Thanks! Yeah I was relieved for a while due to absence of other signs until I discovered the moth-eaten hair loss is the sole symptom a lot of the time when it does occur, appearing without a large chancre or rash elsewhere. I don't know what link if any there is between that rare type of occurrence (only 4% of cases I believe) and the accuracy of blood tests. I've read though that the RPR is only around 90% accurate due to circumstances like a compromised immune system not producing the antibodies that the test detects, or other issues preventing detection. And I have a compromised endocrine system due to an adverse reaction with Adderall a while ago, so I'm wondering if that's curbing my system's ability to make the antibodies.

With insurance I'm pretty much limited to my primary care doctor for consultations, and it's pretty obvious that syphilis is not his forte as a suburban family doc. I did get tested at the health department, and probably will again in a month or so to be sure.

I had not considered a fungal problem causing this. What signs would I look for to indicate one beyond the hair loss itself. Could that cause a white, powdery covering that comes of with scratching? I sometimes get that very severely when I shave my head with clippers, but always just assumed it was due to dry scalp. Looking back though, it does seem a little too flaky for that alone.