It all began with one bump


One day I noticed a bump at the back of my neck at the hairline.  It felt like a pimple so I didn't worry much.  Days later, one bump had become two, then four.  Combing my hair had become painful and and ordeal, and the original bump had become much larger.

People had begun to notice them as well.  I got comments from various folk about it and I became self conscious and worried about it.  I searched for information online but found nothing helpful.  There was a lot on dandruff, but nothing resembling what I had.  So after a few months I decided to talk to a doctor.

The doctor told me it was because I have curly hair.  Apparently they were in-grown hairs that had become infected.  All I needed to do was to 'wash my hair more frequently' and scrub harder to 'exfoliate' the hairs.  None of it made any sense to me of course as I washed my hair on a daily basis.  I have also been having my hair cut the same way for over a decade, so why suddenly ingrown hairs?

I decided to speak to a local pharmacist.  It was getting worse and I needed all the help I could get.  The guy at the drug store told me to try coconut oil on it.  Which I did for a month with no result at all. If at all, it just got worse and worse.  I returned to the drug store and spoke to the pharmacist again.  He advised me to ask my doctor to refer me to a dermatologist as quickly as possible.

After speaking to more 'experts' and doing a lot more research, it turns out I had a condition referred to as Pseudofolliculitis Barbae. It affects men of African descent more than any other group (hence the website title 'black bumps').  Even though it predominantly affects black men, it can affect anyone; male, female, black, white or other.  However because it doesn't usually affect Europeans, there is very little research or knowledge about it compared to, say, eczema.

I couple of years on, there had been ups and downs.  At times the condition would almost completely clear, and then flare up again, worse than ever before.  It appears then that this condition is chronic, and needs to be maintained much like type 2 diabetes.  Diet, hydration, cleansing, medication, e.t.c, are all involved in the ongoing process.  This is why I have started this blog as a resource not only for myself, but also to share all my experiences and findings with other sufferers of the condition; showing what works and what doesn't, what remedies to try and hoping one day to find a permanent cure.

Thanks for reading and hope you come back.

Josh.

Comments

Popular Posts