Hi all,
I've had eczema on my scalp since I was very young. Sometimes it even erups in scabs and scales and open sores and is very painful. I also have it at the corners of my nose and my eyebrows, and sometimes behind my ears. Last year I got desperate and tried some antifungal cream and it cleared it up temporarily, as long as I used the cream. This was after years of not having anything work that the doctors gave me except steriods, and I don't want to use those if I can help it!
In India the condition came back with a vengance I think because of the humid weather. No matter how well you shampoo or dry off there you are never entirely dry. Finally I got my head shaved and was so shocked to see my scalp for the first time without the coverage of hair. I had angry red sores and scabs all over and it looked as awful as it felt. BUT the shaving and applying the antifungal cream cleared it up for good for the duration of the trip. I saw a dermatologist there and he said that it was eczema caused by being overly sensitive to the natural fungus that everyone has on their skin and scalp, and the only real way to clear it up was to keep applying the anitfungal cream, but there was no cure. The only other treatment was the steriods or antihistamines. He assured me it was not a fungal infection as I had thought, but just an extra sensitivity to natural fungus. As my hair has grown out I can no longer apply antifungal cream easily so just let the eczema come back and kept scratching.
Well . . . a few days ago I heard on NPR an expert on vinegar and he said you can cure athlete's foot by soaking in the stuff. I lightbulb went off so at my next shower I poured some vinegar on my head after shampooing and let it soak (kept my eyes closed) and felt immediate relief from the itch. Now it's been 2 days (I've repeated the treatment every time I shower) a nd not only is the itching entirely gone but the flaking is slowly going away too! I can't believe how good it feels to not itch. And such a simple solution!!
Just had to share in case anyone else suffers from a similar condition and wants to try this.
Darshani
I've had eczema on my scalp since I was very young. Sometimes it even erups in scabs and scales and open sores and is very painful. I also have it at the corners of my nose and my eyebrows, and sometimes behind my ears. Last year I got desperate and tried some antifungal cream and it cleared it up temporarily, as long as I used the cream. This was after years of not having anything work that the doctors gave me except steriods, and I don't want to use those if I can help it!
In India the condition came back with a vengance I think because of the humid weather. No matter how well you shampoo or dry off there you are never entirely dry. Finally I got my head shaved and was so shocked to see my scalp for the first time without the coverage of hair. I had angry red sores and scabs all over and it looked as awful as it felt. BUT the shaving and applying the antifungal cream cleared it up for good for the duration of the trip. I saw a dermatologist there and he said that it was eczema caused by being overly sensitive to the natural fungus that everyone has on their skin and scalp, and the only real way to clear it up was to keep applying the anitfungal cream, but there was no cure. The only other treatment was the steriods or antihistamines. He assured me it was not a fungal infection as I had thought, but just an extra sensitivity to natural fungus. As my hair has grown out I can no longer apply antifungal cream easily so just let the eczema come back and kept scratching.
Well . . . a few days ago I heard on NPR an expert on vinegar and he said you can cure athlete's foot by soaking in the stuff. I lightbulb went off so at my next shower I poured some vinegar on my head after shampooing and let it soak (kept my eyes closed) and felt immediate relief from the itch. Now it's been 2 days (I've repeated the treatment every time I shower) a nd not only is the itching entirely gone but the flaking is slowly going away too! I can't believe how good it feels to not itch. And such a simple solution!!
Just had to share in case anyone else suffers from a similar condition and wants to try this.
Darshani