Skin/scalp problems.... diet? allergy?

Hi guys, new to the forum so kind of an introductory thread and a question combined!!

I've been Vegan for a bout 6 months, was vegetarian for about 4 before that, and in most aspects I've been very vey happy with my choice. I mainly chose it as i couldn't stand the grim realities of the meat and diary industries. Everything has been great aside from one aspect, i seem to be suffering scalp problems. I've never ever had any problems with it before however persistently I'm getting raised red spots almost, quite painful. it's stopped me going to get my haircut etc. I don't know whether its related to my diet but it seems pertinent to ask if anyone else has had anything similar? perhaps its an allergy? i regularly eat soya/tofu/almond milk.

any help appreciated guys!!

John

Hello. Have you by any chance changed your shampoo/whatever you use to wash your hair? I had something similar a few years back that I was convinced was a food allergy but it turned out to be dermatitis from some product I was using. Maybe try just washing in water for a few days if you think it could be that.

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harpy

Hello. Have you by any chance changed your shampoo/whatever you use to wash your hair? I had something similar a few years back that I was convinced was a food allergy but it turned out to be dermatitis from some product I was using. Maybe try just washing in water for a few days if you think it could be that.

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Yeah that's the thing I haven't really, it could be though, used same hair product for years as well, seems to be very persistent and is really impacting on my life. Yeah I will give that a shot, cheers

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harpy

Hello. Have you by any chance changed your shampoo/whatever you use to wash your hair? I had something similar a few years back that I was convinced was a food allergy but it turned out to be dermatitis from some product I was using. Maybe try just washing in water for a few days if you think it could be that.

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Yeah that's the thing I haven't really, it could be though, used same hair product for years as well, seems to be very persistent and is really impacting on my life. Yeah I will give that a shot, cheers

Hmm, I guess you could still have developed a sensitivity to it or they might have changed the formula so it might be worth a try?

Other than that, what I was trying to do was keep a diary of what I ate and when the skin problem was worse to see if I could find an association - you could try that. You could also try the GP although mine misdiagnosed the problem when I did :)

Hope you get it sorted soon, it can have a disproportionate impact on things can't it.

I had this problem years ago before I was vegan suddenly got lots of spots around my hairline. I changed to a baby shampoo that was very mild and it went away. I now always use natural shampoos and haven't had the problem since.

if you've used the same shampoo for years have you checked it is vegan because you may want to change it anyway if it isn't (not judging, just sayin)?

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harpy

Hmm, I guess you could still have developed a sensitivity to it or they might have changed the formula so it might be worth a try?

Other than that, what I was trying to do was keep a diary of what I ate and when the skin problem was worse to see if I could find an association - you could try that. You could also try the GP although mine misdiagnosed the problem when I did :)

Hope you get it sorted soon, it can have a disproportionate impact on things can't it.

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That's the thing I've been to the GP and they've been more than useless tbh. I've cut almond milk as my first start and soy going to see what transpires.

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tickled onion

if you've used the same shampoo for years have you checked it is vegan because you may want to change it anyway if it isn't (not judging, just sayin)?

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Let me clarify that, I've used the same hair stuff for years I.e products. Shampoo I use changes a lot.

If you can't find an association with food or substances you're putting on your head maybe you could try and get a referral to a dermatologist. I've just been reading about scalp folliculitis, which sounds a bit similar, and can be caused by an infection apparently.

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harpy

If you can't find an association with food or substances you're putting on your head maybe you could try and get a referral to a dermatologist. I've just been reading about scalp folliculitis, which sounds a bit similar, and can be caused by an infection apparently.

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Thanks for the reply. That's what the dermatologist theorised it was, been a total nightmare so far though.