To give up and shave my head

[happyjanuary1]

I have severe Eczema which has seriously kicked off since March.

My skin burns constantly, bright red, very very dry, gets infected. I have to wet wrap it in bandages, wear cotton gloves 24/7, can only wear cotton clothes. My soap, shampoo, hand wash is all prescription.

I have tried everything from bathing in oats, hypnotherapy, every cream going, light therapy etc and its no better.

The latest addition is on my scalp and my neck is awful. To the point i can't turn my neck without it cracking and bleeding.

My hair irritates it so i constantly tie it in a bun on top of my head. When applying cream it gets in my hair at the top of my neck causing knots which take me ages to get out even immediately after. I have to wash my hair over the bath so the shampoo doesn't run down my body etc.

I'm so fed up with it all and I just want to give up and shave it off WIBU to just do it. Problem is I feel very ugly as my face is also covered and I look horrific so I don't think adding being nearly bald to that will be a look for me.

I have bad eczema/ sebhorric dermatitis on my head. Leaving May hair to dry naturally makes it worse. I have to use a hairdryer.

Wonder if you should dry your neck like this? It’s quite gentle. Betacao and Synogel are helpful too

Sounds so tough OP have you tried going to a herbalist/Chinese doctor? I'm not usually a massive believer but I went about rosacea, followed advice and took what they gave me and it went!

Yeah Dr Aron!

A few years ago, I shaved my head to help with severe dandruff, it's so bad that I end up itching til it bleeds, it flares and goes for no apparent reason and nothing really works (apart from pregnancy 🙄). It didn't help but it stopped the hair adding to the irritation and also allowed some air to my scalp.

You don't have to shave it so short that it will itch when it grows back. If you've got clippers, just clipper it on the longest setting, I did that. I've currently got it very short again, it does take a while to get used to, but I have to say I love how low maintenance it is.

If you're going to try it, now is probably a good time. You're not allowed inside many places and outside you can wear a hat if you hate it. Xx

Yours really is a severe case. I still think the hot country and coconut oil will work. Not doable at the moment if course. Was he coconut oil raw / pure?

It's a bit cold now but I know a lady who swears that sea water has been great for her eczema.

Obviously I don't know what ethnicity you are however, I will always tell Asian people just because you live in a western society doesn't mean you have to have a western diet. Eat what your ancestors ate. Lots of Asians in the UK have skin disorders due to eating like westerners. In fact lots of Asians in India have western diets too, getting fat and having skin disorders. For instance, cow milk suits native UK people but it should be avoided by Indians.

I love the advice you're getting 🙄

Most of us with chronic diseases have tried all the bunkum stuff suggested by all and sundry.

The Op doesn't need coconut oil, sea water, dietary advice. What she needs is ,as several of us have said, to be prescribed a decent drug by a derm that is known to help severe eczema.

She needs to find the root cause and fix it
Drugs just mask the issue they don't address them

i'm always for shaving heads it's good fun. but it is fucking cold doing it in january, i had to wear a wooly hat for a month which might be more aggravating to your scalp?

re feeling ugly. i did feel like i looked like my little brother. and i got lots of validation from people that it looked good which might be harder to get in lockdown? but on the whole people are usually really complimentary and often say how brave you are

@PrankedByLife

She needs to find the root cause and fix it Drugs just mask the issue they don't address them

No they don't, the immune system may need dampening down.i should know, I'm on these types of drugs.

TheOp shouldn't have to feel miserable and unhappy because people state big pharma are evil and natural is the way to go.

@TwirlingTwizzler

I love the advice you're getting 🙄

Most of us with chronic diseases have tried all the bunkum stuff suggested by all and sundry.

The Op doesn't need coconut oil, sea water, dietary advice. What she needs is ,as several of us have said, to be prescribed a decent drug by a derm that is known to help severe eczema.

Exactly!! Thanks for saying this x

I have buzzed my head and it took forever to grow out. BTW the only thing that ever worked for my skin was super strong steroids I had to beg the doctor for

And there isn't always a root cause!!!

Please don’t put coconut oil on your skin and go out in the sun somewhere hot as a pp suggested! You will quite literally fry.

Other than that no advice but lots of sympathy- my mum had severe eczema and when it flared up it was as you describe and really miserable. She tried cutting everything out and had a water softener fitted but I’m not sure she ever really pinpointed a single cause. Stress and winter defo didn’t help though.

Poor you, sounds awful. I think going straight to a shaved head might be unnecessary. I agree you should try short hair/cropped first as that will help the knots. It will also give you a chance to get used to less hair psychologically. Even in Lock downs there are some pretty good hair cutting tutorials on YouTube.

Can I also suggest giving yourself an undercut too? You could shave the bottom half of your head and nobody would know when your hair is down. My friend has that and you would never know. She just did it herself one day!

I would try those options first because shaving it all off.

18:39EggBobbin

I didn't say she should put oil on and go in the sun!

Not everyone has an obsession with tanning their skin until it's leather! Obviously your first thought.

Oil plus the hot country will make her skin supple, I assumed the poster is sensible and knows not to expose her skin to the sun.

@PrankedByLife

Yours really is a severe case. I still think the hot country and coconut oil will work. Not doable at the moment if course. Was he coconut oil raw / pure?

Why do you still think that? Are you some sort of specialist?

@PrankedByLife

18:39EggBobbin

I didn't say she should put oil on and go in the sun!

Not everyone has an obsession with tanning their skin until it's leather! Obviously your first thought.

Oil plus the hot country will make her skin supple, I assumed the poster is sensible and knows not to expose her skin to the sun.

By that logic she could stick some coconut oil on and sit in a hot room, save a fortune 🙄

@PrankedByLife

She needs to find the root cause and fix it Drugs just mask the issue they don't address them

Oh dear god! You realise there are specialist, and actualy scientists out there who have tried to find the route causes for skin conditions like this, but they can't, that's why medication is necessary.

Can you get access to some clippers? I'd try using the extra long setting, you can buy the attachment #12. PP
Suggesting undercutting is a good idea.

I get scalp eczema. Mine gets sticky with the plasma and blood oozing. It's triggered by all sorts of things but one of my main triggers is sweat. If I get hot my scalp goes raw despite washing it each day.

Clipping your hair will avoid the itchy regrowth and you can clipper it down more if needed.

It sounds miserable.

I expect you've tried everything by now but, would a cool pillow insert help at night?
Another weird help; would chilled organic oat milk help if applied?
I expect you've gone through every steroid cream available.

Shave it. Do it. You can get silk caps that might feel nicer against it. It's very liberating shaving your head

There was a programme on bbc2 a few months ago called diagnosis detectives. I think it was in episode 2 they treated a man with extremely severe eczema. The dermatologist was called dr Sharon Wong- she's in London.

Agree with Twirling - you need a referral to a dermatologist. Don’t accept “no” from the GP.

Take some pictures of the affected areas - close up and distance (if you can). See if you can email them in to the GP’s surgery and have a phone/on line consultation.

You could have any number of eczema + ?? other conditions. If the skin’s barrier has become compromised and any other issues are arising then home remedies can cause more problems.

My sympathies - most of my family suffer with asthma and eczema. It can be very debilitating and painful.

Wash powder / skin product ingredients, dyes from clothing and diet are something to talk to the specialist about - rather than waste your time and money.