Very sore, itchy scabbed scalp

[Becky9679]

This post is on behalf of my mum. For the past few weeks she's had a very bad scalp. Her scalp is itching very badly and she's getting massive flakes but it's not like dandruff. I've had a look at her scalp and it looks like eczema or psoriasis. There are places where it's raw and bleeding and others where it looks really rough and scaly. Some areas are completely clear.

She says she hasn't changed anything about her haircare routine, the only thing that has changed recently is that my stepfather very sadly passed away last month and she has been under a great deal of stress. She says it actually started just before he died but it has become much worse since.

Does anyone have any ideas about a remedy for this?

[Neneka]

Maybe some anti fungal shampoo would help. That sounds like it might be a fungus.

[Alaia]

Go to a doctor?

It could possibly be stress related (almost certainly it is exascerbated by stress) but you do want to know if it is indeed a fungus or something else.

[Viechen]

^ I second this. You dont know what is causing this and an antifungal shampoo on open sores may make it worse. IF it is not a fungus then the shampoo may make it worse as well. Your mom needs to ask a professional for help. I wish her all the best and hope she gets this sorted out soon!

[GRU]

Sounds like it could be seborrheic dermatitis. What's helped me is CO-washing at least every other day, ACV rinses, and making sure I massage REALLY well when I wash.

A trip to a doctor/dermatologist wouldn't be a bad idea.

[torrilin]

It could be any number of things, and a doctor should help her sort it out.

[Tabitha]

My condolences to your mum. Exactly the same happened to me when I lost someone very dear to me in January. Mine was undoubtedly stress-based but a few things have helped me:

- a pharmacist recommended Nizoral to make sure, as someone posted above, that there wasn't an opportunistic infection (fungal or bacterial) which had occurred in the damaged skin. It stung a lot the first few applications but did seem to make it better - though not cure it - after the 4 weeks recommended.

- Neutrogena T-gel for Sensitive Scalps has helped further.

- glycolic acid toner and salicylic acid moisturiser intended for facial use, gently dabbed on the bad patch has helped too. Salicylic acid, being aspirin, is anti-inflammatory as well as encouraging the flakes to go away.

(lastly, and this is a bit of an off the wall one - I had a George Michael 1 hour treatment the other day and when I showed the hairdresser and rather embarrassedly explained, he said yes it was undoubtedly due to stress, that it looked like psoriasis which the doctor probably wouldn't be able to do much for, and he dabbed an extra amount of the 1 hour treatment on that patch, and that has helped a great deal.)

The affected patch of scalp is smaller now, it's no longer bleeding/oozing but is still pink and a little flaky. I think it is just going to take time to calm down. I've previously had scalp-related reactions to stress, in the form of 2 patches of transitory alopecia (perfectly round little bald patches - the first time I actually saw the hair fall out, it literally came out in a clump in my hand as I was washing my fringe).

[whitestiletto]

Hi, the exact same thing happened to me after a stressful life event. I hadn't changed anything about my haircare routine and suddenly, seemingly overnight, huge flakes started peeling off my scalp and it got so bad it was bleeding, and very itchy as well. I went to two different doctors and a dermatologist, they first misdiagnosed me with ringworm (it wasn't) and I put an antifungal cream on it, but this didn't do anything. Then a dermatologist said it was seborrheic dermatitis and gave me two different topical creams which were very expensive and didn't do anything.

I switched to CO and started ACV rinses which helped a little but didn't make it go away completely.

Then I did a henna and cassia treatment and it was GONE completely. It comes back very mildly a couple weeks after the treatments, but as long as I massage my scalp and keep COing, it never comes back bad enough to affect my quality of life.

What color is your mom's hair?

I think you could try a cassia treatment, it's a known treatment for seborrheic dermatitis. It stains yellow but the yellow fades away after a couple weeks.

[Cardinal]

I agree with the advice to get it professionally diagnosed. If for some reason your mom cannot/willnot do that, I would suggest spending some time helping her her with her hair care. perhaps wash it for her, or do one of the treatments suggested here.
Since she is under stress over the loss of her husband, the gentle massaging of her scalp (and the time spent with a loved one-you) might go a long way towards de-stressing her.
Good luck and all the best to your mom.

[All Natural Mom]

I had this same problem, generally our bodies are colonized with yeast, but during a time of stress (lowered immunity) they can overgrow. I had to try a few different products used for seborreic dermatitis before I found one that worked (Selsun Blue).

If she doesn't want to go to the doctor (I don't blame her too much damn money for not much of anything) look up this condition and see if it seems to fit her symptoms. If so, it's not life threatening (unless she is immuno-compromised) and a little trial and error with various products/treatments should find something that works.

[nazzooyzo]

My bf had something similar sounding. Turns out it was a fungal infection.

[Kristamommyx3]

My thoughts exactly! I developed an allergy to sulphates in shampoo out of nowhere about three years ago. It took months and months of trial and error to discover that sulphates were the problem! I had the exact same symptoms! I have a slight case of it now because I had to use Suave clarifying shampoo last week one day. I had some protein buildup on the hair on the nape of my neck, and only used it there, and whadayaknow I have those itches just in the places that the sulphates touched my scalp! I would first of all get her a sulphate free shampoo right away, and then proceed with any other actions.





Sounds like it could be seborrheic dermatitis. What's helped me is CO-washing at least every other day, ACV rinses, and making sure I massage REALLY well when I wash.

A trip to a doctor/dermatologist wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Becky9679]

Thank you very much for all your kind and helpful comments. My mum is actually seeing a doctor this week (she has several other health complaints that she needs to visit the doctor regularly for) and I've urged her to mention this when she goes. Thankfully she gets her medication for free as she takes thyroxine and once this is prescribed to someone (in the UK anyway) all other medications become free as well. So even if the doctor gives her something that doesn't work at least she won't have wasted money on it. I'll also let her know about the alternative treatments people have recommended here.

Her immune system is certainly low at the moment, since my stepfather's death she hasn't been taking care of herself properly and hasn't been eating right. She's lost two stone in the last month, today is the first day she's had a full meal since it happened.

It's doubly difficult for me because I live in a different city to her which is two hours journey away. We're staying with her this week but most of the time I'm not able to look after her as I want to. My brother, grandmother and uncle are trying to make sure she is ok but it's going to be a long time before she's ok again.

Thanks again for your responses :blossom: