sore area in my scalp

[Cleopatra18]

I have this part in the middle of my scalp that always feels sore and hurts when i touch it.it also itches sometimes and obviously the hair in this area is alot shorter than my hair, i dont know if it's broken or just new growth or what.i try to apply abit of extra oil on there,and massage it for a while but it doesnt help much.also when i wash my hair the soreness goes away for one day or so but always comes back.is it just dry or something else? i always wear a low cinnamon bun but i dont feel im putting any tension on this area.i havent notice any special redness/bumps or anything that looks like an infection.
oh and another thing my hair gets dry in general in an unbelievable way,i have to put on a scarf the entire time i'm home and if i remove it my hair feels very dry within one hour,thing is i really give my hair enough moisture,i did smt treatment about a week ago or so,i dont know whats wrong

[Anje]

I've occasionally gotten spots like that, but I don't know what causes them.

Is there a chance that the hair in that region is being pulled in a direction it doesn't want to go? I certainly get sore areas when I do a crown braid, for example, on the side where the hair is going up instead of down. That usually subsides with a day and a washing, though. Perhaps some sort of anti-irritation cream or an antifungal would help, but I think I'll wait to see if anyone else has ideas before suggesting you try that.

With regard to the dry hair, I see your location listed as Egypt. I know there's a lot of variation, but is the air very dry where you live, or dusty or full of sea salt? I suspect any of these would really increase the rate that hair dries out. Unfortunately, humectants such as the honey in SMTs aren't particularly effective in arid, drying conditions. They attract moisture to themselves -- in normal to humid places, that tends to mean that they draw moisture out of the air and hold it near the hair. In dry conditions unfortunately, they tend to draw moisture from the hair and disperse it to the air. If you can mist your hair with water regularly, that should help the moisture a bit. Otherwise, I think the best thing I can suggest is to oil your hair as much as you can stand. I find applying oil to wet hair gives nice results, but different people have different preferences.

[KaleidoscopeEyz]

I also have a very similar problem with the soreness and the dry hair. I will be keeping an eye on this, I hope someone has an answer.

[az_sweetie01]

I get these spots too usually when I'm getting closer to wash day. I wash my hair twice weekly and usually the soreness goes away after that. I wish I had a real solution for you! I have tried to massage it a little and like you said, it helps temporarily. I think Anje has a good point. I don't so a lot of tight braids or anything that would obviously make my scalp sore yet, I have the same issue.

I also live in an arid, hot climate and I tried the SMT once and it was a total failure. I have taken to using a humidifier at night and it's helping. I also use a little coconut oil on my ends after I wash and then a little sweet almond oil before bed each night.

[Jammy]

I have a sore/tender/itchy spot right smack on my crown. No dryness or difference in texture there though.

Will watch this thread....

[FB]

When this happens to me I do a scalp cleanse. It usually helps.

[urara12]

I've been having same problem and I am going to see Dermatologist this Wed. so I will write again what Dr says.
( I am thinking something fungus or hair folliculitis)

[chickengrrl]

I am embarrassed--nay, MORTIFIED--to confess this, but I hope that in doing so, I'll get help or help someone else.

I'm having the same problem, and have been for longer than I care to admit. Here's the condensed story: It started out as something like a pimple (and/or a spot like Jammy's), and I just figured it was a reaction to a hair product or the weather or something. But since I get all OCD about stuff like that, I picked at it. It got worse. It spread. It keeps getting worse. (And it frequently spreads to more than one spot.)
I. Can't. Stop. Picking. At. It.

I'll tell myself that I'll stop as soon as the scab comes off, but then I start picking at the edges, and it starts all over again. It'll get better for a while, but old habits die hard, I guess. It's completely embarrassing, so I usually manage to resist the urge to pick at it in front of people, but... OY, this is shameful, but it feels so good when I finally pick off a dried scab! (As a teenager, I was terrible about picking my zits, too. But even my hairdresser admitted that he's done the same thing, for the same reasons--like it's kind of satisfying--only not quite to the same extent.)

A while back, I decided to get serious about stopping with the OCD behavior so the scabs/sores/dry, itchy patches/whatever go away, and for a few days in a row, I applied hydrogen peroxide (regular OTC strength...what's that, like 3% I think?) plus a few drops of tea tree oil (since it's supposed to be good for skin problems) mixed with some aloe vera gel. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do much good, plus it damaged that part of my hair!! (Probably from the peroxide?) I feel like that patch of hair is NEVER going to grow out!!

I don't know what to do to treat the scalp issues, but obviously I also need to address the impulse-control issues! If I can manage to stop with the picking (maybe by wearing a bandanna or a hat or scarf on my head while I'm watching TV [when I do it so absentmindedly I often don't realize I'm doing it!]?), how do I get the sores to heal/clear up? I really need to color my hair---my grey roots are like a mile long and my hair looks ridiculous (or I think it does)---but I really don't think it's good idea to apply any kind of color while my scalp is in this condition.

Any suggestions, thoughts, ideas?

As an FYI, i just went to the dermatologist for my first-ever skin-cancer screening, and the man never even looked at my scalp except around the edges. I felt so rushed that I forgot to even point it out to him. Should I go back and ask about it? Find a new doctor? Plaster my scalp with neosporin every night??

Help?

I look forward to seeing what others' doctors say and how they treat/address similar problems.
Thanks for listening to the crazy lady babble! :-)

[Cleopatra18]

it's not really so dry here,i live in alexandria which is in the north coast and the weather isnt too dry or hot yet at all.i get some flakes there too occasionaly but really the best thing ive been doing is to not touch my scalp at all,it feels so sore when i just touch it with my fingertips.i think i probably need to wash my hair more often,i'll defenitly clarify next time i wash and try sweet almond oil.chickengrrl,i really dont think you should dye your roots now,if your hair is a brown/blackish shade you could do one of those pre made henna mixes they are really good,and henna has healing effects on the scalp,and yes wearing a scarf helped me from doing these things to my scalp too.

[Anje]

chickengrrl, I can relate a bit -- I'm a bit of a picker too, and it sometimes goes into (undiagnosed) trichotillomania. It's definitely an impulse control problem, and if you're like me, it's worse when you're stressed, even if you do it absent-mindedly.

For the picking, the best suggestion I have is to take up a hobby like knitting when you're at the TV, so your hands are occupied. Scarfs might help too, or little stretchy gloves on your hands. Otherwise, stress relieving activities (exercise, yoga, etc) might help chip away at the other part of the picky issue.

I would suggest that you get to the doctor and have the area looked at. Some of that is paranoia -- my husband just had a chunk of scalp removed 1.5 weeks ago because a little sometimes bloody spot he had turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. (Basal cell isn't all that dangerous, but it can manifest as bloody areas sometimes, and it gets bigger if you don't get it taken care of.) Definitely don't bother dying until you get it looked at -- you might irritate the area more, whatever it is.