The scalp inflammation/itchy/burning/tingling thread

[Not giving up]

Man, I feel horrible for you guys, this sucks. The uncertainty and lack of control is killing me as well. I went through EXACTLY what you're going through about a year ago. Itching burning, pin point stabbing and pressure sensations, shedding... it was miserable. For me it was just TE and I hope you guys are able to come to some kind of conclusion soon. I eventually realized that the more I f*cked around with things, the worst it got. The only "solution" that actually worked, and it took about a month, was to stop trying all this different stuff. I would just shampoo with 1% keto with HOT water, scrub it in with my fingernails, let it sit for like 5 minutes and rinse it. Afterwards I used that purador conditioner, let that sit for like 5-10 minutes and then got out of the shower and rinsed it with FREEZING cold water and left my hear under it for like 2 minutes. I just read this somewhere and it stopped the itching dead in it's tracks. I don't know how. Maybe it was just the hot and then cold, maybe the keto, who knows.
Anyway, that's what I do now. It makes my hair look thicker too. I then just style it to cover my thinning spots, fluff it up, put in hairspray and try to forget about it for the day. All these treatments you are looking to try seem to have minimal research behind them, are expensive, hard to properly formulate and putting more crap on your head right now, personally, I think is not a good idea. The body has a way to correct itself. The one thing I realized EVENTUALLY (after like a year and a half) is that with hair, it just takes a long friggin time.

Hey bud, you suffered from TE? I think that's what I might be going through right now, did you get any regrowth after the shedding stopped?

[burtandernie]

These kinds of threads end up many pages with no real solutions. Its just people kind of guessing and saying what they tried. There is no solution to the itch and I dont think there is even an established connection between MPB and the itch. Its common but doesnt mean they are directly related. We could find out 10 years from now though that they are. Who knows but I do have the itch as well. Nothing helps just shampoo might help 1 day and it just comes back

[jamesst11]

Yeah, I was one of those idiots that decided on an HT with just about a full head of hair. greedy and vain and I go f*cked for it!! exactly four months after I was shedding like 200-300 hairs a day, for like 3 months straight. right when it started to resolve, I tore my ACL playing ball. Then had ACL surgery and got it again. It's been a year and a half of TE, resolved like 5 months ago. then I started fin, 4 months ago, in hopes that since all this MASSIVE hair loss was RECENT, I would have a chance of bringing it back. Still shedding I think. I, do however, see a LARGE amount of thinner hairs, any where from 1/2" to 2" growing every where. Hope they become something cosmetically significant.
burtandernie, couldn't agree with you more. Some people have NO hair loss, yet itch all the time. A LOT of people that are going through MPB NEVER itch. I asked all my friends who are going through it. NO ITCH. So, if there is a "direct correlation" between MPB and itching, how come so many people with MPB don't itch?

[Dench57]

Hey dench, where did you hear about that seti group buy? And is it topical?

http://www.****************/interact...RANT-GROUP-BUY

Although thinking about it, that guy just joined this forum last month. The other one was run by Hellouser who's well known at least. I'm pretty skeptical about the whole thing.

Can be used oral or topical. The company is marketing it as oral I believe which is a real selling point for me. Hate topicals.

[Dench57]

There is no solution to the itch and I dont think there is even an established connection between MPB and the itch.

I have to keep trying everything I can - there must be something out there. My itch is beyond most peoples I think, it's a CONSTANT burning, itching, tingling, often painful sensation. It hurts when wind blows on my hair ffs.

It's definitely a part of the MPB process (DHT attaching to receptor, causing mysterious micro-inflammation). See this thread:

http://www.hairloss-research.org/february1.html

[Dench57]

Yeah, I was one of those idiots that decided on an HT with just about a full head of hair. greedy and vain and I go f*cked for it!! exactly four months after I was shedding like 200-300 hairs a day, for like 3 months straight. right when it started to resolve, I tore my ACL playing ball. Then had ACL surgery and got it again. It's been a year and a half of TE, resolved like 5 months ago. then I started fin, 4 months ago, in hopes that since all this MASSIVE hair loss was RECENT, I would have a chance of bringing it back. Still shedding I think. I, do however, see a LARGE amount of thinner hairs, any where from 1/2" to 2" growing every where. Hope they become something cosmetically significant.
burtandernie, couldn't agree with you more. Some people have NO hair loss, yet itch all the time. A LOT of people that are going through MPB NEVER itch. I asked all my friends who are going through it. NO ITCH. So, if there is a "direct correlation" between MPB and itching, how come so many people with MPB don't itch?

I had very non-aggressive MPB before I took Fin and never itched, ever. Since taking Fin I have super-aggressive MPB and itch all the time in MPB areas, where I'm thinning most. There's plenty of stuff online by people much smarter than me that implicates a link between MPB and inflammation. It is just theory and unproven but I've no reason to doubt it.

The PGD2 inhibitors I'm really hopeful about, it's really my last hope I think. PGD2 has been shown to inhibit hair growth and also plays a role in inflammatory responses.

[Not giving up]

http://www.****************/interact...RANT-GROUP-BUY

Although thinking about it, that guy just joined this forum last month. The other one was run by Hellouser who's well known at least. I'm pretty skeptical about the whole thing.

Can be used oral or topical. The company is marketing it as oral I believe which is a real selling point for me. Hate topicals.

Yeah I just checked it out, doesn't seem to be overly trustworthy. However I'd love nothing more than oral like that. It's a shame that type of stuff doesn't pop here more often.

[Dench57]

So guys, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse for me...

Seems I have the beginnings of gyno, visually seems to be a tiny bit more fat around my nipples, and I can sort of "feel" my breasts, though it's not quite sore or painful.

I'm hoping I'm just being paranoid. I don't know if it's the Fluridil or the topical Spiro (probably spiro) but I'm discontinuing both anyway and hope it resolves itself.

[Dench57]

Yo Ziggy,

I'm at the same stage as you mentioned in the other thread: willing to risk sides and just wanting my life back. I refuse to let this shit ruin my 20s, it's gone on long enough. I'm going to see a dermatologist at Harley Street in London (best specialist medical care in the world) who specialises in androgenic alopecia. I really hope she can give me some answers and treatment for this ridiculous scalp pain/itch. I will report back after I have.

As for treating myself, I think I've ruled out anti-androgens, my body just does not like them. As shown by my Fin reflex-hyper, non-response to topical spiro/fluridil, and possible gyno (which I think may have been the Amitrytyline). I just have an incredibly sensitive hormone system that can't be messed with internally.

Did you ever give more thought to the idea of low-dosing oral minoxidil? I remember you talking about it a while back. I was reading a thread about a guy, and several others who had great results with it. He mentioned "As strange as it may seem, oral minoxidil is particularly effective at regrowing/thickening temporal areas (and probably the hairline in general)". Now my better judgement is telling me oral minoxidil is not something to be ****ed with and has dangerous side effects, but since its not anti-androgenic in nature, and its a simple oral, and you read these encouraging reviews, especially for temple regrowth....man it's tempting. My temple hair has been miniaturised to **** with this itch, but surely must be salvageable. I suppose there's no point though until I get this inflammation under control, thats raping my follicles faster than any treatment can thicken existing/grow new hair.

Thread: http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/m...VIEWTMP=Linear

There's also a guy in that mentioned he got upregulated ARs from taking Fin/Dut, and the subsequent inflammation/itch that me and you have. Seems very similar to your story - took Fin with no problems for 7 months and then BAM, inflammation/itch. See:

"I took finasteride for 7 months and it completely stopped my loss, unfortunately after that, the shedding and inflammation kicked in and has not stopped since October 2012. As in your situation the loss is totally diffuse so I still have decent coverage but it has thinned dramatically. I believe that for people like us our bodies uptick the inflammatory response to mpb in response to lowered androgen levels. I recently tried topical spiro and it also caused increased inlfammation just like the finasteride and dutasteride. TE and and upregulated androgen receptors may also play a part as well. I have read on the boards some people in the same boat have success from stopping AA's, but unfortunaltey for me that has not been the case. The only thing that has reduced the maddening inflammation for me has been minocycline, a systemic antibiotic"

The other poster mentions:
"Tetracyclines are very effective at reducing inflammations in the body, and your hair loss is probably caused by that."

Encouraging to know a guy who got inflammation from Fin managed to treat it. I haven't heard of these "tetracyclines" before but I'm gonna look into them now. Not giving up.

EDIT: Should also mention I'm seeing my standard dermatologist on Monday, I think I'm gonna request a scalp biopsy. Even though from the pictures I'll have to shave a patch off my frontal hairline and be left with a scar :/ it needs to be done though I think

[Ziggyz123]

Hey Dench, I never did the low does of oral minox. I would assume 5mg would be the prime dosage for it though from my readings. Idk, my hair got so bad that the only way to fix it is a transplant.. I actually did not take fin yesterday and my shedding wasn't that bad surprisingly. I have to take it today and tomorrow because I'm getting blood work Saturday. If I were to be off of it, that would defeat the purpose lol.

Also, I have the same thoughts about the biopsy . One derm I saw said he wanted to do it, but my hairline is bad enough without a biopsy scar, however, something has to be done. Especially in your case.. It's truly amazing how we are in the spot on Hairloss meds. Everyday I look at my self and ask myself how the hell did this happen..

[Dench57]

Well I know others opinion doesn't mean as much as how you feel yourself but really, from the pics I saw your hair looks fine. Keep trying other treatments before you go down the transplant route. What about RU+Neogenic like loads of guys on here use? Assume it doesn't have the harsh vehicle that Minox has you can't tolerate.

It's truly amazing how we are in the spot on Hairloss meds. Everyday I look at my self and ask myself how the hell did this happen.

Everyday I think how different my life could've turned out if I hadn't taken that pill. Like you I had amazing hair a year ago, non-aggressive MPB that I could've left for years, enjoying my 20s...should have been the best years of my life. I think my balding is permanently accelerated but there must be a way to get this inflammation under control. At the stage now where I'm thinking about Sulfasalazine....can't believe I got myself into this mess. Just taking more and more dangerous drugs to try and reverse the damage another drug has done. I wish it would resolve itself naturally but it never will.

[Ziggyz123]

Yeah, my hair looks "decent " in pictures but that's blow dried and what not. I was thinking of trying RU a while back, but I'm not into mixing all that together. I've heard of neogenic, but not to sure on what it is exactly.. Can you fill me in?
But yeah the propylene glycol doesn't agree with my scalp unfortunately. Honestly, if you think my hair looks good now, you should have seen it before. I'll post a picture later on from last summer..

I did read irishpride's story about finasteride hurting instead of helping and him going on RU. But I wouldn't be able to apply ru all over because my hair is pretty long. I'm scheduled for blood work tomorrow so I'll know better about what's going on when I get my results. But like you, it's probably just unregulated receptors. We'll see though.

I think replicel or setipiprant is our way out, but I hear nothing about seti and replicel will only be in Japan. Who knows if it will even work too.

Let me know how your visit to the derms go man. Thanks for the updates. If I figure anything out or get anywhere, I'll be back with an update.

[Dench57]

Hey Ziggy,

There is another group buy going for Seti atm, closing on 28/07. See this thread:

http://www.****************/interact...RANT-GROUP-BUY

You should PM Highlander Reborn, he will forward you the details of joining it on the PHG.com website. $340 for like a 3-6 month supply I think, I'd definitely be doing it if I wasn't going travelling (hopefully still) in November, cos I think it takes about 3 months to arrive and I would miss the shipment. I'm still considering it though before the closing date.

I went to see my standard Derm today. She's not a hair specialist but she did a hair pull, and took some of my hair to examine under a microscope later. She said it was damaged, mentioned something about keratin, because it's really brittle/thin and weak when it wasn't just a few months ago. She's referred me to David Fenton in Harley Street:

http://www.drdavidfenton.com/

She said he's one of the best in the world for hair/scalp problems, with a specialist interest in hairloss, so I'm hopeful he can give me some answers. For £350 for 20 minute consultation I'd ****ing hope so . I have my consultation with him next Monday and will report back. Still waiting on my DHT levels from the blood test, I think they'll be high, I really hope not because there's nothing I can do about DHT.

I'm not too sure about Neogenic, I think its Stemoxydine, a fairly new growth stimulant similar to Minoxidil but less harsh I think. You'd have to Google the details but I see a lot of people use that as their RU vehicle.

Iirc Irishpride has been diagnosed with chronic TE, so he has other stuff going on besides MPB, so anything that works for him might not work for us.

The more I read about this scalp itch/pain the more I think/hope/pray it can be treated with anti-inflammatory approach, whether that is through diet, supplements, drugs whatever. I notice drinking alcohol (bad for people with chronic inflammation) makes my scalp pain worse the next day. There's not much I can do about my MPB, the approved medications don't work and I've tried just about every non-approved/alternative treatment, but I just hope to get this inflammation down to a level where I can get on with my life.

[Ziggyz123]

Hey dench,

Thanks for that group buy info. I'm not into using it topically though and I think it comes in a powder for that. For you and I, I think setipiprant will be the ticket because I never had any real loss of hair until I got inflammation and itching. I'm now taking micro doses of fin to see if I should be off of it.

Glad you are getting your situation looked at by some real professionals! That keratin thing, could it be follicular hyper keratosis? I thought I might have had that as well, but one seem told me he doesn't believe in it ? Lol

Irish prides situation, I think his chronic re was due to fin messing with his hormones. He got off it and regrew a lot of hair. But yeah, either way I can't truly pin point what happened with me or you.

Either way, once I get this inflammation to sort of stop, I'm getting a transplant to bring back my hairline/ density

[Dench57]

I haven't heard of follicular hyper keratosis before but briefly looking at it, it looks like it would have obvious physical signs that I don't have.

As for the Seti, the company that are making it are planning it as an oral. Guys are either planning to make a topical or just take the powder orally, in water or whatever. The safety profile is pretty good. I would be using it orally.

EDIT: Also a rather pointless but funny development nonetheless...my parents are going to visit some old family friends of ours next week they've known for years. I told my parents that Propecia is made by Merck. The guy, my dad's friend, just happened to be one of the directors of Merck in Europe, possibly the head honcho, for over 20 years. Wonder what he has to say about my experience with Propecia causing all this haha...