For the past few months, I have been getting "pimples" all over my scalp. They start out red and sore, and end up with white/yellowish scabs. My scalp is getting very sore as the number/frequency of these pimples/sores/scabs keeps increasing.
I'm female, in my 30's, and have long, straight, very fine hair. I've also noticed my hair thinning quite a bit since these pimples started.
I've always had normal to oily hair, and have always shampood every day, sometimes twice a day. I have never had any adverse reaction or allergies or anything like that to any shampoos or products. I don't dye my hair, and I don't use any product or hairspray at all. I've never had dandruff. I've never had any other serious skin condition.
Since this started, I have tried several different shampoos/strategies. I've tried the nizoral and the head and shoulders. B/C of the oiliness, I've never used much conditioner...even so, I started trying different brands, and using less and less to the point that I've now completely stopped using conditioner. I've tried the neutrogena shampoo. I've even tried using a scrub brush when I shampoo! NONE of this has helped, and some of it has seemed to make it worse (particularly the h&s and nizoral).
What's happening to my head/hair??? Thank you so much for any advice or ideas you can give me!!!
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The scales/scabs sound like scalp psoriasis. It can occur without any other skin involvement. Color can be slivery white to a sickly yellow. Sebo-psoriasis is scalp psoriasis with scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis on top of it, the lesions tend to be more yellow and greasy in appearance. Do the lesions follow your hairline or behind your ears? Have you tried coal tar shampoos?
Scalp acne is the mildest form of scalp folliculitis, an inflammatory condition of the hair follicles.
In your case it sounds like you been through the ringer trying everything, maybe it's time to see a Dermatologist for a firm diagnosis and Rx strength products. You don't want to wait till there's irreversible hair loss.
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I had similar symptoms like you, had the pimples then warts, got nitrogen treatment to removed them. This was in December.
Today went back to the derm since I have severe scalp itching and flaking with redness.
I got a diagnosis for Seborrhea Dermatitis and will use a lotion treatment of "Ketoconazole" ( I don't know the brand name).
My doc took a scalp flake sample and found out that the the fungus "Malassezia" is the main culprit in the reaction on my scalp. This particular fungus likes to live in oily scalps. If you sleep with your scalp wet and damp without blow drying or letting it throughly dry out, it will be a breeding ground for the fungus.
Use a scalp cleansing shampoo and see your dermatologist. Hope you will be better.
Hi,
If the prescription shampoos dry out your hair or skin, try this:
I use Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg's) for my seborrheic dermatitis and sensitive scalp. I typically take about 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/4 cup of water and mix it in a spray bottle (1 part to 1 part). I spray it directly on my scalp, by combing through the different sections. Then leave it on for at least 10-15 minutes. Then I rinse it out and use a mild shampoo & conditioner. The longer the better. Its best to do it on the weekends or at night because it does smell. (2-3 times week)The worse you have it the longer it will take to see results. I started using the ACV because the Nizoral shampoo started making my hair really dry and brittle and it started to break and fall out. I have pretty oily skin and I needed to wash my hair every day. For the face, take a cotton ball and dab the mixture on the spots.
Good Luck!
hello everyone it is so nice to c im not suffrering alone iv had these scabs for 8 years no and it gets worse each year iv seen the dermo 3 times and tryed different shampoos,ointments,antibiotics,creams and im now on steroids for it in ointment form.my scabs start with a huge lump and my scalp is very sensative to touch then the scabs come and they weep and i cant help but pick wich has resulted in bald patches in my scalp.
Is anyone else got a solution to this proplem let me know coz its so depressing and its getting me down big time i just want to be normal.
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its a form of excema and its just one of those things that will take time to put it right.Charmin a.
iv started to put my hair up in bunches to enable air to get to them my glands tend to swell when the scabs are realy bad.I did say to the doc that i would shave my head and she said that if i did then it would be prone to infection coz they are exposed.i use t tree shampoo now with my steriod ointment so they starting to dry out slowely.
for how long i do not know.
iv had thrush on the scalp,boils,bad infections then they reffered me to the dermo who put me on steriods as a last resort.but its a form of excema as i suffer from blister,dry and this on the scalp
It could be seborrheic dermatitis, but you should go to the dermatologist and make sure it’s not something else. My seborrheic got really bad and I had these patches of crusty yellow build up and some turned into sores. Nizoral shampoo works good, but it really dries out the hair and can cause breakage. I used the apple cider, above, but I started using the New Head & Shoulders intensive solutions for severe dandruff prevention and seborrheic dermatitis (Dark blue bottle) and it works good. I am about 90% free of scalp build up and flakes. And my hair doesn’t seem as dried out, but I also use a good conditioner just in case.
finaly i have Seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp and at present i have an infection on the scalp because of this and is now on antibiotics but if anyone was woundering this is what iv been dignosed with.
finaly i have Seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp and at present i have an infection on the scalp because of this and is now on antibiotics but if anyone was woundering this is what iv been dignosed with.
dermatitis just means "inflammation of the skin", I am suffering with this condition and have been for 3 years! it was triggered when I used some cheap shampoo ( a very well known brand! ) that contained plasticides which caused some allergic reaction, even though I now only use premier hair care products I still get the odd outbreak! Ive had various creams and lotions from the doctor but they only soothe the soreness, they do not prevent new outbreaks, I think Im stuck with this for life! I cant help but to pick at the scabs and I end up with mini bald patches where I have damaged the hair follicles!!
I have had these sympons for over 20 years. I contacted doctors and dermitoligists with no solution. T-gel left my scap tender. Head and Shoulder feed the pimples and made them worse. I noticed that when I swam in our pool during the summer, the pimples virtually disappear. I found that is the clorine in the pool, which is bleach and a cleaner was controlling the out breaks. I started dabbing clorox bleach with my finger on the area(s) prior to showering, wait 15 minutes and shampoo. The pimples are under control.
The fungus "Malassezia" is a common reason for the dermatitis. A derm will scalp off a layer of a flake from the scalp and look under the microscope for an active fungus infection.
I am only 18 years old and I have multiple scabs on the left side of my head, which led to loosing hair in those spots!! Its irritating and flakes all the time. Sometimes its bright red and has honey like juice all around it and in my hair! Some areas of the head are raised. Which is making me think it might be Psoriasis because my grandpa had that but Im young for all that you'd think? So now i'm thinking it's exzema seeing as i've had it so many other places on my body. I've gone to the doctors and got many creams and expensive shampoos and even tried my own things and nothing works! I do use hair spray and teeze my hair everyday which could have something to do with it but it never goes anywhere near the effected area, and the rest of my head seems to be okay. I had really bad exzema when I was younger on my neck and arms and legs but it has gone away until this week. The sores on my head have been going on for months and months and months. Also at the very back of my neck I have a real bad rash thats been there for a verrry long time. I think its because I cant wear fake jewlerry because of my skin but I havent worn any since and it just gets worse and worse! Some days I get real bad pains under my left hip aswell that are shooting pains (but 100% not cramps) that come and go. Im not sure if they are all something different or similar, they seem very different. What started out to be a little cut has grown all over my head and im balding. What could it be?!
Last edited by nancybotwin33; 04-03-2009 at 07:16 AM.
my update, since my scalp was still very irritated and the nizoral was too weak, the doctor gave me topical steroids for my scalp. Lets see if this will work.
Nancybotwins, your scalp sounds alike like mine, I had the sore raised and bloody, puss-filled. Mine turned out to be warts with acne/pimples mixed throughout my scalp. I had the warts cold liquid nitrogen off. Some of it came back yet not severe.
I also had dermatitis (flaky and itchy scalp) too and was treated with Nizoral cream and shampoo, yet was not strong enough and now I am applying a topical steroid liquidy cream.
See your dermatologist. I am sure you will be treated properly. Be well.
Also when your immune system is weak, people tend to have these conditions, do you have any other medical conditions?
They are more bright red than actually bleeding. There is no puss just a sticky juice-like coming from the cuts or scabs. I have had over 3 different Nizoral type and tar type shampoo's, and a few creams nad nothings seems to work. Right now im using this $110 shampoo that hasn't done anything. I'm pretty sure I have a very weak immune system due to poor eating habits. I rarely eat and when I do its junk. Im thinking it might have something to do with the exzema that I have because its been irritating my arms lately. butttttt i guess we'll see. Thank You.... I feel like a monster!!!
Have you had steroid topical cream dispensed by the doctor? The nizoral is very weak and you need to ask your doctor what the red raise bumps are, the juice has got to be the same as what I had, regardless if they are not puss or not, liquid coming out like that is not normal!
If they do not know you need to try to get a second dermo's opinion. I hope you get better soon.
hello everyone it is so nice to c im not suffrering alone iv had these scabs for 8 years no and it gets worse each year iv seen the dermo 3 times and tryed different shampoos,ointments,antibiotics,creams and im now on steroids for it in ointment form.my scabs start with a huge lump and my scalp is very sensative to touch then the scabs come and they weep and i cant help but pick wich has resulted in bald patches in my scalp.
Is anyone else got a solution to this proplem let me know coz its so depressing and its getting me down big time i just want to be normal.
Your problem with the weeping bump / acne sounds like what I had for about 15 years. I tried everything from prescriptions to shampoos to every type of vitamin mentioned on the internet. couldn't go to the barber, or even if did, they wouldn't want to cut my hair. And it would hurt so bad ... and impossible not to scratch, you have to scratch (or at least that's how bad mine was).
Doctors treated me for staph, scabies, etc .... I was on Levaquin for a long time with no results. This is a pretty powerful antibiotic. I remember taking Doxycycline for a long time too. Doxycycline seemed to actually help a little, but it would come back worse and with a vengeance.
Anyways, so far I have been bump free for about six months. Yesterday I went to sport clips and got a head message along with a haircut. It was great. While I was getting my head massaged I thought about writing something on the internet in the hopes of helping someone else.
My help actually came accidental. I was taking Tetracycline for a bad chest cold when I noticed the bumps disappeared. I eventually started taking very high doses of this to get rid of all the bumps. So far so good. Tetracycline is actually a weaker or "less effective" form of Doxycycline. After doing some research (personal) I found that tetracycline actually works really well on areas of the body that have small amounts of body fat. I believe this is why tetracycline was so effective on my scalp. Doctors don't like to prescribe tetracycline, it's outdated. But, the way it absorbed into my scalp is like nothing else.
Anyways, always contact a doctor. Don't rule out tetracycline. The higher doses can make you feel bad .... still not as bad as normal doses of doxycycline though
Pimples, scabs, and sores on scalp??? 
trying everything, maybe it's time to see a Dermatologist for a firm diagnosis and Rx strength products. You don't want to wait till there's irreversible hair loss.
Re: Pimples, scabs, and sores on scalp??? 
Re: Pimples, scabs, and sores on scalp??? 
