The scalp inflammation/itchy/burning/tingling thread

[Stressed]

Hi guys does anybody know why my scalp has only STARTED itching now after 5 months on propecia?? Iv never had this problem and only had a receding hairline when i started.. I started minox 4 weeks ago but i only apply it on the hairline. My whole head itches in places and when i scratch it and tug the hair atleast 3 hairs come out at a time. I also started keto shampoo 4 weeks ago but stopped it a week ago thinking it was causing the shed. It is obvious now that it wasnt. Help please??

[OrdinaryUser]

Like a lot of you it seems, my first onset of hairloss was accompanied by burning, itching, etc. It then happened intermittently when my hairloss episode slowed down a little. Another contributing factor for these sensations of the scalp was when I trialed Rogaine about 6 months ago. In conjunction with worsening my hair by thinning it all over in what I hope to be just a reversible shed, it also gave me the itch I experienced the first time I had hairloss, but this time it was worse and there were red nodules forming on my scalp that have since scarred.

I stopped Rogaine and tried ketaconazole with no relief. I then got on finasteride, a low dose, and only gave a little relief. What has given be the best relief and a removal of at least 3/4 of the itch is salicylic acid. It could be a good addition to any regimen to help with overall inflammation.

[goldnt]

When i first started to lose my hair i got these, it would bother me so much. i would scratch it or just do a hair pull test and noticed i would lose hair there. Over time these places were spots that had a lack of hair. For example i would get that sensation on the crown area in the cow lick area. 2 months later and that area is a small bald spot. i would also get that in my hairline area where im receding. Once i got on ru though i dont get those anymore. Unless i dont apply it or i get a bad batch of ru i start getting those sensations and hairloss. Thats how i know when i get a bad batch of ru.

[Jazz1]

I'm like a timer, if I stop FIN couple days to a week my whole scalp starts to itch, tingle, burn and hair starts to fall. This is such a funny feeling something inside my scalp eating at my follicles, obviously DHT. As soon as I take FIN few hours all the problems go, no itching, no tingle nothing .

[burtandernie]

There is no real answer to the burning tingling stuff. I mean we dont even know if its different things for each person or not. If its an immune system thing we probably wont ever know with how little anyone knows about that and how dangerous it is to mess around in that area. Androgens might be the cause but only in some people or it could be seb derm who really knows. Each person has to guess and check different things because its clear no one has any real idea.

[konfusion]

how long have you been on this updated regimen?

About 8-9 months I think, cannot exactly recall when I added dutas.
As for the itch, it was mainly in the frontal just behind hairline, mid region and vertex. Vertex and mid region were terrible.
And also note that itch 80% gone, not completely but it feels so much better now. Before this regimen I used to take 1 mg dutas daily, and it wasnt helping with the itch at all. I stopped it and did not use anything for like 15-20 days, then I started the fin and saw palmetto. And after sometime I added 2x weekly dutas because I felt fin might be too light for me after a complete year of dutasteride.

[OrdinaryUser]

I wrote some time ago to this thread, now it is update time. I mentioned that I started saw palmetto. My regimen is now fin daily, 300 mg saw palmetto daily (also i.cludes 4 mg isoflavone which I dont know much about but they argue it is good for hair) and 2 times a week dutasteride. My itch is 80% gone. I still sometimed feel it but very mildy, it used to be a hell for me so I am very happy about not having to scratch my scalp like a crazy person. On the other hand no real improvement in shedding or hair condition at all. Maybe this is just masking the itch without removing the cause or the itch is not related to mpb at all, I don't know. I just feel more relaxed on the scalp.

how long have you been on this updated regimen?

[burtandernie]

Was the itch equal everywhere or more front/temples? so after finasteride it went away everywhere equally or does it still itch more in the front than back?

[konfusion]

I wrote some time ago to this thread, now it is update time. I mentioned that I started saw palmetto. My regimen is now fin daily, 300 mg saw palmetto daily (also i.cludes 4 mg isoflavone which I dont know much about but they argue it is good for hair) and 2 times a week dutasteride. My itch is 80% gone. I still sometimed feel it but very mildy, it used to be a hell for me so I am very happy about not having to scratch my scalp like a crazy person. On the other hand no real improvement in shedding or hair condition at all. Maybe this is just masking the itch without removing the cause or the itch is not related to mpb at all, I don't know. I just feel more relaxed on the scalp.

[mpb47]

Did anyone have the itch go away after starting propecia? Did it go away everywhere even the front/temples or mainly the crown?
I still feel there is a connection between the itch and hair loss. I just wish someone definitely knew what it was, but given our current knowledge I doubt its ever going to happen

I never ever had itch up front...only in crown and mid section. And yes after a few months the itching stopped.

[burtandernie]

Did anyone have the itch go away after starting propecia? Did it go away everywhere even the front/temples or mainly the crown?
I still feel there is a connection between the itch and hair loss. I just wish someone definitely knew what it was, but given our current knowledge I doubt its ever going to happen

[burtandernie]

I used 320 mg gel caps from gnc. After having effects similar to finasteride I just dropped it and I used it again later on and it did nothing the second time. I dropped it the first time after deciding its probably more effective to use propecia. I do think its androgen related for me but I still have my reservations about propecia because I think its a lot stronger then saw palmetto which makes me nervous

[konfusion]

I kid you not when I say saw palmetto made it go away

that is strange, I was just about to tell I started a supplement consisting of 300 mg saw palmetto (in addition to finasteride of course, as for my duta story, it is over for seeing no improvement and noticing mental sides). it is a little bit early but my scalp feels healthier, I think it might be due to saw palmetto. anyone else taking it with finas?

[burtandernie]

I am in the same boat though as you guys. I think its MPB related but its a combination of androgens, immune system, and androgen receptors. I will just say I went to a few derms many years ago tried prescription shampoos and steroids nothing ever helped me. I tried every shampoo you can think of nothing really helped more then a day or two.
I kid you not when I say saw palmetto made it go away, but its a long story and that lead me to believe in my case its androgen related. The big question though is why is one hair more sensitive to androgens then others? It feels like removing most androgens with propecia just causes your hair to adapt to less androgens and carry on how it was. We need more research into receptors and why hair is sensitive.

[mpbsucks]

I also have a strange story, my scalp itches like crazy, sometimes it wakes me up! I also have bump-like spots on my scalp, but that's not something new. I always had them since like I was 17. Now I am just a few months from turning 30. Anyways, even though I was suffering from MPB for quite a time now, I never ever had this itching before. My scalp was not itchy even when my hair had it's biggest hit in the beginning of 2012. At the time I had been using Fin for like 5 years. Fin should be good for itching, right? Oh sure My itch started when I was on Fin, I doubled the dosage, not a change. Now I am a Dutas user for 5 months, anything changed? NO! This itch is gonna kill me, I am serious.
One thing I remember, before my itch started I was reading this forum and came up with the idea that how the itch is related to MPB. I said to my self, well at least I don't have it, then I added "haha, now I am gonna start itching just because I read this". It was a joke, but it happened. I am not even sure if my itch is physiologic anymore, I tried lots of things, Nizoral, T-gel, Omega-3, Baking Soda etc etc. None of them helped. Can it be I was asking for it psychologically?

Had to bump this old thread as I was am in the same position you were Konfusion. I also swithced to Avodart for five months with no success, this stuff is a curse. Did you have any luck getting the itching and/or shedding to stop?