Patchy hair loss around small spots/boils but not pus filled

[littleeggy]

First of all I am a girl. I have had a patch of hair loss at the base of my head/neck for about 2 years.  It all started while I was doing my disertation at university.  I was very stressed and started to develop spots all over the base of my neck and down my back.  These were not pus filled but looked like boils more than regular spots and felt for of scaly.  These were itchy and nothing like I had seen before.  I started losing my hair around the spots at the base of my neck and head and developed a strip of hairloss around the nape of my neck and base of head but nowhere else. I went to the doctor who told me it wasn't stress but could be a skin infection. She gave me some cream which cleared it up a little but I was still getting these weird boil things.

Two years on, most of the hair has grown back except a patch on the right of my neck/head about 4cm in diametre, where the problem started.  The hairs try to grow back but will fall out and look very weak.  I still get the weird spot/boil things that come and go on the patch of missing hair and on the back of my neck.  I also have mild acne on my back.  I have been to the doctor about this again and he thought that the first diagnosis was incorrect and this is not a skin problem but is simply alopecia, however he could not explain the weird spots.

He has given me Dandrazol shampoo to use and daktacort cream to apply but I haven't seen any results yet. The hairs still look very weak and fall out at about 2mm in length and I still get the odd weird boil on the patch and around my neck.  It seems strange to me that he would give me these anti-fungal creams and shampoo even though he thinks this is not related to a skin infection.  Please help, any ideas?

[littleeggy]

Thanks Doc.

Regards,

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms the possibilities of perifolliculitis and acne keloidalis nuchae need to be ruled out. Perifolliculitis is characterised by small, very itchy pustules within the scalp. Acne keloidalis nuchae occurs when hairs on the back of the head and neck grow into the skin, become inflamed, and cause scar tissue. These ingrown hairs usually occur following a short haircut on the back of the head and nape of the neck.

My sincere advice is to get it examined from a dermatologist. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.