The scalp inflammation/itchy/burning/tingling thread

[Dench57]

How bad was your guys itching while you were on fin? Was it localized or all over your scalp? I am over 4 months in and just get itching in my left hair line occassionally. I have noticeable thinned out there as well. At the same time, when thoroughly looking, I see hairs growing throughout my mid hair line and right hair line, but very few in my left. IDK what the f*ck is going on. This is indeed a weird drug.

As someone who probably has the worst MPB itch possible I can say with absolute certainty that the itch = your hair getting raped. That's what makes it so irritating, for me it's literally the worst feeling in the world, had it every day for 8 months now since trying Propecia.

Mine started just above my right temple, all the hairs there are now miniaturised, thin and brittle after 8 months of itching/burning. The great news is, in the last month or so, it has started to really itch and tingle on my left temple as well, and within a month I could see that previously "healthy" left temple area become miniaturised and thin where the itch is. It is absolute ****ing torture because in 8 months there's nothing I've found that I can do about it, just sit here and feel/watch what was a NW1 being burnt into a NW2, NW3 until there's nothing left. It's just gradually getting more and more aggressive.

Before trying Propecia I had no itch whatsoever and no miniaturisation/thinning hairs. I am literally the worst responder ever, just unlocked MPBx10 by trying it. I honestly just can't believe it sometimes, this drug is used by like a million people worldwide successfully for the prevention of hairloss. How can it have permanently accelerated mine. I'm hoping this doctor next week can help me out because it's killing me.

[jamesst11]

Dench, trust me I feel you brother. This is the worst f*cking thing that has ever happened to me. I lost literally 50% of my hair in one friggin year! The weird thing is, I only get a very occasional itch and only in one particular spot. No burning. Did this happen to you? Or was it itching all over? What was the frequency of the itch? Just a couple times a day, or all day. And can you please better describe the burning sensation? I am just trying to prepare myself and gain as much knowledge of the symptoms as possible.

[Dench57]

Hi James,

It first started as a slight tingly warm patch above my right temple. In the months since it has continued to become a constant, burning sensation above my right temple, which has now progressed to my left temple. It now itches and tingles 24 hours a day along my hairline. For the first few months it was just on the frontal right part of my scalp, in the last 2 months it has progressed so it is now on and above both temples, and all the hair there has miniaturized and is now weak, thin and brittle. It will be completely gone in another 6 months I imagine.

I went to see that Dr. David Fenton today, supposedly an expert in androgenic alopecia. ****ing clueless, waste of £350 for a 30 minute consultation. He literally just said it was very strange and he couldn't explain why it was happening. All he did was suggest I tried Minoxidil to see if it helped. Right, because Minoxidil is going to help with DHT-induced inflammation. He didn't know anything about androgen receptors and said that inflammation was a negligible component of MPB. How the **** can 24/7 scalp pain, itching and burning be "negligible".

I'm at the end of my tether. I can't quite believe this is happening to me. I've been to see every specialist possible, spending over £1000 in consultation fees, none of them have the slightest idea what is happening. My worst fears are confirmed - that I actually know more about this, from the research and knowledge that I've gained in 8 months of trawling through hairloss forums, than any specialist does. Nobody can help me. I've condemned myself to a life of baldness and scalp inflammation by trying Propecia. Hugely accelerated MPB with 24/7 irritation, burning, itching scalp pain that can never be stopped, not until every hair on my head has been burned away. And I took Propecia as a NW1 with complete thickness. I can't even shave my head - the inflammation in my hair follicles would still be present. Even a hair transplant is out of the question because my hairloss is so aggressive and there is nothing I can do to stabilize it. The stark reality is dawning on me that I'm trapped in this hell, a prisoner in my own body, for the rest of my life. Just from 3 months of taking a stupid hairloss pill.

I'm really running out of ideas. Can this really be due to upregulated androgen receptors? Is this just down to hypersensitivity to DHT? Can I really be that clinical anomaly of all the hundreds of thousands of people that have taken Propecia?

I'm going to my GP tomorrow and begging and pleading with them to put me on some industrial strength anti-inflammatory/immuno-suppressant like Sulfasalazine. I don't think they'll do it. Androgenic alopecia is not a serious concern to the medical profession, I'm learning that now. But I have androgenic alopecia x10. I don't even know if anti-inflammatory route will work, but it's my last hope. I'm basing that off about 2 anecdotal reports that it helped scalp inflammation. I'll take any side effects because they cannot be worse than what Finasteride has done, they cannot be permanent. I've accepted that I have accelerated hairloss and there's nothing I can do to treat that - but there must be something out there, in the thousands of drugs on the market, that can help with this itching/burning.

I've been using Ramotroban from Iron Dragon and it's done nothing to help, even though everyone who used it said it helped with the MPB itch. What a surprise. I feel like I'm just a 1 in 1million, unluckiest guy on the planet. I'll add that to the fail pile with 100 other topicals, supplements etc.

EDIT: Sorry for bringing this amount of negativity as I always do, but I just need to rant and I don't know where else to do it. My family, friends, doctors whatever just don't understand the psychological impact something like this can have. I know there's not much you guys can say but I just need to vent

[jamesst11]

Hey Dench,
No need to apologize for your negativity, it's a very traumatic experience. For the past year and a half, I have done all I can to keep myself from falling back into a horrible depression. This is a plague and I understand how helpless it makes you feel. Pulling yourself out of bed every day, scared to hell that you won't be able to style your hair. Avoiding rain, wind, social situations, down lighting at restaurants. I wan once even afraid to go in front of my friends and family. I have been seeing a therapist for 4 months... the primary reason, hair loss. What I am saying is you're not alone. I hate the fact that I somehow went from a NW1 to a being horrible diffuse all over, because of decisions I have made... but NOW is the time to realize that some things are out of your control, to NOT let desperation lead you to do more things you'll regret and to control WHAT YOU CAN control... which, with hair loss, is not much unfortunately.

I don't really have too much advice to give you. I am 4.5 months into fin, and my hair has thinned out considerably. But, this is my last option right now, I have come to terms with that. I get itchiness and tingling only in my lefts side and only occassionally and that's where it has thinned out the most. I do see a ton of new hairs, but am not entirely sure if they will ever grow terminal. THE ONLY THING that has helped me with my mild itchiness are two types of shampoos:

1) nizoral 1% (if you're at the end of your rope, f*ck it, even try 2%) and 2) neutrogena t-gel shampoo (this is the tar based shampoo used in Mercks propecia study)... I first wash my hair with warm water, soap it up really good with the shampoo, then comb it through my scalp, with slight aggression and let it sit for 5-10 minutes... then I rinse with freezing cold water and use purador conditioner, again scrub it through my scalp and rinse for like 3 minutes with my head under the freezing cold water. (in the last two steps, I get out of the shower, stand next to the tub and just put my head under the cold water.)... it feels awesome and it works for me.

It saddens me to see any one going through this. Like most people, I have been through A LOT of sh*t in my life. Losing my hair is the hardest thing I have ever gone through. People, especially girls I date, can't seem to grasp this concept... ONE THING I CAN SAY WITH ALL CERTAINTY IS STOP F*CKING AROUND WITH ALL THESE PRODUCTS. I DID THIS FOR A YEAR AND I LOST A LOT OF MONEY, A LOT OF TIME AND A LOT OF HOPE. You're not 1 in a million, but you are unlucky, with hair at least. I am sure you can find 1,000 other ways in which you ARE lucky. Try nizoral 2% and try neutrogena t-gel. These are specifically formulated to address the scalp conditions it seems you are suffering from.

[jamesst11]

Oh and BTW, you probably know more than any dermatologist when it comes to what you are going through. Apparently there is not a single dermatologist in the world that is sympathetic towards a man with MPB or that knows how to deal with scalp issues. They were just trained to say things like, "try minoxidil" and "i'll write you up a script for propecia"... bastards.

[Dench57]

Thanks for the words of support James. Unfortunately I've tried both shampoos you've mentioned. I do use a 1% keto shampoo every 2-3 days but it doesn't do much. From what I gather, my scalp pain/itchiness is much more severe than what the vast majority of MPB users experience, so the usual fixes like Nizoral simply aren't strong enough.

It's scary that I'm now in a position where even medical specialists can't help me. I'm trying to figure this out on my own now, I'll keep looking for something.

[Ziggyz123]

Dench, did you ever get blood work for hormones yet??

[Dench57]

Dench, did you ever get blood work for hormones yet??

I've got pretty much everything back apart from DHT (lol). Everything within normal range as expected. Still waiting on that, should be a week or so.

[Soonbald]

you guys are not alone in this...I basically killed 50% of my hair folicles...I wont say how cuz it was such a stupid mistake......but ya I did and it was the worst mistake I could EVER have made in my Life...this happaned 3 years ago and im still pissed to this day that it happaned to me...my hair looked OK after that loss of hair that never regrew...but then MPB took over and made my hair even thinner...I used to have alot of hair..now its wayyyyyyy thinner ****ing depressing that this shit even happaned in the first Place but ofc I was chanceless anyway due to MPB still have progressive thinning and receeding hairline...and also I cant take finasteride cuz that shit gave me severely dry Eyes after just one month of usage so I had to stop that...just using minox and RU now and oil treatment that herbaliser has shared with us all great guy! if I go bald I will most likely kill myself no lie...or get a thin wig and clip it on my existing hairs on top or shit I dunno man it sounds depressing as hell to have a wig..but shaving is DEFFO not an option for me I rather ****ing die

[jamesst11]

Soonbald,
I definitely hear you man. I made ONE stupid mistake and it f&cked my hair forever. ONE MISTAKE. I definitely know what you all are going through. If it comes time to shave my head, it will be very, very depressing, but I also assume it will be liberating. Hang in there soonbald. Nothing, I mean nothing is worth ending your life over. How do you know that what comes next, after you end your life, will be any less painful or depressing? You just have to survive man...Therapy has helped me a lot.