QOM-May

Dear Doc,

My 5 year old son has been scratching his head like crazy in the past few weeks. There are some bumps at the back of his scalp. It’s driving me nuts! The barber keeps scolding me for not using any oil for his dry scalp. Right now I’m using some  Sulfur 8 shampoo but that is only somewhat helpful. I don’t know what else to do! Help!!!! Thankfully his brother is not affected.

Dry Scalper

Dear Dry Scalper,

This is so commonplace it isn’t funny. It also pains me that your barber didn’t tell you that your son needs immediate treatment and shouldn’t return to him until treated. Seborrhoeic dermatitis  or what people call “dry scalp”  or “dandruff” is only seen  in children and adults who have already undergone puberty.  A special kind of infantile seb derm is seen in children under the age of one. Any pre-pubertal child who has “dry scalp” has scalp ringworm aka Tinea capitis until proven otherwise.

photo obtained form quizlet.com

You need to carry your son to a GP or dermatologist. His scalp infection will only go away with oral medication that he will need to take for a month to six weeks. If improperly treated he will have permanent hair loss in the affected area. I have seen adult men who cannot grow their hair  out because of improper treatment of their scalp fungus. It is not a pretty look.

You will have to wash his hair on a daily basis or as often as possible with an antifungal shampoo and use an antifungal cream on the area twice a day. This will cut down the spread of the condition to other children. He must not share any caps, hats, brushes, combs, towels, pillows and cases with anyone. Anything that he uses on his head must be washed on a weekly basis.

Do not carry him to a barber until his scalp is properly treated and he is clear of the fungus. For the future, look at the hygienic practices of any barber you take him to. A lot of times kids get it from other kids, their barbers or from any pets that they may have.