Why no easy cure for scalp bumps?

We have (apparently) been to the moon, blown up entire cities with on weapon of war, seen the smallest organisms with our eyes, observed distant stars in outer space that died long before we got here, but for some reason, we have no easy cure for scalp bumps.

Scalp bumps are different from Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) in that they don’t require shaving, or the same kind of ingrown hair to occur.  However, they inflammatory system in the skin and the infection by microorganisms are similar.  Scalp bumps, also known as scalp folliculitis, scalp acne, acne necrotica miliaris, Proprionibacterium folliculitis, and so on, can be caused by Bacteria, Viruses, Yeasts or even Mites.

So we know the micro organisms associated with scalp bumps, and we know how to kill them.  So why no one-pill, one-ointment killer product to cure scalp bumps?  Well, it is because it is more complicated than that.

The first problem (in my personal opinion) is to do with demographics.  Scalp Folliculities, like PFB predominantly affects people with curly hair.  Most people in Europe and Asia, where this kind of medical research is done, have straight hair.  Of course, people with straight hair get scalp bumps too, but the causes and micro organisms involved are usually different and are better researched.  Less research means less knowledge.

The second problem is that the condition is misunderstood (because of the above reason) and is often wrongly diagnosed by medical practitioners.  When I first showed my bumps to a doctor, he told me not to cut my hair too short.  He diagnosed them as ingrown hairs, and suggested I wash my hair more often and scrub the scalp with a coarse sponge when I do so.  This is very clearly bad advise in hindsight.  What he advised would clearly spread the condition and cause scarring, leading to hair loss.

The third problem is also a misunderstanding.  The condition can be caused by multiple organisms.  Sometimes one organism is addressed and treated, but the others are left out.  For instance, the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes is easily carried on other part of the body without them causing any issues.  If the condition is being treated as a yeast infection, then Propionibacterium acnes can easily survive the treatment and even thrive better than ever before.  This is sometimes why some treatments appear to clear the condition for a short period of time, and then if flares up again worse than ever before.

Like other conditions that predominantly affect people from outside Europe and North America, such as Sickle Cell and Malaria, there has to be a lot more research done to develop effective cures and treatments.  For now, each individual can only try a whole variety of treatments to see what works.  As with all things, prevention is better than cure.

On this blog I will share all my treatments that have helped. I don’t think there is a permanent cure yet, but I haven’t had a single bump for over a year now, so, what I am doing seems to be working. 

Thanks for reading.

Josh.