Tiny white bumps that scratch out - NOT milia

Hi All,

I'm new here - I found this board after Googling my problem. 

When I was a kid I remember my brother (12 years older than me) complaining that if he scratched his scalp, particularly after washing his hair, he'd pick up teeny white lumps under his nails. I never took much notice, being a kid, but now I have them! 

The ones on my scalp started probably in my twenties. I'd wash and dry my hair and then sometime soon after I'd start playing with it, and maybe run my nails over my scalp. I'd pick up one or two of these teeny bumps and think nothing of it as they didn't itch or lead to any other symptoms. 

Three years ago I started getting tiny bumps behind my ears and down my neck towards my shoulders. I couldn't see anything, but if I scratched, I'd get tiny white bumps (that look like dry milia on close inspection) caught under my nails. Some of them would have what looks like the start of a tiny, translucent hair growing out of them. They're also very hard. Another way I'd describe them is that they look a little bit like the bulb of your hair if pulled from the roots, except they're very hard and more translucent. 

After scratching one of these lumps out (they come out with a light scratch mainly, though sometimes they're tiny hard lumps under the skin that will only come away with a very hard pick. They don't need to be squeezed and are barely seen when under the skin - they just look a little like a congested pore. 

I can live with this, BUT, now they've started to leave a spot behind. Not a traditional spot that'll come to a head, just a red or purple spot that takes ages to go away. I don't seem to have this problem with the ones that come out of my scalp. 

I know that a lot of you will say resist the scratching, but I can't! If I touch my neck, I can feel the teeny lump and automatically scratch! 

Anyone else get these or know what they are/how to treat? They seem to get a little better with Clarisonic or a muslin cloth exfoliation, but don't respond to Dalicin T lotion (that my other spots and TOTM underground cysts respond well to) or Tea Tree oil. 

Any help gratefully received

Celyn

My suggestion is to have it checked by a doctor. It could be anything from Mila to Keratosis Pilaris to even a thryoid problem but only your doctor can diagnose and treat it.

Hi and thanks for the quick reply.

I saw my doctor and she has no idea - except to confirm that it isn't milia (that I have around my eyes occasionally) or KP (which I used to have small patches on my upper arms).

I scratched one out in front of her - she confirmed that she couldn't see anything on or under the skin but when she stroked over the area I asked her to, she did feel the small bump. I then lightly scratched with one of my longer nails and the tiny, hard, translucent/white bump - sort of rounded triangular with a teeny tiny translucent hair came away under my nail. 

She was a bit shocked I think as she's never seen anything like that before. before the day was out, I had what looks like the remains of a spot where I scratched the bump out - the doctor saw how lightly I scratched and said that it wouldn't have damaged the skin. 

We're both at a loss.

Celyn

Celyn, 

Did you ever find out what you had? I have something that sounds exactly the same! Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by MrsBrandy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Celyn, 

Did you ever find out what you had? I have something that sounds exactly the same! Thanks
Like zadidoll said, it's best to go to a doctor. But I have had the same problem for a long time when I was a teen, and it turns out that they were hair casts. You can learn more about them here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3250010/

Mine didn't look exactly like the one in the pictures, and I didn't have as many. Mine were typically a bit shorter and usually just came out if I rubbed my scalp or scratched them. Mine was directly a result of my keratosis pilaris alba, which sounds exactly like what Ceyln described, so I'm not sure why her doctor said it wasn't KP? But of course I'm just working off a description.

I haven't had them for a while now on my head, though I still have KP on the rest of my body. I'm not sure if it was due to my hormones shifting or because I switched to sulfate-free shampoo, because that happened around the same time.

But definitely go to your doctor if it's causing you issues! I'm just giving my experience and maybe a jumping off point. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Good luck! 

Milia is usually under the skin and has to be extracted with a lancet. I wonder if it's like a build up of dead skin cells. But then again I have no idea I'm an esthetician not a doctor! Lol. I hope you get it figured out. Maybe see a different doctor, they might know what it is!

Did you ever determine what this was? I have the same thing and I'm going crazy trying to figure it out!