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Skin Drying And Cracking On Scalp, Causing Sebum. Applied Neosporin. Guidance

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Posted on Tue, 18 Jun 2013
Question: I have had a HORRIBLE scalp problem for almost 2 years now and am in desperate need of HELP! I have seen 3 doctors and have gotten little to no help, but I do have an appointment with a top dermatologist this Thursday. The problem I am facing is that I am in such incredible discomfort and pain, that I cannot stand it.

The main problem at this point involves about 1/2 of my head where there is no longer any hair left. While the sores have pretty much gone away, it is in a terrible pattern right now. I believe it involves the crusting of sebum that absolutely pours out of my scalp at this point, then hardens and becomes like a vice on my head which in itself is excruciating. Then it begins to dry and crack, causing the dried sebum to dig fiercely into my scalp which is even more painful. This, in turn, causes more sebum to pour out as it continues to crack and dig into my scalp. I try to carefully remove what I can of it - but it is so thick and hard that it is tremendously difficult. I have tried everything under the sun to soften the crustiness, but nothing has worked. I get almost no relief at this point - maybe an hour or 2 at the most before the cycle has repeated and I am in such pain I can't function, sleep, or think. I am unable to work or do much of anything else as this is all-consuming. Is there ANYTHING I can do to relieve the pain before I see my new doctor Thursday? The only thing providing me about a brief break (and only sometimes) is to soak my head with warm water, dry thoroughly, and then apply a thin coat of Neosporin pain relief cream. But even that is doing almost nothing at this point, and sometimes it will only provide about 5-10 minutes semi-relief before I am such horrid pain again. I feel like I am losing my mind.

Is there anything at all you can think of that I can do? If so, please help me! Thank you so much!
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rahul Kumar (36 minutes later)
Hello,

Thanks for the query,

your description sound to be suffering from an inflammatory scalp reaction.

As your doctors said, I agree to their conditions.

1. Eczema
2. Severe psoriasis with eczematous change.
3. Dissecting cellulitis of scalp.

In order to get a better understanding, I need to see a photograph of your scalp.

You have a feature to upload the reports / image by yourself at the right side of the query page, please utilize that so that I can answer your queries better. You can also send the reports/ image to YYYY@YYYY with the subject as 'ATTN: Dr. Rahul Kumar' XXXXXXX

Waiting for your response.

Thank you
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Rahul Kumar

Dermatologist

Practicing since :2010

Answered : 6635 Questions

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Skin Drying And Cracking On Scalp, Causing Sebum. Applied Neosporin. Guidance

Hello,

Thanks for the query,

your description sound to be suffering from an inflammatory scalp reaction.

As your doctors said, I agree to their conditions.

1. Eczema
2. Severe psoriasis with eczematous change.
3. Dissecting cellulitis of scalp.

In order to get a better understanding, I need to see a photograph of your scalp.

You have a feature to upload the reports / image by yourself at the right side of the query page, please utilize that so that I can answer your queries better. You can also send the reports/ image to YYYY@YYYY with the subject as 'ATTN: Dr. Rahul Kumar' XXXXXXX

Waiting for your response.

Thank you