Itchy scalp

[its2much]

Itchy Ears

This is somewhat related to the Itchy Scalp post. My ear canals itch. Sometimes in my sleep I scratch and tug at them which results in swollen, practically closed ear canals. Both are sore and swollen now. I've had it on and off for at least 5 years. Don't know what to do to stop it.

[Carolinemf]

Hi
Back again,
Sorry you're not improved Faith.

With my scalp my inner ears (canal) also gets very scaly and itches so much at times that i scrape with my nail and it will bleed and scab up.

This is all an ongoing problem for me, that i believe has possibly been caused by ms treatments etc.
Eyes , mouth, skin and genitals. All been clinically diagnosed. It is exacerbated by stress and other illnesses. It was believed i had Sjogrens syndrome until biopsy ruled that out.

The only things i discovered helped with the intense ear and scalp itch (before i saw different specialists)was cleaning and drying THOROUGHLY and applying anti-fungal clotrimazol cream.

The specialists actually confirmed most of what i had worked out by my own trial and error and prescribed me Kenocome drops for my ears. This is an antifungal/bacterial usually used for things like tropical ear infections.

Basically I have combined all info and advice given to me by dermatologists, dental hygienists, ophthalmologists and neurologists to control (not cure) these symptoms so that I look nice still and am not being inconvenienced by uncomfortable and annoying irritations.

From what i understand- even though my scalp isn't flakey (like with dandruff) because of the dryness there are excessive dead skin cells and my own oil built up on the surface of the scalp and in and around the ears and at times this is a great environment for mild fungal infections. And if you have ever had vaginal thrush you know about itch!

So in general- once i had the worst of this under control i now just try and maintain the following-
Drink plenty water, Soak my self in warm (not hot) water semi regularly and exfoliate (every where) once a fortnight(more often and dryness worsens) Don't use soap on areas that are problematic Clean thoroughly daily with a wet cloth and clean water only.At least once a week i thoroughly clean ear canals with wet cotton buds then dry with another then put anti fungal cream and lanolin on a third bud and smear in the ear there is an almost instantaneous easing of irritation.This routine usually lasts until i'm ready to shampoo again.
So - keep all areas squeaky clean and moisturised with a natural moisturiser(no chemical and especially no steroid base) and if any itching is present use over the counter clotrimazole cream in conjunction with moisturiser.

My skin, hair and eyes are doing really well since i,worked out what i had to do for me, and look and feel better than they did 10 years ago.

You ladies may have something different to me, causing you grief, I can only comment on my own experience. But i hope this helps.

[Mamabug]

Hi
Back again,
Sorry you're not improved Faith.
...
You ladies may have something different to me, causing you grief, I can only comment on my own experience. But i hope this helps.

I think we must be experiencing different symptoms. My symptoms are only an itchy scalp. Nothing with hair, skin, eyes, ears, etc.

But, maybe your experience will help someone else.

[hunterd]

Try Witch Hazel, it may help you, it did me.

[palmtree]

Hard to know if it's an MS symptom or not. My guess is that you have developed a sensitivity to the shampoos and conditioners that you use. Since you have wheat allergy that indicates that you have an allergic system which makes other allergies appear.

I sure get what you are talking about with the small print. It's impossible! The culprit is usually sodium laurel sulfate found in almost all soaps. It's what makes the soaps bubbly.

There are many hypo-allergenic shampoos and conditioners but there is one in particular that I have found very helpful. It is made by a small company in Santa Barbara, California called Cleure. I rarely wash my hair because it is curly. Just rinse it off in the shower and put the Cleure conditioner on. It's so soothing and my hair comes out nice.

Another suggestion I have for you is to put in a shower filter. The cartridges need to be replaced often but getting the chlorine out of the water really helps.

I hope you find a solution. Any kind of itching is no good.

[Mamabug]

Hard to know if it's an MS symptom or not. My guess is that you have developed a sensitivity to the shampoos and conditioners that you use. Since you have wheat allergy that indicates that you have an allergic system which makes other allergies appear.

...

I'm using a different shampoo since this occurred, and, sometimes no conditioner, other than apple cider vinegar. Hasn't gone away, so I doubt that it's an allergy.

[MyGirlsMom]

Itchy scalp...yes! I have had this itching for many years, off and on, long before I was diagnosed with MS. My scalp itches only in the back just above my neck and behind my ears. When it itches there, I usually also itch on my chest, just under my bra line and sometimes too on my forearms.

Thinking back about 20 years ago before I knew I had MS, this would mostly happen while biking. I attributed it to "allergies" although there was never any redness. I think back then I was hot, tired and sweaty from exercise (lots of intense mountain biking at hat time). In fact, my middle finger on my left hand used to go numb too, along with the bottoms of my feet. I didn't know then that this wasn't normal.

Now the itching (and the other systems) arise without any exercise. Thankfully I haven't had the itching (without exercise) for over a year, but at times I have had it for as long as several months. The burning feeling on my feet is constant now, but can vary. My fingers do periodically go numb without exercise and in fact, my left big toe was suddenly numb today.

My guess is that it isn't shampoo or a scalp issue and it is from MS. It can be so bad that you can feel like you are going crazy....I totally understand!!

Hang in there...my hope is hat is suddenly disappears soon!!

[SNOOPY]

Mamabug,

Have you considered going to a Dermatologist?

[Mamabug]

Try Witch Hazel, it may help you, it did me.

Thanks, Hunterd. What is witch hazel? Do you get it at a health food store? (Or, does anybody else know? Hunterd may be taking a break.)

[Mamabug]

Mamabug,

Have you considered going to a Dermatologist?

No; I hadn't even considered that. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Mamabug]

Update

It's been about 6 weeks since my itchy scalp symptoms began. Initial attempts to get rid of it were sometimes partially successful, sometimes hardly even that.

The past two weeks have been fairly improved. The itchy times aren't totally gone, but I no longer need to use apple cider vinegar or even water to wet down my hair at night to make the itching stop enough to sleep (symptoms seemed to be worse at night).

It's possible that the T-Gel therapeutic shampoo helped. My doc suggested that and I'm still using it. Didn't work immediately, if that's what is helping. Or, maybe it was a minor MS flare that resolved on its own? I don't know; if it is, it's very different from my usual flares, but a "usual flare" for me, is fairly a-typical for everyone else, so, maybe.

I just returned from a vacation and if it wasn't improved, I was going to call my MS Specialist, but, at this point, I think I'll just let it go. Symptoms are minimal and pretty bearable.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. What we would do without each other? You guys are awesome!

[Carolinemf]

glad things are improving for you faith.

[swpanther1]

right there with you

I have itchy scalp as well; it's so annoying. I also have a weird itch just below the ear but above jawbone--right side only (have had this for about eight years...no rhyme or reason why it happens and doctor has no idea--even benadryl doesn't help and since it's under the skin, anti-itch ointments don't help).

[Bldudas]

Glad the itching has gotten better. My scalp sometimes itches from psoriasis, so I know how crazy it can make you.

[Mamabug]

Yeah; I wondered about psoriasis or eczema but there was no sign of either of them. Or allergies, but I hadn't used any different products or eaten different foods.

Just was a weird thing, I guess.