Red spots on scalp? (very picture-heavy)

[Anywhere]

*First, if this belongs in the health&body beautiful thread I'm sorry, I couldn't figure out where to put it. :confused:

My scalp isn't all-over flaky anymore. But in the last month or two these strange red spots have appeared near my hairline, mostly around my temples. At least, that's the only place I've seen them. I was wondering if anyone knew what it was, because it makes me afraid to wear my hair pulled back because I don't want people to notice.

http://i45.tinypic.com/2gsiwt0.jpg
the spot on the left side, and below is a view of the second one more above it.(also in this picture)
http://i49.tinypic.com/21b0hdz.jpg

Tried to get a clearer image of the two on the left:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2gt546u.jpg


http://i49.tinypic.com/5xrepu.jpg


and the other side of my temples is less affected:
http://i48.tinypic.com/2jg3x3c.jpg


My mom looked at it and said it was nothing to worry about, but I'm still worrying since I don't know exactly what it is. I had a spot like this on my arm last winter, and it stayed for the whole winter before the skin in the circle peeled off and turned shiny and pink for a few months. My hair won't fall out, will it? :confused:


(again, sorry if this is in the wrong place)

[lucys]

Looks a bit like you might have scratched yourself...?

Hope it gets better soon.

[Anywhere]

Looks a bit like you might have scratched yourself...?

Hope it gets better soon.


I can't recall scratching myself though which is the strange thing. maybe I did it when i was stressing over my school work or something I guess... :confused:

[Konstifik]

I got them too! I think it's because of dry skin.

[Anje]

You know, because of the circular shape to them, I can't help but wonder if this might be a mild case of ringworm (which is a fungus, not a worm). Usually the hair falls out at the center of the circles with that, though.

You might want to have a doctor take a look, or start putting athlete's foot cream on the affected areas daily for two weeks or so (follow the instructions...). If it is ringworm, that should clear it right up.

It could also just be dry skin at your hairline. Moisturizer?

[georgia_peach]

First, and most important, your Mom's advice and the advice of a doctor should be the final say.

Having said that, I will briefly share my own experience that sounds similar to yours. I have spots just like that on my scalp and on my arm and legs. They do get worse in the winter. I have a sneaking suspicion that mine is psoriasis, which is NOTHING to be worried about but can definitely make you feel self conscious. Those areas can also itch and peel. I have suffered with this off and on for more than 20 years. Relax, I don't believe it's anything to worry about. But if you are still worried, you should go back to your Mom and tell her how you feel.

[RavennaNight]

I was going to say ringworm too. You could alway use some Monistat (antifungal) and it might also make your hair grow faster :lol:.

[MAO]

The close up picture looks like eczema to me! Does it feel rough? Is it raw underneath if you pick a flake off? It looks like what I had in my eyebrows and patches on the side of my face.......

[girlcat36]

I am also thinking ringworm.

[Honestwitness]

To me, it looks like some kind of infection, possibly a fungus. I agree that youshould gently speak to your mother again and tell her you're concerned.

[Short2Long2009]

It looks like ringworm, but monistat might not work very well on dermatophytes; It's better for yeasts. I would try something with Terbinafine (Lamisil). You can get it over the counter in the U.S. Make sure you use it for as long or longer than the directions say. You don't want it to come back. If there's no improvement, then you'll know it's not ringworm.

[Backliteyes]

I agree with the antifungal/Lamisil suggestion. If that doesn't work, then it's not probably not fungus. Try moisturizer. If doing that regularly doesn't work, then you should probably talk your mom into letting you see a doctor. Good luck.

[Anywhere]

First, and most important, your Mom's advice and the advice of a doctor should be the final say.

Having said that, I will briefly share my own experience that sounds similar to yours. I have spots just like that on my scalp and on my arm and legs. They do get worse in the winter. I have a sneaking suspicion that mine is psoriasis, which is NOTHING to be worried about but can definitely make you feel self conscious. Those areas can also itch and peel. I have suffered with this off and on for more than 20 years. Relax, I don't believe it's anything to worry about. But if you are still worried, you should go back to your Mom and tell her how you feel.

My mom likes to think she knows *everything* though. She said the spot on my arm would go away in a few days and gave me an antibacterial cream to put on it, but it stayed for a good 6-7 months or so before peeling off in huge pieces. & she hates taking me to the doctors unless its absolutely necessary.



The close up picture looks like eczema to me! Does it feel rough? Is it raw underneath if you pick a flake off? It looks like what I had in my eyebrows and patches on the side of my face.......

Its kind of rough. Picking off flakes makes it redder, not sure if its actually raw though.


I am also thinking ringworm.

:justy: Does that mean I'm going to go bald?

Looking up pictures of ringworm (the kind on your body), it looks almost exactly what I had on my arm. But that was a year ago. :confused:
My brother used to have eczema in the winter. So hopefully its that and not ringworm..

[manderly]

Well if it is ringworm, slathering it with Monistat will get rid of it. If it isn't, the monistat won't hurt, so it's something I would personally be doing right now.

I would also be using a sensitive formula moisturizer and rub it right into the hairline. I get flakes really bad along my hairline, and I'll massage my moisturizer right into the first 1/2" of my hairline to stop that. It doesn't make my hair look greasy or anything.

[Bunnyhare]

I thought the same thing, ringworm, but i have exema/psoriasis on my hands, arms,legs and i thought it was ringworm..after 2 weeks of lamisil and it just got worse, I put cortisone10 on it and in 24 hours it was so much better... these things itch me INTENSELY, i wake myself up sometime scratching it to bleeding...cortisone is also over the counter and inexpensive. Don't let it upset you, stress will cause hair loss !:0) either of these things can be manages/fixed.
Keep us posted.
Love to you!

[Cat Lady]

It might be ringworm, so I agree with all the people who say to treat it for that first. As others have said, it won't do you any harm if it's not ringworm. A pharmacist should be able to suggest something appropriate.

If the ringworm treatment doesn't help, it it also looks almost exactly like the patches my husband had on his scalp and chest.

They looked like a fungal infection, and maybe they were, but they didn't go away until he stopped using sulphates. I think in some people the surface of the skin can be weakened by sulphates allowing fungal infections that otherwise wouldn't colonise the skin.

Most people can use them without problems but it can't hurt to CO for a few days and see, if the antifungal cream doesn't work.

[piratejenny23]

hi, you said you're "not flaky all over any more" so i assume you were at some point? i used to be (for 20 years!), and i used to get red semi-circles at my hairline too, exactly like your photos; i experimented with a few different things recently, and have been itch/flake/red-free for a few weeks, so i can tell you what i tried:

IODINE: this is a nutrient many of us are deficient in, unless you eat a lot of seafood/seaweed. i got a little bottle for 89 cents at my grocery store. you just "paint" it on the itchy areas (it's also an antiseptic). it will stain your skin brown, but will probably disappear within 24 hours, so you may want to do it at night/on a weekend.

FACIAL ASTRINGENT: this sounds like it would sting, and be a terrible thing to put in your hair, but it is actually very soothing and was recommended to me by a very good hairdresser (who told me to get "Sea Breeze" brand). dab it on with a cotton ball.

ASPIRIN: some people use this for acne masks. it is acetylsalicylic acid, and salicylic acid is what is in acne creams. aspirin is also anti-inflammatory, and red, irritated skin is usually inflamed. i dissolved a couple in some of the Sea Breeze and dabbed it on; i also dissolved alka-seltzer in water and rinsed my scalp with that (plus a splash of vinegar) after washing.

VINEGAR: the scalp is "happiest" when its pH is low, and fungi (in case it is ringworm) don't grow well in low pH. so doing a vinegar rinse after washing could help. or, just dabbing it on the red areas (dilute it in case it stings).

SHAPLEY'S MTG: this is a product for animals, but i bought it because the bottle said it cures all sorts of weird itches, fungi, infections, bald spots, etc on horses, and i hoped it would help me with my stubborn dandruff. i read a lot about it before using it, and it is safe for human use. it contains cade oil, which is really smelly, and sulfur. there are lots of sulfur products for hair growth (usually in the "ethnic" hair care section), or you could get some sulfur powder and make up your own concoction with your favorite hair oils. i'm pretty sure MTG is the main thing that healed me, although Sea Breeze helped a lot.

MILK OF MAGNESIA (MOM): this is very soothing. i put this on my scalp a few times when the itching was really unbearable, and after i burned my scalp with hair dye (stupid, stupid, stupid). it's good for sunburns so i figured it would be good for my irritated scalp. if you try it, i recommend following it with a vinegar rinse, because MOM is very alkaline (high pH) and as i mentioned before, the scalp likes lower pH. this is usually in the laxative area of the drugstore, and is about $4 for a generic brand bottle.

you can check my blog if you want, for more info on how/when i tried these. i hope you find some relief! good luck :)

[Coriander]

You know, because of the circular shape to them, I can't help but wonder if this might be a mild case of ringworm (which is a fungus, not a worm). Usually the hair falls out at the center of the circles with that, though.

You might want to have a doctor take a look, or start putting athlete's foot cream on the affected areas daily for two weeks or so (follow the instructions...). If it is ringworm, that should clear it right up.

It could also just be dry skin at your hairline. Moisturizer?

I thought exactly this.
I hope it gets better for you. :flower:

[Redheaded Raven]

My sis had ringworm a while back and we used honey and cinnamon slathered on it and within 2 days it was gone. It was the fastest that we ever got rid of ringworm. She used to get it from handling a friends cats. We tried the normal ways and it took much longer to go away.

Good luck with your problem. :D

[Spring]

Yeah, I agree with the others in thinking that this might be ringworm. Maybe talk to your mom and a pharmacist about the antifungal suggestions here, since your mom doesn't like going to the doctor. I hope it clears up for you soon. :flower:

[YoginiCelestial]

To me, it looks like some kind of infection, possibly a fungus. I agree that youshould gently speak to your mother again and tell her you're concerned.

Judging by those pics I would have to lean towards ringworm. It's a fungal infection and that will only get worse if left untreated. It is more defined around the edges but will get redder and more scaley. You can buy the anti-fungal medicine over the counter at the pharmacy.
To be absolutely certain, I would highly recommend a doctor's opinion. They will scrape a small sample and look at it under the microscope for analysis.

I hope it gets better soon!
Good luck and keep us posted!

[angelthadiva]

I agree this looks like ringworm to me too. If left untreated, it can spread and will only get worse.