I saw a posting about this condition on Google and several comments
afterwards.  The last comment was dated March 2005, but nothing since.
 I too suffer from this problem.  It began 3 months ago and is not
going away.  I noticed several suggestions to help make it go away
without the help of a doctor (which was the general opinion, that not
much has been done by doctors). Has there been anymore solutions/cures
found since that last March posting?  The pimples are multiplying and
itching....driving me crazy.  I have had shingles re-occur in past
3-5years and believe this may be related as I feel like they are
trying again. This started while planning my daughters wedding
(stress!) and have not gone away since.  I do have a stressful job as
well.  Any help would be appreciated.

I am a 34 yar old mom of three and two years ago I started the same
problem and i went to see the dr,she took hair samples but she cut
them with scissors to get them not getting the root and at the time of
my visit i ahd several pimples on my scalp I asked her why she didn't
remove them sore and she gave me some hair brained excuse and i didn't
go back to her I later went to see another dr for the same treatment
and he prescibed a 500mg antibiotic that i stayed on so long it also
killed the good bacteria in my stomach and caused me to have vertigo
so becareful with the long periods of antibiotic.I meet an elderly
lady that said she once had the same problems and she tried one of the
oddest thing and it cured it. her sores would come under a thick coat
of dandruff and would be so sore she picked just like many of us.
anyway dandruff is a fungus and so is vaginal yeast, she oiled her
scalp with a vaginal yeast cream 7days on & 7days off for three months
and it went away.haven't tried it yet but with the rapid lost of hair
and wearing tracks to cover bald spots i gotta try something soon.My
hair sheds like i have syptoms of hypo thyroid but don't, i have had
everything checked about hormones ,thyroids,cancer,aids and everthing
you could possibly imagine.gonna try the vaginal creams starting
sunday wish me luck

I read through this thread from its creation to now, and I think that
people are suffering from several different ailments.  I believe that
the sores that heal on the surface but don't go away may be bites from
small insects whereby they have introduced a virus.  The bites of this
type seem to act like warts do.  That may be why they heal on the
surface, but remain under the surface.  Until the wart-like viral
capsule is removed, it will remain, regardless of how many times you
scratch the top of it off.  Personally, I think something in the
spider or mite family may be involved.  I woke up one night after
feeling something like a bite at the back of my scalp, but I was so
deep in sleep that I didn't wake completely.  Shortly thereafter, I
developed one of the classic "won't go away" ones.

There is also another possibility for those which come and go;  they
may be due to food allergies.  Personally, if I eat something with
peanut oil in it, then I will within hours, develop small pimple-like
bumps on my head.  These go away, but they are easily reproduced by
eating peanuts or something with peanut oil in it.

I also notice that my hair is oily.  When it gets long in the back,
just before a haircut, I will get little bumps.  Nothing in them but
lymph.  As soon as I get my hair cut, they go away.  I think these are
irritations which come from the oil and perhaps dust that might mix
from my pillow.

Lastly, for those who are losing hair... it may or may not be related.
 I am a male 50y.o., and several years ago, the front part of my scalp
really started to thin out.  I did some reasearh and found the
discussion of DHT, which is a hormone.  High levels of DHT were
claimed to promote hair loss.  I went to my GP and obtained a
prescription for a DHT blocker.  My hair grew back within 2 months,
and I have a full head of hair.  I don't know about the women who
experience hair loss, but it must be awful to deal with.  I would
suggest speaking with a doctor about DHT or some similar mechanism. 
It worked so well on me that my Dr. started using it.

All in all, I'd say to keep hair clean and make sure pillows are
covered during the day and that pillowcases are changed frequently. 
Also watch for things you do or eat which make them worse or seem to
make them better.  Obviously, the ones that are subsurface never go
away because the cause of them is beneath the surface.  A good tissue
sample and a powerful microscope will identify the source.  That may
be my next step.

Oh, and one last thing... you may be sensitive to certain materials,
dry cleaning chemicals, or soaps, so watch for that as well.

Try keeping a log of when they get better or worse and what you were
doing several hours before that.  See if a relationship develops.

Ask your dermatologist to check for dermatitis  herpetiformis (google
it to read more).  It is quite often overlooked or misdiagnosed as
eczema  (or some generic rash) and is related to celiac disease
(inability to digest wheat protein) . Patients seem  to have a genetic
susceptibility, but it can be "activated" at any age or in certain
conditions (such as pregnancy--stress might be a trigger).  It can be
diagnosed using a simple skin biopsy. Left undiagnosed, it  can lead
to auto-immune diseases.

Hello all,
Researhing this topic, I've found 3 google blogs 
dealing with this problem:

- http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=603016 

- http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=572205 

- http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=195811

I think its caused by diffent things for different people.
Lots of bread and sweets seemed to the main cause of it for me.
Lots of water and working out regularly seemed to help alot also.

Anyway, someone mentioned something that I thing applied to me:

...dermatitis  herpetiformis (google
it to read more).  It is quite often overlooked or misdiagnosed as
eczema  (or some generic rash) and is related to celiac disease
(inability to digest wheat protein)...

I think almost everything that comes out (on the body) is from what you
put in (eat).  With that I can only suggest you make a log
of everything you eat, no matter how small.  Everyone I read about
seems to have had windows of off and on, or bad and not so bad.
Find what was common on those days.
If possible, take a few days away, so u have completely diff diet.
See if your condition changes.

Wow, who knew they'd be so many people.
see ya everyone.

Listen everyone...we can manage this together! From so many sources we
are understanding the connection  between the mind and healing. Bill
Moyers book 'Healing and the Mind' talks about it   Moyers on
Therepeutic Support : "When I read about your study, it just seemed so
commonsensical that people who get their feelings out in the open, who
have the support of loving friends and family, who are able to
distract themselves from pain, and who know that they're not unique in
suffering or alone...are going to be happier and more hopeful, and
therefore better able to cope with disease." That's what everyone
coming to this google answer site has said. 'It feels so good not to
be alone". So let's work with that power and strength.  See health and
healing all around our heads. Deny, deny, deny this defect for
ourselves and each one of us who visits looking for an answer. Of
course we will not touch our scalps obsessively anymore now will we?
Except to loving put on it wonderful substances that feel great. Also
all of you who have stopped going to the haridresser will now start
going again, because your scalps are just fine. I use to think this
was just 'positive thinking BS but the fact is that it works. It
worked for me until I let DOUBT back into my life. See all of our
beautiful heads healed. Keep a smile on the front of those heads. If
we find a 'spot' of something on it, say "So what?' Have no time for
it. Get yourselves creating something, anything. Get busy with your
family, friends, neighbors. Give this thing no room in your life.  We
have a therapeutic support group right here. Let's get busy seeing
health and happiness for each one of us. Please join me in this. Carpe
diem!

Hi,

Me too.  I have these clear weeping guys on my head.  Right were the
hair thins on the edges.  Weeps clear until I get at them. 
Unfortunatly I LOVE to pick at them, oh my!

I got a sulphur shampoo that seemed to work for a while, while I used
it.  10% sulphur, I do tropical fish medicines and I do not like
spending $15 for sulphur.

I will maybe not find a cure because you guys seem like you have tried
everything.  I put Neomycin Sulfate on my head.  Bloody infections go
away but not the bumps.  I have some sort of sulphur and glycerin,
mineral oil thingy that does hold it down.

I used testosterone when weightlifting and that is when the hair
started to go.  No one is balding in any of my relatives so this is
self induced.  Girl told me I was losing hair and I noticed and
stopped immediately.  Too late, too many injections, that stuff does
not leave the system all that fast.

I am going to try some Metrodiazole anti-biotic and see what happens. 
It is good for pet fish.  I am an experimenter, I will let you guys
know if I find the CURE!!!!

I have had this problem for years and still do. I went to a
dermatoligist telling him that I thought it was a fungus. He never
helped! He gave me fungicide solution that did not work. These spots
start out small, but enlarge over the week. One night I woke up with a
small, black spider on my face. The next day the spots were there. I
found and killed the spider that hides usually under my bed. I have
killed at least one spider a week. The place where I am living has an
unfinished basement. I will put screen over the vents and make sure
they can't get in. I am sure of this because the spots appeared last
night again. I looked for the spider and killed it. Check for spiders
when this happens. I'm glad it is not a more serious problem for me. I
got suspicious when I found bigger spots on my lower leg. It took
months for this to go away. I believe the spiders are hungry from lack
of insects, and feed on our blood in the middle of the night. A person
would not feel them biting.

My dermatologist in SV told me this is dermatitis and incureable and
not catchy. Not so, since I got it, it transferred to my son. And now
to my oldest son who moved in with me. I'm not sure what this is.
Symptoms are itchy scalp that is painful. Sometimes associated with
headaches. Also, my son complains of circulation problems and feeling
tired. It has been five years for me. What I have found to be helpful
is not using my finger nails to scratch and using Dial antibacterial
soap. I have tried various over the counter stuff that does not work.
There is hope if we all band together to try to solve this problem. I
will try the tea tree oil and let you know if it works for me.

I have had this problem for years and have found a few things that
lesson the bumps.  A dermatologist suggested Head & Shoulders
Intensive Treatment in the dark blue bottle.  It has worked the best. 
And, you have to really fight to not itch off the bumps.  Other things
that have helped but not as consistently are:  DHS Zinc Shampoo
available at the pharmacy without a prescription, Fluocinonide (google
it-prescription steroid treatment), a prescription for tetricycline
antibiotic (I had to try a few to find the best one which I think was
monocycline), also trying peanut oil on the scalp at night but it was
messy.  Keeping the scalp clean is important so:  wash daily and after
a workout, keep hair products like hairspray and gel away from scalp
as much as possible.  A dermatologist has termed it "foliculitis-a
problem with the folicle" and a number of hairstylists have told me
many people have bumps on their scalp.  Climate may have something to
do with it, although it started when I lived in a humid climate and
has continued here in a dry climate.  For me, I have noticed seasonal
outbreaks as the weather begins to change and also an outbreak the
morning after having as little as a couple alcoholic drinks.  I think
this will be a problem for life, but the Head & Shoulders shampoo and
choosing to not pick at the bumps as little as possible has made it
managable.  Best of luck to you in finding your solution.

I am 17yr, and I have had this constant problem, I have these pimples
I guess you could call them on the back of my head, and the sides. 
When I look at the in the mirror, alot of them are white heads or
they're a soft jelloy feel spot.  My doctor to me to put some anti
cream on it, but when i read the bottle, it clearly said DO NOT PUT ON
HAIR so me a up standing citizen did not put it on my hair, so I
decided one thing I could do is shave my head, well it help but that
after my razor burn died out.   But if left me for about a week.  I've
tried tons and tons of things, but I noticed that Head and shoulders i
think the name is help, I'm not sure which one it is, but every head
and shoulders I've used has help it.  But I guess it has to be one of
those things that either are compatible with you skin or not.  But
beside the points, I've noticed that I'll put a brand new pillow case
a night, and when I wake up, it has hair strands blood and puss, and
it's actually quite embarssing, because I'm one who loves to have
company and friends in my room just kickin' it, so I have had to time
evertything.  I also love to walk around with a almost bald head and a
half mohawk, but I've also noticed that I brake out and when I do oh
boy I need to like hide cause it's like everast on my head. But
wearing hats beneais ski mask balakavas, anything that covaers the
effected things will erritate it, so I have to go out in public like
this and my selfesteem has been pretty low. and this has been
happening ever since I came to California so my 7th grade year it
started, and I am not in 11th so about 5 years or so.

      If anyone can give me something better to go that be the best
thing anyone has done for me, because I miss walking out and kickin it
with firends, and having girls just stroke my head.  I lost my girl
friend to this crap so you can see how much I hate it. and what they
say about gresy foods and chocolate big lie, you skin seeps oil no
matter what. so there you go.  I take about 4 showers a day when I
have enough H&S but right now parents money is kinda tight so I've
been reduced to this generic crap my step dad says "It's just as good"
I think other.  ANy help please E-M me at Dead-6@hotmail.com    Thanks
again.

While I've not found a cause or cure for my scalp pimples or the
itching, or the build-up of who-knows-what on my scalp, I have found a
little relief.

A friend bought me a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, the
peppermint variety. She thought I'd enjoy the scent as a pick-me-up.
While I don't agree with the "religious" philosophy covering each
bottle (when you see a bottle, you'll know what I mean), their soaps
are awesome. It's pure liquid castille soap, and therefore it's
alkaline. Most commercial shampoos (even dandruff shampoos) are
acidic. The peppermint oil seems to act like a medication on my scalp.
It calms the itching and pimpling. (I've tried a couple other of their
soaps, and only the peppermint gives me this relief.) It's very drying
to my hair, though, so I can't use it every time.

I have had scalp bumps for about 10 years. I did much research on why
i could be getting them. I suspected an allergy since i noticed i
would always get fresh bumps right after i would wash my hair (
daily). So i wrote down all the ingredients in all my shampoos and
brought them into the doctors. He said, " you have scalp acne without
even looking at my list or listening to me and put me on some acne
pill ( which didnt work). I am 29 years old and like many of you feel,
i was really conscious of these bumps.. I began getting bumps on my
upper arms and sides of my face. They were unlike pimples because they
would never come to a head. they were just pink bumps that hurt and
within a few hours,they would shrink down alot.
So i began using organic skincare.. Aubrey, Dr Bronners, even homemade
skincare.. eggs, vinegar.. anything.. Nothing worked.. so i finally
gave up..
By this i mean i just got so frustrated and figured i will just stop
using shampoo on my hair and soap on my face.
After just a few days of washing my hair with a mix of apple cider
vinegar & water, all the bumps went away.. I continued this for a year
now.. I gave up shampoo for good and my bumps are gone. Now many may
be grossed out by this but i swear that shampoo was the problem. I
know everyone is different but if you are really desperate, why not
give it a shot.
My hair never smells, looks better than it EVER HAS and i just put a
little bit of my fav perfume or essential oil on my hair when it dries
so i still smell pretty. This has been the ONLY thing that has ever
worked for me. i can now wear my hair up and be confident. Your hair
will not smell like vinegar once it has dried. Apple cider vinegar has
antibacterial properties and also balances the ph level of the scalp.
I dont use the apple cider vinegar everyday anymore.. once my hair was
stripped of all the shampoo residue ( which the acv helps), i
sometimes just rinse water through my hair and scrub under the shower.
again.. it takes alot of ADJUSTING since one is so accustomed to using
a shampoo daily but it does work! If you try this and notice at first
your hair looks greasy.. this is NORMAL.. your scalp is so used to
producing so much oil to make up for the oil the shampoo takes away. 6
wks is the adjustment period.. the apple cider vinegar/water rinse
works very good to get through this period..
hope this helps.. it is something many of you may say " yuck" i mean i
never could have imagined going a day without washing my hair with
shampoo 10 yrs ago.. I have gotten so many compliments on my hair this
past year.

This condition is a combination of a couple of things: Anxiety,
Stress, Diet and lack of exercise. I believe this is a form of
SHINGLES. My aunt had it and basically, the same symptoms. Instead of
her head, they were on her butt. So good luck and hope everyone can
work on this. Please continue to post your results or different
methods.

I've had the same problem for 10 years or more, exactly how everyone
describes it.  Mostly on the back of my head is where they start.   I
had tried tens of different shampoos to no avail.  I went to my doctor
and mentioned the problem, and at first he thought it was some type of
infected follicle.   After I told him that my mom had been prescribed
a certain medicine for something similar, he prescribed me a steriod.

DIPROLINE (augmented betamethasone dipropionate) is the name of the
lotion he prescribed.   Any time I start to feel the bumps show up, I
rub a bit of it in and they disappear within a day.   Even with a
large spot, it only took a few days before they were gone.   I REALLY
recommend anyone that's having this problem, try it.  It worked
wonders for me, and the idea that it worked eased my nerves as well. 
It was especially bad because I have buzzed hair, and it was very
visible.

Let me know if it works out for you!

For more info. you can visit this page i found on scalp pimples if you like.

http://www.acne-treatment-answers.com/scalp-pimples.html

I am a 38 year-old female.  I've had scalp sores/pimples for 2 years.
They come and go.  I have been to many dermatologists, all who give me
some antibiotic that never works.  I started taking the pill 2 1/2
months ago...Yasmin to be specific...and I haven't had one since.  I
think they are hormone related.  It would be nice if someone would do
a study on this.

I have had these for years i thought it was just dry scalp causing
pimples.  Recently i found through my dermatologist that i have an
allergy to metals.  When i have contact to nickle i break out with
Pompholyx a type of eczema that presents with little pimple like
blisters typically on the hands and feet.  I also have an allergy to
Propelene Glycol and my Dr said that when i eat something that has
nickle and use a product with the propelene glycol i can get the same
reaction on my scalp, and i do.  Yesterday i had a big salad and today
i have an outbreak i know what to look out for now so i can tell when
i will break out and from what.  Check it out do any of you have metal
allergies?