Pityriasis amiantacea (PA), also known as tinea amiantacea, is a condition in which there is excessive scaling of the scalp. It is not a diagnosis but rather a description of thick silver-yellow scales that are firmly adherent to the scalp and associated hair. The scales may resemble asbestos, giving rise to the term amiantacea, after the French word for asbestos 'amiante'.
Conditions causing pityriasis amiantacea include seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis and, less commonly, tinea capitis.
Thick, sheets of scale--like asbestos--adherent to the scalp and the bases of the hair is characteristic. Children are usually affected.
Daily use of a medicated shampoo should be recommended and may be combined with a keratolytic preparation or a salicylic acid-containing shampoo. A topical steroid solution applied after shampooing may be beneficial as well in case there is inflammation. Soaking the scalp overnight with an oil preparation may be helpful (e.g., simple oil or Derma-Smoothe/FS® 0.01% fluocinolone acetonide).
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