Tinea capitis

Tinea capitis is a fungal infection of the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. It tends to affect the fair shafts and follicles.

It presents with flaky skin and hair loss; there are black dots where hairs have broken; there can be a kerion (an abscess); there can be favus (yellow crusts). Patients experience itching and dryness often with hair loss.

Treatment is with oral anti-fungal medications (such as griseofulvin or terbinafine). It is important to check all the other family members too and treat where appropriate.

References

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1091351-overview#:~:text=Tinea%20capitis%20is%20a%20disease,of%20superficial%20mycosis%20or%20dermatophytosis.

https://www.bad.org.uk/for-the-public/patient-information-leaflets/tinea-capitis/?showmore=1&returnlink=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bad.org.uk%2Fpatient-information-leaflets#.XzwOZpNKh7M