Weird bluish spots above eyes?

[EvilMuffinOverlord]

Hi. So, I've had my beardie, Artemis, for about a month now, and his previous owner estimated him to be 3 months old when I got him.
There were problems with his tank, and I had to house him very temporarily (4-5 days) in a much smaller tank.
During that time, I alternated between the UV bulb (a reptisun t5) and his heat bulb every few hours. Because the tank was too small, the lights were both within inches of him at any given time.
When he started to shed, I noticed these weird... Discolored spots, right on top of his head above his eyes. I thought they might go away with the shed, but these two spots STILL haven't completed shed, while the rest of his head has, and the area underneath them where they've partially shed is also a greyish blue.
Could it be that the close exposure to the light burned him or something? Or is it some sort of fungus?
Thanks so much!

 

[EllenD]

It looks like retained shed that just didn't come off correctly. He certainly shouldn't have been that close to a basking bulb as it could have burnt him, but I don't think it's a burn, I think for whatever reason the skin in those 2 spots didn't shed correctly.

You can try to use a soft toothbrush to very gently try to brush the retained shed off in a warm bath. Let him soak in the warm bath for 5-10 minutes (make sure to keep those areas wet by hand) and then gently try to see if the retained shed will brush off. If it doesn't easily come off then don't try to force it, you don't want to tear up the skin underneath it.

You can also try to put some coconut oil or aloe vera on it twice daily, that can also sometimes help it come up, but basically I think it's just retained shed that needs to work it's way off. It's not a fungal infection, not in just those two spots...in fact, it may be possible now that I think about it that he stood up and touched the basking bulb with those 2 spots on his head. If he did that while he was shedding, it definitely could have burnt both the old and the new skin, causing a retained shed. It's probably just going to take some time to work it's way off, but I'd try soaking and brushing it, see if that helps. It may just take some time for it to work it's way off...

 

[EvilMuffinOverlord]

Thank you so much! I have rubbed at it a little bit, but I didn't want to bother his eyes, so I will try that again! I know he shouldn't have been that close, but I did do my best to make sure he couldn't touch the heat lamp... But, if he did, I'll do my best to keep him healthy! And now he's in a much bigger enclosure, with no chance of burning himself again! :>
Again, thank you, I was just worried if it could've been something worse

 

[AHBD]

It will come off O.K. Don't put any oil on since it can sort of magnify the heat and burn a little bit. Aloe is probably fine but those little caps just pop off when they're ready.