Scabby scalp

[fruitscone]

Yuck sorry. I have had a scabby scalp on one side of my head for a while, can't remember how long, at least a few months. It is very dry, feels like cradle cap and if I try to flake bits off (more yuck) it comes off with hair attached. Showed hairdresser who recoiled and said oh it is very dry but it isn't psoriasis, use this rip off excellent shampoo and it will sort itself out.

I have been doing that with little improvement but now it has moved round onto the back of my head too.

I feel it is too trivial to go to the doc about. Any ideas what it is and what I can do about it?

I do wash my hair every day as despite my scalp being very dry, my hair is greasy and I have tried washing every second day for months at a time to see if this would rectify itself but no, i just had minging hair every second day. Really horrible.

Thanks for any advice!

Hi, poor you having such a reaction from your hairdresser, very unprofessional. Have you tried any gentle cradle cap shampoos? I'm thinking about Dentinox which has sorted out my DD's cradle cap type dry patches. She's 8. I had a look on google and it's called something like seborrhic eczema (excuse poor spelling if wrong). Might be worth a try.

thank you suze for suggesting that. I have googled it and am now wondering if I should take my scabby head to the doc and get something proper for it... the words 'hairloss' on Wiki have somewhat alarmed me!

Hmm, Wiki and Google have a lot to answer for don't they! I think I'd try the Dentinox, give it a week of washing everyday then see the GP. Might be worth posting on the General Health forum too?

I would get myself to a gp rather than take the hairdressers word for it!

(My boyfriend gets a bit of psioriasis on a part of his scalp but its not too bad and he's eventually found a basic soap (from Aldi of all places) will keeps it under control and limit the flakiness, although I can understand that may not work with longer female hair.)

I would treat it assuming it is a type of cradle cap with a possible fungal infection. Get 1% or 2% Canesten Hydrocortisone cream, thickly cover the effected area, leave on for a few hours and then wash out with Head and Shoulders. Repeat every day for 3 days running, I bet it will improve.

T-gel therapeutic shampoo, the smelly brown, coal tar one. You can buy it or get it on prescription. It stinks but it works.

Also a scalp solution with a gentle steroid in it. Betacap (containing betamethazone) or similar. Ask your GP.

I've had this for years since I was a child - been diagnosed by various GPs and dermatologists as either eczema or psoriasis (they seem to disagree). IME the only things that work are the things that are horrible to use. I have had some success with Xamiol gel (prescription), which you put on at night and then wash out in the morning, but it takes ages to wash out. But works.

The other thing is Aphosyl coal tar shampoo which you can buy in Boots. If you use it daily you will see an improvement after a couple of weeks. It smells disgusting though.

I would not rely on advice marketing claptrap from your hairdresser, who probably earns commission for selling the products marketed in that salon. I've had hairdressers try and sell me shampoos in similar manner over the years, none of which work. If you have a dermatological condition, you'll need medical advice.

Thanks for all your replies! It was that t-gel shampoo I was thinking might be good but I am abroad and I can't get it here. Am off to the chemist to ask what they recommend this afternoon and the doc will be my next port of call.

Peppin poor you - you have my sympathies! Thanks for the Boots shampoo tip as I could get my next visitors to bring me some over! Don't worry I don't set much faith in my hairdresser's advice, it's just I can't see it myself (thick hair) and when I get DH to look he just goes bleughhhh and pulls faces thanks for that help DH!

Thank you all again - I appreciate it!

I had something similar although not as bad. I bought a gel thing in Boots, it has a thin dispenser to get it on the scalp and I found it very soothing

here

Nizoral or selsun, the latter the most effective but pongy. Betnovate from Gp but this is a steriod so use as last resort actually sounds like yours is a mild case:)

My DH has a dry scalp like this - I like to pick at it whilst he is sleeping

L'Oreal Anti dandruff shampoo is fantastic and so is Th Body Shop's Ginger shampoo.

Go to the docs. Its not too trivial to go to the docs with. I had/sometimes have something similar and was given s topical steroid treatment.

Hi fruitscone. I'm a trichologist, and it sounds like you have pityriasis amiantacea, which is often referred to as an adult cradle cap. It's really difficult to treat yourself, as the scaling is so solid. The best thing to do would be to find a trichologist in your area. They will apply specific ointments to soften to scale, usually using a steamer as well, & then gently remove it. Any hair lost in the process will regrow, but this should be minimal. It is best to shampoo your hair every day with any scaling condition of the scalp, as the skin cells are turning over at a faster rate, and the longer the interval between washes, the more the scale will build up.

Hi fruitscone, I have the same problem and now use Eucerin shampoo which has Urea in it. It's expensive at around 8 quid a bottle, but lasts a good while, doesn't smell horrible and doesn't strip the hair of colour / oil like some of the other brands do. Hope this helps, I had trouble since I moved to a different place with harder water, but it's now gone.

www.eucerin.com/product-finder/shampoo-5-urea/18b2a4358df3c8527ec85f76491954d9/

Someone else has mentioned a coal tar shampoo. I have had similar problems in the past and Alphosyl coal tar shampoo is fantastic. It takes a few uses to sort it out but I promise you it will. Can get it from Boots or any other pharmacy.

Sorry just realised I've repeated what Peppin said!

I get this on and off too - it's incredibly painful sometimes. Have tried the usual shampoos on prescription, hated them all. I found that the BEST shampoo is The Body Shop's Ginger anti dandruff. It's great, and always clears my scalp up when I'm needing it to.

you could also try using coconut oil as a pre-shampoo treatment - rub it in to your scalp (on dry hair) and leave for 10-15 minutes before washing it out (with TBS ginger shampoo!). I don't know how it would do for actually treating the scabs, but it certainly woudn't hurt and leaves your hair really soft.

Thanks again for all your help you helpful lot - I am so glad I asked here! (Not least because I am comforted to hear I am not the only one with a yucky head.)

I will try the eucerin urea 5% as first port of call - thanks jacmacmillan - as that is easy for me to get over here. I will also have my next guest bring me some of the coal tar alphosyl stuff - handily she arrives next week (love the smell of that - does this make me odd?)

And I have noted the Body Shop Ginger shampoo because picking up my guest from the airport will handily take me past my nearest Body Shop woohoo. I will try to remember to report back. Thanks again x

A cold water rinse after shampooing really helps with the itching.

Get Boiling water, put olive oil in a metal bowl inside a bowl of boiling water so the oil is warm, then spread it with a piece of cotton on the scaly bit, then comb it out with a comb, that's how I help my dd with her problem.

Hope it works for you! Fingers crossed.

Supplement with fish oils (max dose) and the best multi vitamin you can afford. Should clear up within a month or 2.

It's a problem from within - spend as much as you want on fancy shampoos, but it won't address the root of the problem and I doubt it will help.