An EXTREMELY thick and hard hair

[spaghettieater]

My 11 year old daughter has 1 hair-like growth on her scalp that is about 5 mm long and about 10 times thicker than her normal hair. It is hard and hurts if pushed or tugged on. It seems to point the same direction as the hair as it emerges from the scalp.

She just noticed it today. I'd like to identify it and find out what to do about it. I have found terms like hardened hair, sclerothrix, sclero trichosis. I have searched things like huge hair shaft and gigantic hair shaft to no avail. I hope you can help me, because I am afraid that an ordinary doctor won't know what this is. If I can't find a picture like it after so many hours on the net, it must be pretty rare!

[dance777]

HI! Did you ever figure this out? Almost all of my head hair has turned into this. It is maddening. :(

[SunnySparkles]

I just pulled one of these out of my scalp today! I have also looked online and have found no answers. It IS just like a fingernail. Mine was located behind my right ear. When I pulled it out it was painful and had a little pus. Sorry tmi!

[spaghettieater]

I noticed that not even the doctor from India posted on this question, so it must be rare if she didn't know what it was! I cut off a small piece and photographed it up close and I think I can see a single tiny hair inside the clear hard substance. It is exactly the consistency of healthy fingernail material. So my guess is that the hair follicle is defective and is producing fingernail keratin from the scalp. Maybe that means simply that the normal outer sheath of the hair is wildly thicker than it should be. Any help from anyone who knows would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[spaghettieater]

Could this be a type of fingernail material growing from the scalp? The physical consistency of this 'hair' strongly resembles that of a fingernail. Extensive searching the net has found nothing. Surely my daughter is not the only case like this. I read about keratin, but it seems the keratin in hair and nails is the same.