Scalp bumps and hair loss

I'm one of those guys that has a full head of hair while all my friends are bald or at least partially bald - male pattern baldness that is. They say baldness is passed down from your mother's side. My maternal grandfather wasn't bald, so that probably has something to do with why I'm not bald (yet?).

Anyhow, back when I had scalp bump issues, I remember they spread from just a few bumps in the back of the head, to all over my scalp, randomly popping up here and again. Sometimes they would vanish, or at least reduce in size, but then suddenly they would flare up and become really painful. Having my hair cut was a nightmare so I usually just left my hair to grow.

Strange thing though is I started noticing some thinning of my hair around the places the scalp bumps where, which was one of the reasons why I decided to do all I could to get rid of them as soon as possible before I became bald. I seriously didn't want to be bald.

Types of scalp bumps

Scalp bumps can be several things; Acne, Scalp Pimples,Seborrheic Dermatitis, acute eczema, or in my case Folliculitis.

Folliculitis are the little organs in the skin that produce hair, and are right at the root of the hair. Folliculitis is when these organs become infected. The infection causes the body's response - one of which is inflammation of the infected area. Also, the pus and dead cells present in the infected area causes the skin to inflame around the hair, giving the appearance of bumps.

Hair Loss

Baldness is simply when an area of the skin that used to grow hair, stops growing hair. This is either because the follicles stop growing hair, or they die.

The microorganisms that cause folliculitis are capable of killing hair follicles. If the condition is left untreated, then enough of these follicles can die, leading to baldness in the area.

The other way folliculitis scalp bumps can cause hair loss is through scarring. Bumps can become very itchy and cause you to scratch them. This can lead to skin damage around the area, and result in scarring. Also, scarring can result even without scratching if the skin becomes damaged on its own by the infection.

The third way is in extreme cases. The type of folliculitis called Folliculitis Keloidalis - which is when keloid scars are formed as a result of the infection. This is often irreversible and require surgery to improve the situation. So if you notice keloids starting to form, it is extremely urgent to consult a doctor ASAP! Don't leave it, ACT NOW! Or you may regret it for ever.

Thankfully, my scalp bumps have cleared completely for years now. However, I read somewhere that they never really go away. However with a regular routine that I do, I haven't seen any bumps for years now. If you would like to know what routine I do, let me know in the comments and I will write a whole page about it, including recommendations for any products that I use.

Thanks for reading and hope your bumps clear.

Josh