Connection between scalp itch and MPB?

[k9gatton]

Why do people on the forums say scalp itch indicates hair loss is progressing in people with MPB?
Not saying I believe or disbelieve it, just not sure why this connection is made and I am looking for any insight anyone can share. Thanks in advance

That is a strange thing to say. Have to agree. Because there are lots of different reasons for going bald. Androgen Alopecia is certainly not the only cause.

[Raxxar]

I wanted to bump this thread because I am also in a situation that is similar to people on here. Actually I am on the verge of possibly taking finasteride/propecia sometime this week but in a span of less then 2 years I lost well over 50% of my hair..

Super aggressive hair loss and its all because of a constant itch I've been battling with combined with seborrheic dermatitis I assume since I now even have dry flaky skin in my ears..the itching is the worst though.

I am hoping maybe fin will help because at this rate I would not be surprised that I'll be completely bald in another 2 years. And the interesting thing is its not like my hairlines is't there, I have occasional hairs along the sides, but ever since the itching begun the dramatic hair loss started, it just does not seem like genetic mpb.

btw im a 23 year old male.

[burtandernie]

If fin made your itch 80 percent better wouldnt you say its DHT then that was the main cause of your itch if it alone helped that much? I tried saw palmetto years ago and it was the only thing that helped my itch but it was night and day difference. I quit because I didnt know if it helped my hair or not and it was giving me sides similar to fin. I thought about trying finasteride though to see if it helped.
I know for me im reasonably sure finasteride would help my itch and for me its androgen related just based on saw palmetto helping me so much convinced me its that. Everyone is different so that is not for everyone and fin does carry some real risks that has prevented me from ever trying it. Not a huge fan of drugs for cosmetic problems its very questionable to me if hair is worth your health.

[Parker317]

Hey everyone,

First time post here, I just stumbled upon this thread/forum by simply Googling MPB Itch.
I definitely have to say I agree with some of the other posters that this isn't just coincidence. I started getting the itch around 3 years ago when my hair loss really started. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, but it got more aggressive and more annoying - and what are the odds, so did my hair loss.

Nioxin system seemed to help a bit in the beginning, but I never found Nizoral extremely effective at resolving the itch either. What's weird is that it's not a normal itch, like one on your arm or leg, that you can scratch and usually goes away. This itch is in a very precise spot, it changes time to time, and a scratch doesn't make it go away. Usually I would have to kind of hit/tap my head or use a pen or something pointy to kind-of pin-point the spot where it was. It did get extremely annoying. Usually it was in the crown or front of my hair...areas where more scalp was starting to show.

I just started Fin exactly a week ago and am already feeling about 80% less itch, I don't think that's just a coincidence.

I also wonder if it has anything to do with Rogaine...Quite possibly most of us are using it or have tried using it but never tied the two together..Maybe new hairs = itch? Though I presume it's the former.

Best of luck to you all.

[burtandernie]

Niz didnt seem to help me much with my itching. The saw palmetto really made me strongly believe for me its androgen related, but science/doctors say there is no known cause/effect there so I dont know. Could have been some placebo effect I guess. Maybe for me its worth trying finasteride. Just removing the itch alone would make it worth a try. For me shampoos in general do nothing maybe at best they help for that day, and the next day its back. I think for me its androgens causing this, but until I try fin I wont know for sure. I just dont want to use fin and have been putting it off. I dont like the idea of using a drug and being tied to a doctor to get refills.

[JohnMPB]

Keep in mind that the original Propecia trials required all participants whether in the treatment group or placebo to use a medicated shampoo (specifically tgel) to combat ant inflammatory scalp condition (seb derm) in order to not confound the results.

This, imo, should tell you how frequent scalp issues such as sd or other inflammatory changes in the scalp are common in mpb. Obviously 100% of people won't experience itch/inflammation but I know I sure do.

[burtandernie]

I took the gelcaps from GNC for the 320mg that are a bit pricey, but after using other brands of the common veggie caps they were the only ones that ever worked. Maybe in liquid form its absorbed better I have no idea honestly. While I was on it though it made the itch go away for me, but the temples/front still kind of itched. It mainly removed the itch from the middle and crown only, but it completely removed it for me when nothing else ever did. Could it have been placebo effect? Certainly could have, but I had some effects on it that make me think it was not.

[Aj1]

The itch was driving me insane . I researched and researched and I agree I believe it's dht attacking the folicles . I found a cure for the itch . Histamine causes the itching sensation in the body...take anti histamine tablets , the ones for hayfeaver and allergies . It works . The cheapest work the best I find . I do not think it stops the hairloss but the itch goes . It's worth it!

[questionkid]

The itch is a funny thing because tons of guys with MPB seem to have it, and I battled it from young age seeing derms and trying tons of dandruff shampoos. Nothing ever worked but I think it is androgen related because the only time in my life it stopped was when I tried saw palmetto. I quit saw palmetto a long time ago after having finasteride like effects and said I am using the real proven thing propecia or nothing.
The thing is no one like doctors or derms says there is any connection between MPB and the itch which seems odd to me given how many men have it.

Can you share the exact product of saw palmetto you used? I'm having bad itches just above the central hairline for hours on end and it's killing me. I'm almost certain I'm losing hair there too, despite taking finasteride.

[25 going on 65]

Would taking fin help this itch, make it worse, or have no effect? Why?

Anecdotes vary....I do not remember having MPB itch til like the last couple yrs. Even on dut + fin. However using Nizoral shampoo 5-7x weekly helped a lot, just have to use conditioner or else it is too harsh

[jamesst11]

Would taking fin help this itch, make it worse, or have no effect? Why?

My PERSONAL opinion is, by taking finasteride, it MAY make it better... but, like a LOT of us have experienced, it may get dramatically worst and rapidly increase your rate of hair loss. Finasteride is f*cked up.

[Hubris]

Would taking fin help this itch, make it worse, or have no effect? Why?

I can only speak personally, but once I started taking finasteride my MPB itch subsided.

[burtandernie]

Would taking fin help this itch, make it worse, or have no effect? Why?

[25 going on 65]

Have experienced MPB itch since i started this thread in 2013. It is in areas where hair loss is going on. There is 100%, definitely a correlation. Hair loss sufferers have talked about this forever, doctors are pretty clueless about it but it probably is connected w/ inflammation

[jamesst11]

I agree with Dench.... if not true, it would just be WAY too much of a coincidence. My first 8 months on finasteride, I had itch, and creepy crawling feelings EXACTLY where my hair started falling out weeks and months later. When the feeling stopped, the hair loss slowed down. When it came back, it sped up. I could pinpoint on my head precisely where these locations where and they are the ones that are balding the quickest. There HAS to be something to this, guaranteed. Plus, there are a million other stories of this. I believe that if you are experiencing MPB, you don't HAVE to have these sensations to lose hair, BUT if you are experiencing MPB and DO... Then you are guaranteed to lose hair in those areas.