The scalp inflammation/itchy/burning/tingling thread

[Ziggyz123]

Hey dench, man I'm so sorry to hear about your position because I literally wanted to die when mine started. Not going to lie, I would curl up and just cry because of the rapid loss and pain in my scalp. For me, I feel that the combination of using hair gel/spray, washing it out of my hair morning and night, and using minox dried my hair out a shit ton and caused a type of dermatitis. Unfortunately, I had to stop minox and I've been steadily losing hair from that for like 5 months, but somehow I can still hide this.

I forget, but we're you using minoxidil? Also, I was on generic fun and switched to proscar.. Not sure if it was all coincidence, but the pain slowly and I mean SLOWLY, has gone away. I use tea tree oil shampoo to control inflammation now, and rarely use gel and if I do it's an organic gel I got without ppg, etc.. I'm now looking to get a transplant for two reasons.
#1 to thicken my widows peak so I don't have to worry about it receding anymore and #2 so I can shave my head and let my scalp breathe and sort of heal. I read a lot of people with dermatitis variations have to shave down while its at its worst.

I really wish you the best man. I wish there was a cure and I do believe if setipiprant ever makes it on the market, these issues will be taken care of. Let me know if you just need to talk man, I'll respond when I get the notification.

Also, I have a dermatologist appointment tomorrow so I'll show him this thread and see what he thinks. Maybe he can give me an answer for you since you can't seem to get an appointment with one.

Talk to you soon dude!

[Dench57]

Hey Ziggy,

Firstly thanks for the kind words and support. Things are just getting worse, the scalp pain/itch is still constant everyday and seems to have "progressed" from above my temples to right behind my hairline in the middle too. So that area is now getting thinner everyday. Pretty much in a living nightmare right now, as soon as I wake up I just feel it and it dominates my thoughts all day, everyday. I would give anything to make it stop but having looked into this "upregulation" business and read some studies where Fin users still had upregulated ARs after 5 years off stopping...I fear I may have to live with this for a long, long time.

I'm using Fluridil once a day and topical spiro once or twice a day, along with Tricomin, which all make my hair look even worse. No effect yet but it's only been 2 weeks or so. Makes me so depressed that I brought this on myself with Fin, I would give anything to go back in time and not take that pill. Back in October I was a NW1 without a care in the world, thinking if Fin had sides I could just come off it. Now I'm a NW2 going on 2.5 with thinning at the front, and having to apply topicals every day in a desperate attempt to stop it.

I've never used minox btw. All I've ever wanted was to just maintain the hair that I have. I have plans to go travelling in Asia and Australia in November for over a year, so I dread to think what will happen to my hair in that time since I probably won't be able to commit to a topical regimen. I don't even know if I'll be able to go if this scalp pain continues. All my savings may have to go on a hair transplant instead...at the age of 25 when I was a NW1 a year ago. It is literally ruining my life.

I'm still on the waiting list to see a dermatologist since early April, as I'm in the UK the NHS waiting list may take months. So I've asked my GP to refer me to a private endocrinologist which will cost several hundred pounds, maybe thousands. I don't even know if they can help me but I need the advice of a specialist medical professional rather than just forums and internet research.

How are you doing? Are you still on Fin? If so you're a braver man than me!

[Dench57]

There's also loads of new treatments on the horizon, like CB/BIM/Setipiprant. If I could just hold on to what I have for a few years (which I probably would've before Fin!) then those could be the best MPB treatments in 20 years. Wishful thinking I guess.

[Ziggyz123]

Mic28,

I actually suspected that my increased shedding/itch/inflammation was due to the testosterone increase at the one year mark for me. However, I never came off the drug. But like you, my hair was fine and then when the itch and inflammation started, it took just one week to thin out my entire left side.

Dench,

What's up man. I'm so sorry about your burning and inflammation. I am still on finasteride, but I really don't think this drug is helping as my whole head has been thinning and shedding since November (7months). I was on minox and quit because I thought maybe it contributed to this pain and what not so idk if my shed that I'm having is from that or finasteride.. It really sucks, but like mic28, we gotta get out hormone levels checked out. I'm going to do this in the next week, but my money is tight right now.

As for the transplant, that's all I think about anymore. I'm just so scared that this will all happen again next year and I'll be worse. I just can't believe what happened to us. Even my dermatologist thought it was dermatitis from minoxidil, but deep down I kind of know finasteride did this..

Anyway, I'll keep searching for answers. And new treatments are on the horizon! Kind of counting on setipiprant because it may suppress the inflammation and itch factor and let the hair grow freely and abundantly! Bim I don't know about as they have been withholding the results. And cb I really haven't read to much on.

[mic28]

Ziggy and Dench, it's good to have others in the same position for support...even though it's an awful position at that!

Not sure where my next step is. Considering going off plaquenil in the hope that somehow this may cut down on the itching/hairloss but I'm just living in hope. Also hoping that this could just be a massive fin shed and my hairs are just in the resting phase. Only hope I really have was that my itching did subside a while back while on finasteride.

Just looked in the mirror and can see a bald shining scalp right the way through my hair...time is ticking and I can't think of where to go! I don't understand how some people have such a good response from increased testosterone and lowered dht, yet a few have a bad response but also delayed. Maybe this going for broke 2.5mg a day is wrong but I'm clutching at straws here

[Dench57]

From what I've heard CB is basically a side-free RU. Crazy expensive right now and no stable vehicle for it I don't think. Even if those new treatments do make it, and are better than anything now, we still won't have them for at least a few years. At the rate my hair is deteriorating now, I dread to think what I'll be even a year from now. So bitter that I could've just left my hair and it would've been fine for a few years. Now it is SO aggressive. With new treatments and transplants getting better/more affordable, every year you can prolong the loss is precious.

The only thing giving me the slightest hope is just telling myself I can get a hair transplant in the future. 6 months ago that hadn't even crossed my mind, it was a last resort. Now I've accepted I have no choice, NO medication or topical is going to work for me. So even if I do get a transplant I'll still be losing hair and have to get more. I'd never really looked into transplants much before...but I have today and apparently you can never get anywhere near the natural density back. It's just not possible. My hair has always been really thick and curly and nothing will ever bring that back, which makes every day with this itching pain and receding even more unbearable. I also didn't realise how much it costs. Been using some of the calculators and it's quoting me anywhere between £3,000-£10,000. That's just for filling in above temples and a bit of the hairline. With some hair that will look thin and unnatural anyway. Its really not the guaranteed, complete recovery solution I was hoping it was. There's also people who just aren't viable candidates for it, which I may be one of (even though I will always have shitloads of thick hair at back and sides if I'm like my dad and grandad)

Anyway, sorry for the rant, this isn't really the place for that, we're all going through a shitty time. Just gotta blow off steam cos you guys are going through similar stuff! Shedding and thinning for 7 months on Fin Ziggy that sounds awful. Have you thought about stopping it for a while just to see what happens? It can't be worse than what's already happening? Like you said, there are stories of people who come off and are actually better off.

[Ziggyz123]

Sorry about the spelling! I'm on my phone!

[Ziggyz123]

Hey Dench, how's your head feeling lately? I'm on the verge of quitting finasteride because my temples itch and I don't want a repeat of what happened this past November.

You see any doctors or get some relief??

[mic28]

Hey Guys,

This is my first ever post on here and after reading through the whole post I thought I'd chip in.

I started finasteride in April 2014, didn't notice any changes, just a decent shed and then the scalp began to itch. Around November however, the itch suddenly left and my scalp felt great. In this time the dermatologist did her test and realised that my testosterone was high and wanted to confirm it was the finasteride. Stopped the finasteride in December for about 5 weeks, noticing hair loss around the end of that 5 week period

After getting blood work back my testosterone was back down showing that it was the finasteride causing this elevated testosterone. I started back on the finasteride, taking my 1.25mg daily. I had a bit of sheedding and itchiness but nothing too bad. In March I was given plaquenil for apparent lichen planopilaris in my back of scalp. In April I had a massive shed. Within a week went from no bald spots except for my crown to massive diffuse thinning throughout. I had been thinning since going back on the finasteride in January, but nothing to this extent.
Now it's May and I am still shedding with the inflamed and heavily itchy scalp. Can't relieve it and and diffuse thinned all over. A couple of days ago i jumped up to 2.5mg of finasteride as I heard that this can stop the itching. It could go either way tho.

Got a dermatologist appointment again on the 29th May but not sure what they'll be able to do

[WHTC Clinic]

Dave123. Did the doctor who ruled out MPB mention anything about unbalanced PH or taking a sample for testing?