Hi, I've never posted on any forum of any sort in my life, but this problem is so aggravating that I thought I needed some advice. I am not too sure if I should have went to a hair forum or a skin one so I think I may just post on both just to get a better understanding of my problem. I am a 17 year old male and since March/April of last year I have noticed an excessively itchy scalp along with these whitish round and waxy "plugs" that are attached to the root of my hair. When I scratch them (which I avoid doing now) they come out along with the hair. One thing I have noticed is an extreme slowdown in the growth of my hair. My sideburns, which used to grow in REALLY thick are now not as long as they used to be and are much thinner (I usually cut the sides of my hair down very short anyway so it isn't that bad) but the hair on top has become dry and brittle due to this weird type of acne. To my understanding, sebum should be present along with oily skin, yet my hair is dull and not oily at all! When I get my hair cut, it grows back fast (within a week), but it doesn't grow back as thick as it used to the year prior. Also, it doesn't grow as long - after a certain length it literally stops. Here are a couple of things to note just so this post isn't too long:

- These whiteheads started on my scalp, but are now on my chest, shoulders, eyebrows, and the slightly on the upper part of my arms

- I have an Eating Disorder for sure, I've been thin my whole life with a BMI of 15.8. (5'10, 110 lbs) which I know is dangerous yet for some reason I just can't change it. My dad is the same way yet he got a little better as he grew older. The confusion behind this is: If an ED has kept me thin my whole life, why does it cause hair thinning NOW instead of my entire life?

- I have had an itchy scalp for as long as I have been thin, so I suspect it could be a deficiency of some sort. However, I had my blood checked and the deficiencies I got were too little Vitamin D and too much B12. I should have asked my mom to ask for the exact numbers but I do know the doctor said "the Vitamin D is not too bad but it is controllable". Because of this I feel as if the B12 may have more to do with it although I have heard Vitamin D is like a master hormone for the body that controls many things. Are these two vitamins linked in a way that would cause acne/hair thinning?

- I don't really have hair LOSS. It's more like a drastic hair thinning that I feel will become hair loss if these whiteheads don't go away.

- I have been to two dermatologists and I can assure they are a waste of time. I'm positive the responses I get (if any) will be more helpful than a doctor as sad as that is. If I get some information and need a professional opinion, maybe I will give a third trip to a derm but I don't see it happening unless it's something profound. I have been on a shampoo and steroid. The shampoo was called Cicloplorax (I think that was the name) and Clobetasol steroid foam. Both were useless. I did receive some slowdown in whiteheads when I received a month of antibiotics but after they ran their month it was back to whiteheads everywhere again.

- While there are people in my family that have had hair loss, no one has Male Pattern Baldness. In fact, my grandparents probably have thicker hair on the sides than I do (sad to say). It is really frustrating because I had VERY thick hair just ONE year ago!

- My thyroid was checked for TSH and it turns out it is normal. While I now know that TSH alone is not very accurate, I am still skeptical on whether or not my thyroid can be a cause of this. I kind of think it does though because my mom recently got diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism yet my symptoms are that of Hypothyroidism (besides being thin, with hypo I should be overweight/chubbier right?)

- I've recently noticed that my face has went from being bone dry to oily, although I think this is normal with me overcoming the ED within the past few months. Regarding my face acne, my whiteheads are BAD on my face with my nose being the worst (you can see my pores!) I have heard that as you begin eating more after an ED, you begin to go through more hormonal changes so your skin will return to its normal oiliness. Also, I don't know if this is of help, but if you put your finger on your left eyebrow, move it slightly up then to your left, I had persistent (cystic?) acne there for a long time that recently cleared up. The disappointing part is I don't know if it is from my Vitamin D3 Supplement of 5000 IU or my increased diet.

- I have this weird twitch around my neck and eyes. What vitamins control twitching? If it's the same one that is responsible for this nonstop whiteheads, then maybe it is a deficiency. One major question: DO BLOOD TESTS TELL YOU ALL OF YOUR DEFICIENCIES? Or do I need to have a separate Zinc test run? I feel so stupid about these things.

I know this is a very long post but I am actually frightened by this. I have tried every remedy with organic shampoos, exfoliating, essential oils, Nizoral, Head and Shoulders, etc. yet nothing has made these things go away. When I get my haircut I notice these things falling in the THOUSANDS. They just pop off my pores then stick around in my coarse hair just to fall off when I get it cut and have the pore replaced with a new one. Luckily there are no bald spots (yet). This is not an exfoliation problem because it is REOCCURRING. I exfoliate my face with this really useful tool and my face feels clean for ONE DAY. That's it, just one day then it's back again. How can this be? I know there has to be something wrong inside.

I went from having a few scalp hairs fall with these whiteheads on the root from having a few eyebrows fall and it is just frustrating. I understand 100-150 hairs a day is normal to lose but I used to never lose any and now my scalp is thinner all in one year! All the conditioner in the world won't make my hair lie flat and not frizzy.

At this point I'm just ranting so I will leave it at this. I PRAY that someone read this and have an answer because even though it is possible, my genetics shouldn't make me have thinner hair at 17! I could be exaggerating though as it is still rather thick, just not where it once was. If I can get rid of these whiteheads, I can get rid of my thinning I'm sure of it. Thank you for reading this! (sorry for the length) If there is ANY information that you may need, I will surely give it.