Small hard white hair?

[jsovey]

I am referring this post

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/White-bulb-in-hair-follicle/show/768252

because the two comments after the doctors reply perfectly describe something my girlfriend has had. It's was small, hard, and clear white. It was a lot like a finger nail material. I found it on her scalp while running my hands through her hair. I was very firm and pokey. It looked like a short white hair but I pulled it with tweezers for her and the base was much larger in width and length than a "hair". It was definitely NOT a follicle. Any info is appreciated.



This discussion is related to White bulb in hair follicle.

[dragonfly81]

This fits my situation as well!  Years ago, my husband found the exact same thing in my scalp.  It was hard & sharp when you ran your fingers over it.  He pulled it out with tweezers and it looked like clear plastic embedded within my scalp (bottom left part of scalp).  I figured it was some weird ingrown hair and never gave it another thought until two weeks ago.  I cupped my hand around the left side of my neck, right under my ear lobe and felt another hard, sharp object.  Husband pulled out another small, thick, clear, and plastic like object.  Yesterday, another was found, in the same spot, the same hole even, because it hadn't completely healed from two weeks ago.  Now, that spot is red, tender, slightly swollen and has a black scab like thing over the hole.  What is this??

[mellmp]

Holy crap I thought it was just me, I was nearly convinced I was starting to grow a feather lol. About a month or so ago I felt something poking me on my right side and noticed there was something that looked like a hard sharp piece of fingernail type tissue sticking out of the inside of my upper arm just above my elbow, Ive pulled it out 3 times total, I also had this happen on the side of the bridge of my nose but that only happened one time years ago. This one on my arm is exactly like everyone elses description, like a stiff white hair with a larger base under the skin, after being pulled out it tends to look like there is something tiny tiny black in the healing hole that it left, so very strange, it freaked my daughter out when I showed her, she told me to get out of her room cause that was gross, lmao

[magratgarlik]

I have had exactly the same thing. It is as though a fingernail is growing from a follicle instead of a hair. I've had this on my eyebrow and on my side. They are very hard and scratchy and quite painful until tweezed out. I'm waiting to see if another grows so that I can take it to my doctor. I was too disgusted to keep the other two!

[manzana82]

I have the same issue, once or sometimes twice a month I get a really sharp, hard white thing sticking out of my face sometimes on my cheek, other times near my nose.   They're like splinters and can easily be pulled out with tweezers. They are clear and about and I guess similar to a small grain of rice. I have no idea what they are, they don't irritate me particularly and you can't see them but they can feel sharp so guess better out than left there. I wonder if it has anything to do with the feathers in my pillows or duvets that people use??

[dragonfly81]

I don't use down pillows or have anything with feathers in it, so in my case, it can't be anything like that.  I found this website again, because I just ran my hands through my hair this morning and found another one, in the exact same spot on the lower left of my scalp.  This is so strange!

[clickclickclick]

What are these things! My daughter just removed one from her scalp. I'm taking it to our Dr.s office.

[TheRainbowChicken]

I pulled one out of my arm today and am sorta freaking out. What did the doctor say about it?

[dragonfly81]

Please let us know what your doctor says?  My husband pulled mine out yesterday and said that what looked like a blackhead came out behind it.  (Sorry for the gross TMI!)

[dpmarty]

I am curious as to what your Dr. said.  I have had these for years mostly on my back.  I have never had acne and I think that the Dr. that a year ago mentioned this was an OCD issue is very wrong.  Something is growing that is like a splinter/feather follicle...that dear Dr. is not OCD.  I would love to know more about these odd follicles.

[majella81]

I just took my son to the Dr today with this exact same thing and was told that he had a Keratin horn, to be honest I did laugh at the thought of my son growing horns, the Dr assured me that I had nothing to worry about he would be fine. Hope this helps answer your question

[emmyloo]

Nevermind the keratin horn thing. I searched what that is and sincerely wish I had not done so! ;) Anyway, that does not describe the problem we are discussing here. I have been plucking these weird straw-like white/clear thick hair follicle type things since I was a kid! I get a couple every month. They do not bother me until I run my finger over one and notice this rough, thick hair like ting sticking out of my skin. I usually pluck it with tweezers or just my nails sometimes. I pull it out and it's like a very small grain of rice. It is really annoying and weird to me bc I've never seen or heard of this anywhere else! My dad gets them too...  PLEASE can anyone answer what this is so we can think of ways to prevent them? They are very annoying!

[emmyloo]

Dermatologists, anyone?? Does this sound like the hair follicle itself is being pushed out? I am usually very good at researching to figure these things out, but I am still stumped.

[jay808]

I am reading all these comments and googled "Keratin Horn" as a previous person had said their doctor diagnosed her son with it, but said he would be fine.Well, the more and more I read on it the more and more I am getting worried because there is a possibility that it could be cancerous. I just pulled it out with tweezers, so I am going to keep an eye on it for the next couple days and if something looks weird I will definitely go to the doctor.
The research I read said it occurs in areas frequently exposed to sunlight. I had mine on my back side and I am thinking "What the heck?" because my back never gets sunlight, but then I did just come back from Hawaii so I am guessing that's how it started...
I'm pretty worried, though but I'll keep all of you updated if you guys are on the same page as me.

[Monochromaticist]

I found this after researching infectious diseases due to my own bought with recent medical issues pointing to yeast related illness (IE: External Rash, Swollen/Painful Spleen, Higher than normal GRAN# white blood cell test result....slew of other symptoms...)

http://www.keratin.com/aq/aq005.shtml

The terms are "black piedra and white piedra" and though I have just stumbled upon it and have not really read about it extensively I figured I could leave a post regardless... it could always help someone I'm sure.

[horriblethings]

Look up morgellons disease.

[jvc1988]

Did you find anything else out? I did the exact same thing- looked up keratin horn and I couldn't sleep last night. I had a small fingernail like strand growing out of my scalp- very small almost missed it when running my hand through my hair. I couldn't see the base, because it was on the top of my head but it doesn't hurt at all- just very weird. I've never had this before or heard of it, but after doing research it is scary to see that it could be canercous... or i could turn into a tree! Im 23, white healthy female. Any help would be appreciated!

[k374]

did anyone ever get a follow up to what this might be? It happened to me just yesterday on the back of my shoulder and I was wondering if someone found out what it was.

[rusty45]

I just started getting these little grains of rice on my side and it's really gross. they come in small patches of about six or seven and I get my husband to tweeze them.  they are not sore or itchy.  the Internet is no help and I feel stupid going to the doctor for something that is not bothering me, just grossing me out.  anyone figure it out yet?

[qwertyuiop37]

this sounds like something i may have... but i found one on my side and pulled it out. any help would be appreciated.

[qwertyuiop37]

this sounds like something i may have... but i found one on my side and pulled it out. any help would be appreciated.

[SW1980]

My 6 year old daughter has one that keeps growing under her eye, does anyone know what it is?

[sai01]

I have felt this in my head for a long time now. everytime i shave my head it's gone. but then it grows back. finally tonight i had my wife tweeze it out for me and it looks like a plastic white hair. first thing i thought of is it's fingernail material. there's gotta be someone out there that knows what this is. if anyone ever finds out, please post it!

[DoctorFeelGood]

I got a couple of these a few years ago in college.  I felt them when i'd wash my hair in the shower.  After a few weeks of thinking I was crazy I did some surgery and cut them out of my scalp.  They were really in there and bleed when i took them out.   They were like very small horns.  White and conical shaped and only a few millimeters long. Funny thing was that they were located right where they should be if you were the devil.    But they were wide like a bunch of hair growing together.  My guess is that a hair follicle goes a little haywire and over produces or maybe gets clogged or infected so it grows faster than it should and wider than it should.   Now I just tell people I'm the devil in disguise.   They haven't come back.  

[WI_lady]

I just found one tonight. I was tubing in a river all day and I thought it was a bug but I have no idea what it is. I saved it and have a doctor appointment on Wed. I'll return with some info...

[EvanA83]

Has anyone found out what this is yet? this is the only forum that had a description on what I have. It's defiantly not that karatin horn thing.