Strange Sensation

December 19, 2006 8:51 PM

Sometimes a spot on my scalp crawls.

Sometimes a spot on my scalp, seemingly around the size of a quarter or two, will have a strange sensation. It's a little bit like the feeling you get when your hair is parted in the wrong direction, except that my hair isn't. It's like a crawling feeling, like someone's touching you, or even like someone's pouring lukewarm water onto the spot. Does anybody else get this? What is it?

posted by stray to health & fitness (18 comments total)

Headlice?
posted by JujuB at 8:53 PM on December 19, 2006

*grins* I don't think so--it's always one spot, and scratching doesn't really affect it. I feels very "in my brain", if that makes sense.
posted by stray at 8:59 PM on December 19, 2006

Is it just that spot and no other oddities conjoined with it like spots in your vision, headaches or something like that? If there's no mental or other physical activity associated with the strange sensation, just scratch it a bit and take a breath.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:01 PM on December 19, 2006

I get that sometimes too... haven't in a while but I can relate... wish I had more to say but at least you know your not alone!
posted by crewshell at 9:01 PM on December 19, 2006

If it's "in your brain" does it happen when your mood or state of awareness change, or does it signal or precipitate some change of state?
posted by Burhanistan at 9:02 PM on December 19, 2006

I can't say that I've noticed it connected to anything. I do get migraines with visual flares, but that doesn't seem connected to the sensation.

The reason I asked today is that it's been happening for the last few hours and is a little annoying. It seems to go away if I rub the spot, but comes back a few minutes later.

I did bump my head a little doing some stage fighting earlier today, if anyone things that could be connected, although I think it has happened before without having bumped my head.
posted by stray at 9:09 PM on December 19, 2006

erector pili
posted by hortense at 9:26 PM on December 19, 2006

Sometimes when I'm sweating a little tiny bit, even on a cold day when no other part of my body feels sweaty and I've only just exerted myself a little, I get a really itchy sensation on the top of my head from tiny tiny amounts of sweat.

Gross, I know. But I guess I sweat there first, or feel it first or something. Drives me crazy.
posted by np312 at 9:36 PM on December 19, 2006

You have muscles and connective tissue under your scalp, like you do everywhere else. Could just be various twinges.
posted by frogan at 11:24 PM on December 19, 2006

Botfly? (/devil's advocate)
posted by wsg at 1:35 AM on December 20, 2006

I get a sensation much like you describe when I've had too much caffeine - right along the part, like it's gonna drift off of my scalp. (under these circumstances, I usually feel like I can *feel* my fingernails grow. I"m talking six Dews in four hours)
posted by notsnot at 4:16 AM on December 20, 2006

I get the same feeling, too (especially the lukewarm water feel). Irritating as all hell.

Mine is related to some extensive scarring on and under my scalp (everything got shifted around due to reconstructive surgery involving use of implanted skin expander balloons). So, trauma could be related. Aside from the bump on your head, do you have any long-term injuries near that spot?
posted by Sangre Azul at 6:53 AM on December 20, 2006

I had that for a while. I was wondering aloud to a friend what it was, and she said "let me look at your head." While she was looking, I asked her what she was looking for. "Oh, all my sisters had head lice, and I was really good at finding them." "I don't have head lice! There's no way I could have them. What do they look like?" And she plucked a hair from my head, showed it to me, and said, "like this!"

Just sayin'.
posted by jennyjenny at 7:40 AM on December 20, 2006

I have had that feeling while drinking yerba mate.
posted by o0dano0o at 7:56 AM on December 20, 2006

May I suggest searching the term Trichotillomania? I certainly do not mean to infer you suffer from Trich, I just think you may find good information in that area since the crawling scalp sensation is a known trichotillomania trigger.
posted by goml at 9:52 AM on December 20, 2006

I've had that feeling from MSG in food.
posted by thinkpiece at 11:49 AM on December 20, 2006

I get that frequently and it is similar in sensation to an eye twitch. It creeps me out. I have not found a way to relieve it either. My uneducated guess is lactic acid build-up. I have no science to back it up though.
posted by SMELLSLIKEFUN at 1:05 PM on December 20, 2006

I get a sensation very similar to the one you're describing when I first wake up in the morning. If I don't shower within about 15 minutes of waking up, it drives me bloody insane. Might I suggest one of those deep/scalp-cleansing shampoos?

Also, I second the recommendation to read about Trichotillomania. I have an ex who has this, and she always said that's how it felt.
posted by Spike at 3:12 PM on December 20, 2006