Freshly shaved, but still worried D:

• Freshly shaved, but still worried D: by CaptainSensible on 04 May, 2009 10:56
• So, I'm a nineteen year old kid, and for as long as most of my friends have known me I've always had pretty long hair.  I never liked haircuts, so I basically just let it grow.  Over the last few years, however, I began to have some really annoying dandruff problems- nobody ever noticed it but me, but it ITCHED LIKE CRAZY.  When I'd be at home, I'd be constantly scratching the back of my neck, it was incredibly irritating.
  
  Over the last few weeks, I've been reminiscing about what my head was like years ago, before all of this started.  At one point, I had shaved off all the long hair to get a mohawk, and I remember that I never had any scalp problems for that entire time...And that was while I was smothering what little hair I did have in all sorts of harmful products to get it to stick up straight!  Anyways, after about 20 minutes of thought, I decided to grab my buzzer and shave it all off.
  
  I feel as if I may have made a mistake.  I don't think my scalp has ever been more unhealthy, and I'm wondering if it'll clear up at all, let alone over the next little while.  It's covered with angry, dry red patches.  It's still fairly itchy, and the skin down the entirety of my neck is a painful shade of crimson.  Pretty, it ain't. 
  
  I know that logically, it should clear up now that I've shaved it...But I can't seem to convince myself of that fact.  Any others ever been in such a situation?  For those who had skin problems but decided to shave anyways, how long did it take to clear up?  It's pretty brutal right now, although I'll admit I'm being way too impatient.  It hasn't even been a full 24 hours.   =/
• #1 by BlackJamesRackham on 04 May, 2009 11:05
• hey bro,
  
  sorry to hear you're having trouble with the shaved head. did a clipper shave give you this much trouble? or did you use a razor after buzzing it, and is it the razor that gave you the issue?
• #2 by Mike on 04 May, 2009 11:09
• I was just going to ask what BJR just did. If you just did the clipper shave that could be one reason. When I shaved a couple months ago I buzzed it down and for that 5 minutes when I had alittle hair my scalp was really itchy. Then after I shaved it with a razor the itchyness went away. So I say try shaving with a razor and all that, it might help. After shaving try putting some aloe vera gel on it to sooth it.
• #3 by CaptainSensible on 04 May, 2009 11:14
• Ah, I used clippers, yeah, but the skin has always been red and flaky.  It's a skin issue that runs in my family, really.  It's at a #1 right now, so there's still a bit of hair.  Hope it clears up quickly, as I have work on Thursday and it looks really bad right now...
• #4 by Tyler on 04 May, 2009 11:46
• What's the skin condition that you have?  Some of the guys here have had relief from their skin conditions by shaving completely.  A #1 buzz still irritates their skin.
• #5 by Timmay on 04 May, 2009 11:58
• Exactly.  You havent told us if you have shaved it with a razor.  Even after you shave it with a razor make sure you put some kind of lotion on it.  I use 100% aloe vera that I keep in the fridge.  Give it a try with in a few days you should start to see improvement.   Dont give up yet, its too early in the game.
• #6 by CaptainSensible on 04 May, 2009 16:31
• Sorry for the late response.  I used a clipper, not a razor.  There's still about 1mm of hair, I don't quite know how much difference it'd make.  My neck is pretty much completely bald now, no hair, and it's the worst out of the entire scalp.  Really red, really splotchy, really dry.
  
  I have Seb...Sebhor....God, it's hard to spell.  Seb. Dermatitis [hooray for abbreviations!], and I've got eczema on other parts of my body.  The thing that worries me is the fact that some of my eczema never goes away- what if this has become just like those parts? 
  
  It's pretty hard to stay positive here.  I'm not giving up yet, no way, but it's pretty disheartening to think that I could look like this for the next few months...  I've just been using some weak cortisone cream [Perscribed for my other eczema, it's very weak and was approved for use in sensitive areas of skin] today and trying to get some sun.  Trying to keep optimistic or even realistic, but I've got a lot of stress in my life right now and this just isn't making life easier, y'know?
  
  Thanks for the replies, gentlemen.
• #7 by Kratos on 04 May, 2009 16:49
• Maybe you should consult a doctor and get a medicated shampoo. I had a strange infection on my head at one point, the doc gave me some shampoo that went by a huge name I couldn't pronounce, and it cleared right up. Good luck to you man!
• #8 by Mikekoz13 on 04 May, 2009 17:32
• Sebhorriac Dermatitis? Excuse my spelling but I know what you mean. One of our guys on here, SCHRO, has this condition (I'm pretty sure that's the condition) and even with a little hair he had problems.
  
  Look thru the list of members to find him and send him a PM.....he's a great guy and I'm sure he will be glad to help you out.
• #9 by CaptainSensible on 05 May, 2009 09:24
• Welp, day two of this misadventure in skincare, and it seems to be healing slightly.  The redness around the top of my head is greatly reduced, and the skin behind my ears is also healing.  The back of the neck is still a warzone, however, but it looks to be getting slightly better.  It's less of an angry shade of red and more of a tender hue of pink now, which, although less manly, is a relief.  The itch has also gone down, and the entire red area seems to have shrunk already!  What's left is VERY dry however, so it's a little sore.  I'm wondering if this is normal for the healing process...It can't stop here!
• #10 by BReady on 05 May, 2009 10:28
• CaptainSensible,
  
  When I let my hair grow too long (e.g. > a couple months of growth), my scalp would start itching really bad around the back of my scalp.  The only thing that would stop it was to get the clippers and buzz it down with no guard.  The longer I waited to do it, the more of a mess my scalp looked after I buzzed it.  Now was the clippers irritating my scalp?  Maybe..  But I think it was more of the fact that you could now SEE the irritation because you clipped all your hair off.  I've also noticed that when I would keep my hair clipped w/ no guard on a weekly basis, I would lose the irritation.  So, in my experience, it was the hair itself; not the clippers.  May it's the same for you?
  
  BReady
• #11 by CaptainSensible on 05 May, 2009 10:33
• That's really probably it, I mean...The clippers may have irritated it further, but I'm pretty certain it was always like that.  How long would it take for your scalp to clear up, anyways?  Granted, it will probably take longer for mine to heal...Two months without a shave and yours was irritated?  My hair was down to my waist ><
• #12 by chs4 on 08 May, 2009 14:30
• Just another post of encouragement here.  When I first buzzed my head prior to shaving it was a bit irritated as well, most likely due to the cheap clippers I used and the fact that I probably used too much pressure when buzzing.
  
  Not only did that irritation go away after a few days, but within a week or so a couple of areas where I had mild eczema on my scalp also cleared up.  We're talking eczema that I couldn't seem to keep at bay for years when I head a head of hair that suddenly cleared up completely after a couple of sly weeks.
  
  So if you really want to stay sly, don't give up too quick.  You may also find that a few days in the sun (use sunscreen!!) may assist in clearing up those "unhealthy" spots.
  
  Good luck and keep us posted.
• #13 by CaptainSensible on 14 May, 2009 00:25
• Well, it's mostly healed after a week and a bit.  It's at the point where only I can really notice it.  Just a little bit of red, no more flakiness or dryness.  It feels a lot better...Or it did, anyways.  I seem to have forgotten that crucial bit about the sunscreen....Ow.  Ended up going to the drug store with a bright red sunburn, and I wasn't even out for that long!  Delicate skin, I suppose, and it wouldn't help that it hadn't seen the sun in years.  Aw well, got the sunscreen, got the aloe vera, things are better.  Thanks for all the posts, guys, if it continues to heal at the rate it has been, I'll probably be leaving it like this for a very long time.  Not only is it much easier to maintain and much healthier, but I seem to be in a more athletic mood lately, not having to worry about hair getting in my face while I'm biking or running around.  Not a bad decision, can't say I regret it!
• #14 by Rhymez on 14 May, 2009 02:12
• Hey man! I am also 19, and shaved my head for the same reason you did. I hated the dandruff and sh*t, which is why I shaved my head, and used to gel and use harmful sprays to keep my hair in it's dew. When I first shaved my head I had the same problems, those dry red irratating patches, itchy scalp. Here is how to get rid of that. Believe it or not, the best thing I have found to get rid of it all is that very thick hand cream. It is ment for people with chapped and irratated palms, but it also works wonders for your head. It will go away as long as you take the right steps to protect your dome! Try the hand cream. When I used it my head cleared up in a matter of days. I grew my hair back because I could not get a tan on my head from all the hats I wear, but I keep it a short buzz now. That way it looks good, and I do not need any gels or sprays. As soon as I find a good tanning product I am going to start shaving my head again myself.