webp\" alt=\"Cross-section illustration of the head: the frontalis and occipitalis muscles pull on the same tendon sheet beneath the scalp\" class=\"wp-image-96515\" style=\"width:560px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/galea_muskelkette.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/galea_muskelkette-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/galea_muskelkette-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/galea_muskelkette-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verspannungen-kopfhaut\">Tension and the scalp: do the complaints come from the neck and jaw?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tension in the neck and complaints of the scalp are connected, but more weakly than the widespread explanation suggests: what is documented is the connection with headache, not with scalp pain. For headache the evidence is clear: the ICHD-3 headache classification of the International Headache Society divides tension-type headache according to whether the pericranial muscles are tender to pressure, and calls this increased pressure tenderness the most significant abnormal finding of this headache type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the sentence &#8220;my neck tension is causing my scalp pain&#8221;, by contrast, the evidence is thin. The best-known work is a case series by Thornsberry and English (<em>JAMA Dermatology<\/em> 2013) in 15 female patients, 14 of whom showed radiological changes of the cervical spine. A retrospective cohort from the Mayo Clinic (Lee et al., <em>Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology<\/em>) found degenerative changes on 28 of 29 evaluable radiographs among 65 patients with scalp dysaesthesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both works are small, retrospective and without a symptom-free control group. Degenerative changes of the cervical spine are very common from middle age onwards even in people without complaints, so the association does not prove a cause. The authors of the Mayo cohort were themselves cautious about the treatment outcome: 34.1 per cent achieved a moderate to complete improvement, described as a modest treatment success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clearly defined, by contrast, is occipital neuralgia. The ICHD-3 describes it as paroxysmal, shooting or electric-shock-like pain in the territory of the occipital nerves, with attacks lasting seconds to minutes and a palpable tender point at the back of the head. That is clearly different from the dull, widespread feeling of tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An underrated trigger is night-time teeth grinding. Clenching at night strains the temporalis muscle, and it is precisely this region that many of those affected describe as tight or tender to pressure. There is no direct traction connection to the tendon sheet of the scalp here, because the temporalis muscle attaches to the lower jaw. The connection runs via the pressure-tender pericranial muscles that the ICHD-3 describes for tension-type headache. There is no dedicated cohort study on bruxism and scalp tension; it remains an explanatory model, but a testable one: the jaw joint and dental status can be assessed by a dentist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice, that means physiotherapy, posture work and an assessment of night-time clenching are sensible routes when a muscular component is involved. They do not replace an assessment if the pattern looks like nerve pain, that is, one-sided, shooting and occurring in attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kribbeln-auf-der-kopfhaut\">Tingling on the scalp: harmless or a warning sign?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tingling on the scalp is a paraesthesia, that is, a false sensation without an external stimulus. Usually it is locally limited and harmless. You should pay attention if it occurs on one side only or if the hands and feet tingle as well, because systemic causes then need to be considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Locally, the usual candidates are traction from the hairstyle, cold, product irritation and nerve fibres regrowing after an injury or a procedure. One important special case is shingles in its early phase: according to the German AWMF S2k guideline 013-023, in around 80 per cent of cases the skin manifestation is preceded by a prodromal stage with abnormal sensations and usually mild to moderate pain in the affected area of skin, that is, days before blisters become visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Systemically, vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetic polyneuropathy, thyroid dysfunction and certain medications are on the list. For B12, a German medical review notes the following: even a slight decline can be accompanied by paraesthesias, and serum B12 is only a screening value. With borderline findings, methylmalonic acid and homocysteine belong in the assessment, because they are regarded as more sensitive functional markers. If both are normal, a deficiency is all but ruled out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One interpretation that circulates online can be set aside: tingling is not a documented sign that hair is growing back. No study on this can be found in the specialist literature. Anyone who reads tingling this way may, in the worst case, delay a sensible assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You should have tingling assessed by a doctor immediately if it appears suddenly together with weakness or with speech, vision or sensory disturbances in the face. This combination counts as an emergency and is a case for 999, not for an appointment next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kopfhaut-taub\">Numb scalp: causes and when it becomes urgent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the scalp is numb or feels fuzzy, the signal transmission of a skin nerve is disturbed. The most common causes are mundane: sustained pressure from a helmet or headwear, lying on one side for a long time, the aftermath of an injury or of a procedure on the scalp. Less often, occipital neuralgia, shingles with subsequent neuralgia or central causes are behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With shingles on the head, speed counts. The German AWMF S2k guideline 013-023 recommends starting antiviral therapy as early as possible; reliable study data are available for a start within 72 hours of symptom onset. For the head and neck region there is additional urgency, because the eye and ear are close by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A scenario of its own is giant cell arteritis, also called temporal arteritis. According to the review by Kraemer and colleagues (<em>Der Nervenarzt<\/em> 2021) it practically never occurs before the age of 50. Cardinal symptoms are a newly starting, often very severe temple headache, a tender, hardened temporal artery, pain on chewing in about 30 per cent, and visual disturbances up to loss of vision. The Cleveland Clinic reports a pressure-sensitive scalp in around half of those affected, often first noticed while brushing the hair or lying on one side of the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From this follows a clear instruction: with this pattern, go to A&amp;E or an eye casualty department immediately, and with a new visual disturbance without any delay at all. Treatment with glucocorticoids begins as soon as there is justified suspicion, even before confirmation by biopsy, because permanent loss of vision affects 6 to 37 per cent of those affected depending on the study population and usually cannot be reversed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That said, the vast majority of numbness on the scalp is due to pressure or a procedure, and it resolves. What is decisive is the distinction between numbness that slowly gets smaller and numbness that sets in suddenly or increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"abgrenzung-kopfhautentzuendung\">Distinguishing scalp inflammation: when the cause is in the skin after all<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inflammatory conditions of the scalp produce the same sensations as nerve-mediated causes, but they differ in having visible or palpable findings. They are the first group that needs to be ruled out before nerves or strain are discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typical signs are scaling, redness, pustules, crusts, weeping areas, tenderness of individual hair follicles and hair loss exactly at the spot that burns. Common conditions are seborrhoeic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, folliculitis and psoriasis of the scalp. Causes, symptoms and treatment of this group are covered by the dedicated article on <a href=\"\/uk\/blog\/scalp-infection\/\">scalp inflammation<\/a> in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the itching is connected with a recent hair transplant, the article on an itchy scalp after a hair transplant will help you further, because it focuses on the time course of wound healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And once more the caveat from earlier, because it matters most at this point: an unremarkable visual finding does not rule out a cause in the skin. Early stages and scarring forms only burn at first; they become visible later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"stress-nervensystem-kopfhaut\">Stress, the nervous system and the scalp: what is documented and what is not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stress reaches the scalp via the nervous system, but along two routes with very different levels of evidence. Well established is that psychological strain changes the perception of pain and itch and amplifies existing complaints. Much more weakly supported is the idea that stress directly triggers inflammation of the scalp via particular messenger substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most frequently cited explanatory model for this is substance P, a neuropeptide that is released from nerve endings and can activate mast cells. In an organ culture of human skin, substance P dose-dependently triggered oedema, vasodilation and the release of inflammatory messengers, and in cultured human hair follicles a premature transition into the regression phase. Both are tissue models, not observations in living patients, and the link between stress and changes in hair growth comes predominantly from mouse models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cautious formulation is therefore the right one here: substance P is discussed as an explanatory model for neurogenic inflammation, demonstrated in cell and animal models. Epidemiological and clinical studies in humans have so far not shown any definitive causal connection between psycho-emotional stress and changes in hair growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What remains robust is the connection via pain processing. Tension, lack of sleep and sustained strain lower the threshold at which a stimulus is felt as unpleasant and thereby amplify existing burning or itching. For the scalp specifically there is no controlled study on this; for the general mechanism there is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"\/uk\/blog\/alopecia-areata\/\">alopecia areata<\/a> too, stressful life events are frequently reported. That is an association and not proof that stress triggers the condition. Whether states of the nervous system will ever be measurable at the scalp at all is something the article on psychological states and scalp measurement puts into perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:560px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/stressachse_kopfhaut__uk.webp\" alt=\"Infographic of the stress axis: strain, stress hormones, nerve ending with mast cell and a scalp that reacts more sensitively\" class=\"wp-image-96516\" style=\"width:560px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/stressachse_kopfhaut__uk.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/stressachse_kopfhaut__uk-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/stressachse_kopfhaut__uk-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/stressachse_kopfhaut__uk-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kopfhautbeschwerden-haarausfall\">Scalp complaints and hair loss: what belongs together and what does not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burning or tightness is no proof of hair loss and no measure of its course. The two often occur together, but they need to be assessed separately, because the causes can differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does belong together on the evidence: trichodynia occurs more often in people with hair loss than in people without. Askin and colleagues (2021) found it in 35.7 per cent of 249 patients with hair disorders, and the older reference work by Kivan\u00e7-Altunay and colleagues (<em>International Journal of Dermatology<\/em> 2003) in 248 affected people compared with 184 controls found it more often with diffuse hair loss than with hereditary hair loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does not follow from this: burning does not mean that hair is falling out right now, and tingling does not mean that hair is growing back. The sensation says nothing about the number of hairs in the telogen phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One pattern, by contrast, deserves real attention: burning or pain at a spot that is thinning at the same time, along with shiny skin or follicular openings that have disappeared. This can point to a scarring alopecia and is time-critical, because scarred follicles do not come back. This finding belongs under the dermatoscope promptly, with a biopsy if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If hair really is falling out alongside the abnormal sensations, the first question is not the treatment but the type: <a href=\"\/uk\/blog\/telogen-effluvium\/\">diffuse hair loss<\/a> and hereditary hair loss look different and are approached differently. An overview of the possible causes of hair loss is provided by the corresponding article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two clarifications belong here. A hair transplant is not a treatment for a burning, tingling or sensitive scalp. And an unexplained scalp condition is a reason to postpone a procedure, not to plan one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:12px;background:#f6f9fc;padding:18px 20px;margin:26px 0 18px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#013366;font-weight:700;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.02em;text-transform:uppercase\">A word about us<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.65\">Elithair is a hair clinic, so this section is marked as an offer and not as medical advice: if hair really is falling out alongside the abnormal sensations, the free hair analysis uses your photos to classify the visible pattern of loss and shows which assessment is the obvious next step. It does not determine which type of hair loss is present. This is a clarifying step for the question &#8220;which pattern&#8221;, not diagnostics of the scalp: it does not replace trichoscopy, visual examination, blood tests or a biopsy, and for burning, tingling or numbness it is not the right route.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"justify-content:center;margin-bottom:48px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" style=\"background-color:#0079F1;color:#ffffff;border-radius:8px;padding:15px 36px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px\" href=\"\/uk\/hair-analysis\/\">Start your free hair analysis<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"taubheit-nach-haartransplantation\">A special case: numb scalp after a hair transplant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abnormal sensations after a surgical procedure on the scalp are the special case in this article: here there is usually an obvious explanation, and the course is generally benign. That is not a given, though: other causes can be behind it even after a procedure, so complaints that increase, are clearly one-sided or come with pain and redness need to be assessed. After a <a href=\"\/uk\/treatment\/hair-transplant\/\">hair transplant<\/a> temporary numbness, tingling and touch sensitivity are to be expected, because the finest nerve fibres in the skin are severed during extraction and implantation. Sensation returns as these fibres grow back. The same basic pattern applies after injuries and other procedures on the scalp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figures on this come from the scoping review by Liu and colleagues in <em>Aesthetic Plastic Surgery<\/em>, which evaluated 43 publications: it reports that sensation returns in most of those treated over the course of a few months. We deliberately do not give an exact time window here, because no reliable figure for it can be read in the accessible part of the paper. Across different extraction techniques, the range of reported persistent numbness goes up to 11 per cent. This maximum value comes from heterogeneous individual publications with differing methods and is not a risk rate for FUE, and certainly not one for our clinic. Strip harvesting, FUT, is associated with longer-lasting sensory disturbances than FUE, because deeper structures can be affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What matters is the distinction from warning signs: increasing pain, redness, pus or fever are not a nerve phenomenon but signs of a wound infection and belong with the treating clinic. What the normal course looks like is described on the page on <a href=\"\/uk\/treatment\/hair-transplant-recovery\/\">healing after a hair transplant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A practical note that often gets lost: when the scalp is numb, its protective sensation is missing. Heat from a hairdryer or the sun and mechanical pressure are then noticed too late. The fact that touch on the head feels strange for a while after the procedure is the topic of the article on <a href=\"\/uk\/blog\/the-intimacy-of-the-scalp-the-difference-in-touch-post-transplant\/\">changed touch perception after a hair transplant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n@media (max-width:640px){\n.rt-table-wrap{overflow-x:visible!important;border:0!important;border-radius:0!important}\n.rt-table{min-width:0!important}\n.rt-table thead{display:none}\n.rt-table,.rt-table tbody,.rt-table tr,.rt-table td{display:block;width:100%}\n.rt-table caption{display:block;padding:0 0 12px!important}\n.rt-table tr{margin:0 0 12px;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:10px;overflow:hidden}\n.rt-table tr:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n.rt-table td{display:flex!important;flex-direction:column;gap:3px;padding:12px 14px!important;\nborder:0!important;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef!important;background:#ffffff!important}\n.rt-table tr td:last-child{border-bottom:0!important}\n.rt-table td::before{content:attr(data-label);font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.04em;\ntext-transform:uppercase;color:#5799F1}\n.rt-table td:not([data-label])::before,.rt-table td[data-label=\"\"]::before{display:none}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"rt-table-wrap\" style=\"overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:28px 0;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:12px\">\n  <table class=\"rt-table\" style=\"width:100%;min-width:620px;table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-size:15px;margin:0\">\n    <caption style=\"caption-side:top;text-align:left;color:#003366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px;line-height:1.35;padding:14px 16px 10px;background:#ffffff\">Sensations after a hair transplant: orientation, not a prognosis<\/caption>\n    <thead>\n      <tr>\n        <th style=\"width:22%;background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Time frame<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">What many describe<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">What does not belong to it<\/th>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n    <tbody>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Time frame\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">First days to week 2<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What many describe\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Numb, fuzzy feeling at the donor and recipient areas<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Muted touch<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Feeling of tightness<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What does not belong to it\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Increasing throbbing pain, fever, pus or spreading redness<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>These are signs of infection and belong with the treating clinic immediately<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Time frame\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Week 2 to month 2<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What many describe\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Tingling and itching, mostly described as unpleasant but not as painful<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>The numb area gets smaller<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What does not belong to it\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>A sharply defined numbness that appears suddenly after a symptom-free phase<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Time frame\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Month 2 to month 8<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What many describe\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Step-by-step return of normal sensation<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>In most of those treated, sensation returns over the course of a few months; an exact time window is not reliably documented<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What does not belong to it\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>An abnormal sensation that increases over weeks instead of decreasing<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Time frame\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">After more than 8 months<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What many describe\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>In isolated cases small residual areas remain<\/li><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>The scoping review by Liu et al. reports up to 11 per cent persistent numbness across different techniques; that is a heterogeneous maximum value, not an FUE rate<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What does not belong to it\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none\"><li style=\"position:relative;padding:2px 0 2px 13px\"><span style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:2px;color:#5799F1\">&bull;<\/span>Simply accepting persistent numbness without having it checked at the treating clinic<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody>\n  <\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wann-zum-arzt\">When to see a doctor about scalp complaints<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Observing instead of getting an assessment is only acceptable with brief, mild, clearly triggered complaints that subside quickly again, for example after a ponytail that was too tight or a new hair care product. Everything else needs to be assessed promptly: new complaints that persist, unclear complaints without a recognisable trigger, one-sided complaints, complaints with hair loss at the same spot or with general symptoms. There is no fixed waiting period for this, and for the warning signs below it does not apply at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;margin:26px 0\">\n<div style=\"border-left:5px solid #c0392b;padding:16px 18px;background:#fdf6f5\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#8c2b20;font-weight:700;font-size:16px\">Immediately, without delay<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0 0 0 18px;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">A new temple headache with a pressure-tender scalp from around age 50, especially with pain on chewing or a visual disturbance: suspicion of giant cell arteritis, there is a risk of blindness<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Sudden one-sided numbness with paralysis, speech or vision problems: call 999<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Fever with swelling, pus or a marked feeling of being unwell at the scalp<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0\">One-sided, painful blisters: suspicion of shingles, the window for antiviral therapy is 72 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"border-left:5px solid #0079F1;padding:16px 18px;background:#f6f9fc\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#013366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px\">Promptly, within a few days<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0 0 0 18px;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">A bald, shiny patch that is spreading and burning<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Complaints together with hair loss at exactly the same spot<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0\">Abnormal sensations in the hands or feet as well<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who is responsible depends on the pattern. The following overview assigns the most common constellations to a specialty and names what is usually done there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n@media (max-width:640px){\n.rt-table-wrap{overflow-x:visible!important;border:0!important;border-radius:0!important}\n.rt-table{min-width:0!important}\n.rt-table thead{display:none}\n.rt-table,.rt-table tbody,.rt-table tr,.rt-table td{display:block;width:100%}\n.rt-table caption{display:block;padding:0 0 12px!important}\n.rt-table tr{margin:0 0 12px;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:10px;overflow:hidden}\n.rt-table tr:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n.rt-table td{display:flex!important;flex-direction:column;gap:3px;padding:12px 14px!important;\nborder:0!important;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef!important;background:#ffffff!important}\n.rt-table tr td:last-child{border-bottom:0!important}\n.rt-table td::before{content:attr(data-label);font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.04em;\ntext-transform:uppercase;color:#5799F1}\n.rt-table td:not([data-label])::before,.rt-table td[data-label=\"\"]::before{display:none}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"rt-table-wrap\" style=\"overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:28px 0;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:12px\">\n  <table class=\"rt-table\" style=\"width:100%;min-width:620px;table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-size:15px;margin:0\">\n    <caption style=\"caption-side:top;text-align:left;color:#003366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px;line-height:1.35;padding:14px 16px 10px;background:#ffffff\">Who is responsible for which constellation<\/caption>\n    <thead>\n      <tr>\n        <th style=\"width:22%;background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Constellation<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Who is responsible<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">What is typically done there<\/th>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n    <tbody>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Constellation\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Burning or itching with scaling, redness, pustules or hair loss at the same spot<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Who is responsible\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Dermatology<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What is typically done there\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Visual examination, trichoscopy, pull test, and if there is suspicion a swab or a scalp biopsy<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Constellation\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">One-sided, shooting, electric-shock-like pain at the back of the head<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Who is responsible\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Neurology<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What is typically done there\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Examination of the nerve exit points, distinguishing occipital neuralgia from tension-type headache according to ICHD-3<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Constellation\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet as well<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Who is responsible\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">GP practice, then neurology if needed<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What is typically done there\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Basic blood tests, vitamin B12 with methylmalonic acid and homocysteine as functional markers, blood sugar, thyroid values<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Constellation\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Dull feeling of tightness with a tense neck, strongest in the morning<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Who is responsible\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">GP practice, plus physiotherapy, and a dentist if there are jaw complaints<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What is typically done there\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Palpation of the pericranial muscles, posture and jaw findings, assessment of night-time grinding<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Constellation\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Numbness, tingling or pain on touch after a hair transplant<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Who is responsible\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">The treating clinic<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What is typically done there\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Wound check and distinction of nerve irritation from signs of infection<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Constellation\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">A new temple headache with a pressure-tender scalp from around age 50, sudden one-sided numbness with paralysis, one-sided painful blisters<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Who is responsible\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">A&amp;E or eye casualty, immediately; with a new visual disturbance right away and without delay<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"What is typically done there\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Immediate assessment; if giant cell arteritis is suspected, inflammatory markers and vascular imaging with an immediate start of treatment<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody>\n  <\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:720px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/trichoskopie_untersuchung.webp\" alt=\"Dermatological examination of the scalp with a dermatoscope\" class=\"wp-image-96517\" style=\"width:720px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/trichoskopie_untersuchung.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/trichoskopie_untersuchung-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/trichoskopie_untersuchung-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/trichoskopie_untersuchung-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why this assignment matters in practice: nerve pain responds differently to medication than inflammatory pain. The NICE overview on the treatment of neuropathic pain notes that the usual over-the-counter painkillers often do not work well enough here and that other substance classes are used instead, among them certain antidepressants and anticonvulsants in pain-modulating use as well as topical preparations. That is an explanation, not a recommendation: how well one of these substances works in an individual case cannot be said in advance, and the choice belongs in medical hands. Over-the-counter topical salicylate preparations, according to a review in <em>Pain Medicine<\/em> 2025, have no robust evidence of efficacy for neuropathic pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What to expect at the appointment is straightforward: history taking, visual examination, trichoscopy and pull test, and depending on the suspicion a swab, blood tests or a small scalp biopsy. With a nerve pain pattern, the neurological examination of the nerve exit points is added. This article does not replace a diagnosis; it helps you choose the right door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"selbsthilfe-kopfhaut\">Calming the scalp: what you can do yourself and what to leave alone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Self-help with scalp complaints aims at taking stimuli away and reducing amplifiers. It does not replace an assessment, but it does provide clarity about what influences the problem and what does not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In concrete terms that means: a mild, fragrance-free shampoo and lukewarm instead of hot water. Do not introduce any new products for four weeks, and pause styling products, dry shampoo and colouring so that a source of irritation can be identified in the first place. Wear hairstyles without constant pull and check your headwear for pressure points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a muscular component, movement breaks, a look at your sleeping position and relaxing the jaw help. A gentle scalp massage is acceptable as long as it does not hurt and there is no acute inflammatory finding. With nerve pain patterns and with inflammatory conditions, hair care alone achieves nothing, and that needs to be said plainly.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:720px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/milde_haarwaesche.webp\" alt=\"A man washes his hair with lukewarm water and a mild shampoo at the sink\" class=\"wp-image-96518\" style=\"width:720px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/milde_haarwaesche.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/milde_haarwaesche-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/milde_haarwaesche-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/milde_haarwaesche-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hausmittel-kopfhaut\">Home remedies for a burning scalp: what you are better off leaving out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a burning scalp, the usual home remedies do harm more often than good. Undiluted tea tree oil and other essential oils, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda and salt or sugar scrubs strip oil and the outermost layer of skin from a barrier that is already disturbed. As a rule this makes the burning worse rather than better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two further points matter here. Essential oils and plant extracts can themselves trigger a contact sensitisation, and that in particular can burn before anything is visible on the scalp. And the more remedies are in play at once, the harder it is to say afterwards what the scalp actually reacted to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;margin:26px 0\">\n<div style=\"border-left:5px solid #c0392b;padding:16px 18px;background:#fdf6f5\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#8c2b20;font-weight:700;font-size:16px\">Better left out while it burns<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0 0 0 18px;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Undiluted tea tree oil, oregano, peppermint and other essential oils<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Apple cider vinegar or lemon rinses and bicarbonate of soda treatments<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Salt, sugar and fruit acid scrubs, and hard brush massages<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0\">Steroid creams from the bathroom cabinet without medical advice, and anti-dandruff shampoos in continuous use<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"border-left:5px solid #0079F1;padding:16px 18px;background:#f6f9fc\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;color:#013366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px\">Acceptable and usually more helpful<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0 0 0 18px;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">A mild, fragrance-free shampoo, lukewarm water, rinsed out thoroughly<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">A cool, not ice-cold compress for a few minutes<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 6px\">Pausing styling, dry shampoo and colouring for four weeks<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0\">Hairstyles without constant pull, and checking headwear for pressure points<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the limit of this self-help: if the cause lies in the nerve or an inflammatory condition is behind it, hair care changes nothing about it. Anyone who tries out remedies for weeks mainly delays the assessment. With the warning signs in the next section, self-treatment has no place at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What helps most, though, is a symptom diary. Two weeks with the date, spot, intensity and trigger turn &#8220;it burns sometimes&#8221; into a pattern that a doctor can classify in a few minutes. You can print out the following template, save it as a PDF or simply take a photo of it and bring it to your appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"max-width:720px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/symptomtagebuch_notizen.webp\" alt=\"Hands noting observations in a symptom diary at the kitchen table in the evening\" class=\"wp-image-96519\" style=\"width:720px;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/symptomtagebuch_notizen.webp 1536w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/symptomtagebuch_notizen-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/symptomtagebuch_notizen-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/09\/symptomtagebuch_notizen-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<style>\n@media print{\n.rt-print .rt-table-wrap{overflow:visible!important;border:1px solid #99a6b5!important;border-radius:0!important;margin:0!important;width:100%!important}\n.rt-print .rt-table{min-width:0!important;width:100%!important;font-size:12px!important;table-layout:fixed}\n.rt-print .rt-table thead{display:table-header-group}\n.rt-print .rt-table caption{color:#000000!important}\n.rt-print .rt-table tr{break-inside:avoid;page-break-inside:avoid}\n.rt-print .rt-table th{background:#ffffff!important;color:#000000!important;border-bottom:1px solid #000000!important;padding:8px 6px!important;-webkit-print-color-adjust:exact;print-color-adjust:exact}\n.rt-print .rt-table td{background:#ffffff!important;color:#000000!important;border-bottom:1px solid #99a6b5!important;padding:14px 6px!important;-webkit-print-color-adjust:exact;print-color-adjust:exact}\n.rt-print .rt-hinweis{display:none}\n}\n@media screen{\n\/* Die Ausfuellzeilen sind die Druckvorlage. Am Bildschirm waren sie nur eine\n   Reihe leerer Zeilen (Daniel 17.09.2026), deshalb dort ausgeblendet. *\/\n.rt-print tr.rt-leer{display:none!important}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"rt-print\">\n<style>\n@media (max-width:640px){\n.rt-table-wrap{overflow-x:visible!important;border:0!important;border-radius:0!important}\n.rt-table{min-width:0!important}\n.rt-table thead{display:none}\n.rt-table,.rt-table tbody,.rt-table tr,.rt-table td{display:block;width:100%}\n.rt-table caption{display:block;padding:0 0 12px!important}\n.rt-table tr{margin:0 0 12px;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:10px;overflow:hidden}\n.rt-table tr:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n.rt-table td{display:flex!important;flex-direction:column;gap:3px;padding:12px 14px!important;\nborder:0!important;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef!important;background:#ffffff!important}\n.rt-table tr td:last-child{border-bottom:0!important}\n.rt-table td::before{content:attr(data-label);font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.04em;\ntext-transform:uppercase;color:#5799F1}\n.rt-table td:not([data-label])::before,.rt-table td[data-label=\"\"]::before{display:none}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"rt-table-wrap\" style=\"overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:28px 0;border:1px solid #dbe4f0;border-radius:12px\">\n  <table class=\"rt-table\" style=\"width:100%;min-width:700px;table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-size:15px;margin:0\">\n    <caption style=\"caption-side:top;text-align:left;color:#003366;font-weight:700;font-size:16px;line-height:1.35;padding:14px 16px 10px;background:#ffffff\">14-day symptom diary to print out<\/caption>\n    <thead>\n      <tr>\n        <th style=\"width:20%;background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Date<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Sensation and exact spot<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Intensity 0 to 10<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Trigger or anything notable<\/th>\n        <th style=\"background:#003366;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;border:0;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Visible signs<\/th>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n    <tbody>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Date\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Mon., 2nd<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation and exact spot\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Burning, right temple, palm-sized<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Intensity 0 to 10\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">5<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Trigger or anything notable\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">New shampoo since Friday, little sleep<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Visible signs\" style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">No redness visible<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td data-label=\"Date\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Tue., 3rd<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Sensation and exact spot\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Pain on touch when combing, crown<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Intensity 0 to 10\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">3<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Trigger or anything notable\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Wore a ponytail all day<\/td>\n        <td data-label=\"Visible signs\" style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">Two small flaky spots<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#ffffff;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr class=\"rt-leer\">\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#003366;font-weight:700;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n        <td style=\"background:#f6f9fc;color:#22303e;font-weight:400;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:13px 16px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;overflow-wrap:break-word\">&nbsp;<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody>\n  <\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"rt-hinweis\" style=\"margin:-14px 0 26px;color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">Here is how to take the template with you: on a smartphone via the browser menu with &#8220;Share&#8221; and then &#8220;Print&#8221; or &#8220;Save as PDF&#8221;, on a computer with Ctrl+P or Cmd+P. When printing, the template is automatically set to full page width. If you prefer typing: the date, spot, intensity, trigger and visible signs are enough as a note on your phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fazit\">Conclusion: classify the sensation, check the pattern, know the warning signs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The connection between the scalp and the nervous system explains why burning, tingling, tightness and numbness arise so differently and still sound similar. What is decisive is not the question &#8220;physical or psychological&#8221;, but the pattern: time course, one-sidedness, accompanying signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brief, mild and clearly triggered complaints that subside quickly may be observed with a symptom diary. New complaints that persist or remain unclear need to be assessed promptly rather than waited out. With warning signs there is no waiting period at all, above all with a new temple headache and a pressure-sensitive scalp from around age 50. And if hair is falling out as well, the abnormal sensation and the hair loss need separate assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions about the scalp and the nervous system<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">What can I do right away when my scalp burns?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">Take stimuli away instead of adding new ones: loosen your hair, wash with lukewarm water and a mild, fragrance-free shampoo, leave out the product you introduced most recently and apply something cool for a few minutes. Aggressive home remedies such as undiluted tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar or scrubs additionally irritate the disturbed barrier and make the search for the cause harder later on. If blisters, fever, swelling in the face or shortness of breath are added, that is not a case for self-help but for immediate medical assessment.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Why does my scalp hurt at even light touch when I have flu or a fever?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">With fever and flu the scalp is sensitive to touch because systemic inflammation lowers the pain threshold. In a human experiment by de Goeij and colleagues (PLOS ONE 2013), the pressure pain threshold of 27 healthy volunteers fell by 20 per cent within two hours of endotoxin administration. The scalp was not examined separately there, but the pattern explains the phenomenon well. As the infection clears, the sensitivity usually subsides again.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Why does my scalp hurt when I undo my ponytail?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">This is described as ponytail headache, known in the specialist literature as external-traction headache. Published prevalence figures are around 40 per cent depending on the study, and 53.8 per cent in an older survey of 90 women. The explanation given is that the follicles and the surrounding nerve endings were held in one direction of pull for hours and that the load reverses when the hair is released. That is not a directly measured mechanism.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Why is my scalp more sensitive in the morning than in the evening?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">One obvious reason is night-time teeth grinding: it strains the temporalis muscle for hours, and many people describe pressure-tender pericranial muscles as morning tightness at the temple and crown. There is no direct traction connection between the temporalis muscle and the tendon sheet of the scalp; the temporalis muscle attaches to the lower jaw. There is no cohort study specifically on bruxism and scalp tension, so this remains an explanatory model. Sleeping position and a tightly tied ponytail worn overnight can also play a part.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Can hormonal changes such as the menopause or a change of contraceptive make the scalp sensitive?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">It is possible, but it is not proven. Many of those affected report a more sensitive scalp during such phases, usually together with increased hair loss. What is documented above all is that trichodynia occurs more often in people with hair loss: in the study by Askin and colleagues (2021) it affected 35.7 per cent of 249 patients with hair disorders. A hormonal mechanism of its own acting on the scalp nerves is not proven by this. With persistent hair loss, the cause belongs in dermatological hands.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Is a dry scalp in winter the same thing as a neurally sensitive scalp?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">No, the two only feel similar. With dryness it typically feels tight right after washing, it flakes finely and milder care improves it within days. Neurally mediated complaints, by contrast, persist regardless of washing, tend to follow a nerve territory and barely respond to hair care products. Both can be present at the same time.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Can tingling on the scalp mean that hair is growing back?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">There is no evidence for this. In the specialist literature on trichodynia, nerve regeneration and hair growth there is no study that identifies tingling as a sign of regrowing hair. The interpretation circulates online, but it is undocumented. Anyone who notices tingling should instead watch for accompanying signs: one-sided occurrence with pain, or tingling in the hands and feet as well, needs to be assessed.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">How long is the scalp numb after a hair transplant?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">Usually a few months; an exact time window cannot be reliably stated from the accessible data. The scoping review by Liu and colleagues in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports up to 11 per cent persistent numbness across different extraction techniques. That is a maximum value from heterogeneous individual publications and not a risk rate for FUE. Longer figures of up to 12 months come from clinic articles without study evidence. Numbness that increases or comes with pain and redness belongs at the treating clinic promptly.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #e3e8ef;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:12px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;color:#013366;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">How long should I observe scalp complaints before I see a doctor?<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;color:#2e3033;line-height:1.6\">That depends on the type of complaint; there is no general waiting period. Brief, mild and clearly triggered complaints that subside quickly can be observed with a symptom diary. New complaints that persist or remain unclear, that are one-sided, that come with hair loss at the same spot or that are accompanied by general symptoms belong with a doctor promptly. With sudden neurological deficits with paralysis, speech or vision problems, call 999 immediately; with blisters, fever or a new temple headache from around age 50, see a doctor without delay.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quellen\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The basis for this article. Shop pages, forums and clinic blogs without source citations were not used as evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #e3e8ef;padding-top:18px;margin:8px 0 24px\"><ul style=\"margin:0;padding:0 0 0 18px;color:#2e3033;font-size:15px\"><li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33614713\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Askin O, Gok Ozer H, Serdaroglu S (2021): Presence of Trichodynia Symptoms in Hair Diseases and Related Factors. <em>Skin Appendage Disorders<\/em> 7(1):18<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">trichodynia in 89 of 249 patients with hair disorders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12956679\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kivan\u00e7-Altunay I et al. (2003): The presence of trichodynia in patients with telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia. <em>International Journal of Dermatology<\/em> 42:691<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">trichodynia more common with diffuse than with hereditary hair loss<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7844001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Han SM et al. (2021): Prevalence and characteristics of cutaneous allodynia in probable migraine. <em>Scientific Reports<\/em><\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">population-based cohort with 2,501 participants, allodynia prevalence 16.0 per cent<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23565509\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thornsberry LA, English JC (2013): Scalp dysesthesia related to cervical spine disease. <em>JAMA Dermatology<\/em> 149(2):200<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">case series in 15 female patients, no proof of causality<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10757829\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lee MR et al. (Mayo Clinic): Cervical spine imaging and treatment outcomes in scalp dysesthesia. <em>Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology<\/em><\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">retrospective cohort in 65 patients, modest treatment response<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ichd-3.org\/2-tension-type-headache\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">International Headache Society: ICHD-3, tension-type headache and occipital neuralgia<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">pericranial pressure tenderness as a classification criterion<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9363349\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kraemer M et al. (2021): Diagnostik und Therapie der Riesenzellarteriitis. <em>Der Nervenarzt<\/em> 93(8):819<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">age limit, cardinal symptoms, urgency and risk of blindness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/register.awmf.org\/de\/leitlinien\/detail\/013-023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">German AWMF S2k guideline 013-023 (2020): Diagnostik und Therapie des Zoster und der Postzosterneuralgie<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">prodromal stage in around 80 per cent, 72-hour window for antiviral therapy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0084159\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">de Goeij M et al. (2013): Systemic Inflammation Decreases Pain Threshold in Humans In Vivo. <em>PLOS ONE<\/em><\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">pressure pain threshold drops by 20 per cent with systemic inflammation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/surgicalneurologyint.com\/surgicalint-articles\/the-innervation-of-the-scalp-a-comprehensive-review-including-anatomy-pathology-and-neurosurgical-correlates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kemp WJ, Tubbs RS, Cohen-Gadol AA (2011): The innervation of the scalp. <em>Surgical Neurology International<\/em> 2:178<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">supply territories of the trigeminal and occipital nerves<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00266-024-04316-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liu RH et al.: A Scoping Review on Complications in Modern Hair Transplantation. <em>Aesthetic Plastic Surgery<\/em><\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">up to 11 per cent persistent numbness across different extraction techniques (heterogeneous maximum value)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aerzteblatt.de\/archiv\/ursachen-und-fruehzeitige-diagnostik-von-vitamin-b12-mangel-1265d8ac-8b37-484c-8a21-1c5927d091e4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deutsches \u00c4rzteblatt, a German medical review: Ursachen und fr\u00fchzeitige Diagnostik von Vitamin-B12-Mangel<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">paraesthesias as an early neurological sign, methylmalonic acid and homocysteine as functional markers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK552848\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NICE: Neuropathic pain in adults, pharmacological management in non-specialist settings<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">why the usual painkillers often do not work for nerve pain<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 12px;padding:0 0 0 2px;line-height:1.6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dermnetnz.org\/topics\/lichen-planopilaris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DermNet: Lichen planopilaris<\/a><br><span style=\"color:#5a6572;font-size:14px\">burning and pain as an early symptom of scarring alopecias<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 28px;color:#5a6572;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> This article is for information and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. With persistent, one-sided or suddenly starting scalp complaints, with pre-existing conditions or ongoing medication, have the cause assessed by a doctor. Last updated: September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n \"mainEntity\": [\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"What can I do right away when my scalp burns?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"Take stimuli away instead of adding new ones: loosen your hair, wash with lukewarm water and a mild, fragrance-free shampoo, leave out the product you introduced most recently and apply something cool for a few minutes. Aggressive home remedies such as undiluted tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar or scrubs additionally irritate the disturbed barrier and make the search for the cause harder later on. If blisters, fever, swelling in the face or shortness of breath are added, that is not a case for self-help but for immediate medical assessment.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"Why does my scalp hurt at even light touch when I have flu or a fever?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"With fever and flu the scalp is sensitive to touch because systemic inflammation lowers the pain threshold. In a human experiment by de Goeij and colleagues (PLOS ONE 2013), the pressure pain threshold of 27 healthy volunteers fell by 20 per cent within two hours of endotoxin administration. The scalp was not examined separately there, but the pattern explains the phenomenon well. As the infection clears, the sensitivity usually subsides again.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"Why does my scalp hurt when I undo my ponytail?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"This is described as ponytail headache, known in the specialist literature as external-traction headache. Published prevalence figures are around 40 per cent depending on the study, and 53.8 per cent in an older survey of 90 women. The explanation given is that the follicles and the surrounding nerve endings were held in one direction of pull for hours and that the load reverses when the hair is released. That is not a directly measured mechanism.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"Why is my scalp more sensitive in the morning than in the evening?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"One obvious reason is night-time teeth grinding: it strains the temporalis muscle for hours, and many people describe pressure-tender pericranial muscles as morning tightness at the temple and crown. There is no direct traction connection between the temporalis muscle and the tendon sheet of the scalp; the temporalis muscle attaches to the lower jaw. There is no cohort study specifically on bruxism and scalp tension, so this remains an explanatory model. Sleeping position and a tightly tied ponytail worn overnight can also play a part.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"Can hormonal changes such as the menopause or a change of contraceptive make the scalp sensitive?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"It is possible, but it is not proven. Many of those affected report a more sensitive scalp during such phases, usually together with increased hair loss. What is documented above all is that trichodynia occurs more often in people with hair loss: in the study by Askin and colleagues (2021) it affected 35.7 per cent of 249 patients with hair disorders. A hormonal mechanism of its own acting on the scalp nerves is not proven by this. With persistent hair loss, the cause belongs in dermatological hands.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"Is a dry scalp in winter the same thing as a neurally sensitive scalp?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"No, the two only feel similar. With dryness it typically feels tight right after washing, it flakes finely and milder care improves it within days. Neurally mediated complaints, by contrast, persist regardless of washing, tend to follow a nerve territory and barely respond to hair care products. Both can be present at the same time.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"Can tingling on the scalp mean that hair is growing back?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"There is no evidence for this. In the specialist literature on trichodynia, nerve regeneration and hair growth there is no study that identifies tingling as a sign of regrowing hair. The interpretation circulates online, but it is undocumented. Anyone who notices tingling should instead watch for accompanying signs: one-sided occurrence with pain, or tingling in the hands and feet as well, needs to be assessed.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"How long is the scalp numb after a hair transplant?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"Usually a few months; an exact time window cannot be reliably stated from the accessible data. The scoping review by Liu and colleagues in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports up to 11 per cent persistent numbness across different extraction techniques. That is a maximum value from heterogeneous individual publications and not a risk rate for FUE. Longer figures of up to 12 months come from clinic articles without study evidence. Numbness that increases or comes with pain and redness belongs at the treating clinic promptly.\"\n   }\n  },\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Question\",\n   \"name\": \"How long should I observe scalp complaints before I see a doctor?\",\n   \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n    \"text\": \"That depends on the type of complaint; there is no general waiting period. Brief, mild and clearly triggered complaints that subside quickly can be observed with a symptom diary. New complaints that persist or remain unclear, that are one-sided, that come with hair loss at the same spot or that are accompanied by general symptoms belong with a doctor promptly. With sudden neurological deficits with paralysis, speech or vision problems, call 999 immediately; with blisters, fever or a new temple headache from around age 50, see a doctor without delay.\"\n   }\n  }\n ]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The scalp burns, tingles or feels numb, and yet the mirror shows nothing at all. Sensations like these fall into two broad groups of causes: visible findings in the skin, and signals that arise at the nerve or are amplified in pain processing. A dangerous cause is rare, but that does not make them automatically [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":96520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"2","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-adv":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"https:\/\/elithair.com\/uk\/blog\/the-scalp-and-the-nervous-system\/","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_hm_hreflang_map":{"de":98764,"en":97159,"uk":93303,"fr":97722,"es":92057,"it":107843,"pt":89889,"tr":83499,"x_default":97159},"_hm_language_code":"uk","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-hair-loss"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.8 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Scalp Burning, Tingling or Numb: Nerve, Skin or Stress? 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