Skin eruptions may occur anywhere on your body, including your scalp. Bumps on your scalp that look and feel similar to pimples and zits can be unrelated to the acne that appears on other areas of your face or body. While certain home treatments may help rid your scalp of bumps, contact your doctor for any persistent or unusual skin lesions and bumps.
Significance
Some conditions appear more often on your scalp than in different locations on your skin. Like other areas of your body, good hygiene is important to your overall hair and scalp health, although even diligent cleanliness may not prevent the formation of scalp bumps. While most scalp bumps are seldom serious, they may pose a risk of infection and contagion, depending on the underlying causes.
Common Causes
Small bumps that resemble large or small pimples can occur on your scalp for a variety of reasons. Skin growths known as sebaceous cysts commonly form on scalp skin, producing slow-growing bumps under the skin's surface. A common cause of clusters of tiny scalp bumps involves infestations of lice. Lice transfer easily from person to person, through contact from shared styling tools and combs, or from close physical contact, regardless of personal hygiene.
Symptoms
Sebaceous scalp cysts may produce nothing more than a hard, round lump that you can feel with your fingertips. However, an infected sebaceous cyst may cause pain and tenderness, especially when touched. Head lice may cause intense itching across your scalp, especially in areas that contain numerous small bumps. These bumps may turn red and spread along the back of your neck to your shoulders. Upon close examination, you may see movement of lice in your hair or, more likely, the presence of white spots along hair strands from lice eggs.
Considerations
Lice infestations spread quickly and easily, often affecting entire families or schools. Minimize the spread of lice by avoiding lending or borrowing others' hairbrushes, scarves, barrettes or combs. Over-the-counter treatments may help remove the lice, while stubborn infestations may require prescription strength products. Some sebaceous cysts may gradually disappear on their own, while others can require medical attention.
Medical Treatment
The best treatment for your scalp bumps depend on the underlying cause of this skin condition. Your doctor may examine your scalp and take hair or tissue samples to view under a microscope. Prescription strength solutions that contain lindane or malathion may help eliminate stubborn infestations of lice. Infected and inflamed sebaceous cysts may require antibiotics and surgical removal.
