Scalp Itch and Lost Hair

[Too Young for This]

Hi there - I'm a newbie and very stressed - this site is helping so thank you all for sharing.

I was wondering if anyone has experienced scalp itch and hair loss at the same time. I find that my scalp sometimes gets red and irratable and a few times I've scrached little bulbs (almost like pimples) and they started to bleed. In addition the area that is usually effected by this itch is the area that has thinned the most.

I haven't felt this in a little while but I did encounter this severe itch in a spot where I have lost an eraser sized patch of hair. It looks shiny and bald and like its gone for good....

Any ideas what this could be

 

[Guest]

Hi there - I'm a newbie and very stressed - this site is helping so thank you all for sharing.

I was wondering if anyone has experienced scalp itch and hair loss at the same time. I find that my scalp sometimes gets red and irratable and a few times I've scrached little bulbs (almost like pimples) and they started to bleed. In addition the area that is usually effected by this itch is the area that has thinned the most.

I haven't felt this in a little while but I did encounter this severe itch in a spot where I have lost an eraser sized patch of hair. It looks shiny and bald and like its gone for good....

Any ideas what this could be

Please read the research section of this website.

Inflammation is an integeral part of male pattern baldness.

Come back when you have the basics down and we can help you.

Hint-yes itch is a big indicator of male pattern baldness

 

[totaldispHAIR]

male pattern baldness? Brucey, you're on the women's site. Could very likely be seb dermatitis, have you talked to your derma about it and tried Nizoral shampoo or anything?

 

[Guest]

male pattern baldness? Brucey, you're on the women's site. Could very likely be seb dermatitis, have you talked to your derma about it and tried Nizoral shampoo or anything?

Sorry, my mistake! :freaked:

 

[Too Young for This]

male pattern baldness? Brucey, you're on the women's site. Could very likely be seb dermatitis, have you talked to your derma about it and tried Nizoral shampoo or anything?

Thanks guys,

Not sure what it is - I just went to the doctor the other day and got some blood tests done to ensure I'm not suffering from something else - Apparently - as my doctor said - everything is "normal" she didn't do the Hormone Ratio thing for me because she didn't think it was necessary. I have an appt with a derma in August - thats how long the waiting list is - I'm gonna check out the Seb Dermatitis info - I haven't used Nizoral ever - do you think its a good idea to start? Also does the Seb Derm. come and go - because sometimes I'll get very itchy areas and then they disappear....

 

[mariejoe]

Seb. derm. = itchy, crusty scalp. My derm. prescribed Lidex. It comes in cream, lotion and gel form. It works, too.
She also prescribed Elidel, which I use before the seb.derm. flare-ups get out of hand.

I can't stress enough that you should get the seb. derm. treated as soon as you can. Untreated, it can lead to hair loss, as you have found.
:freaked2:
I keep these two medicines on hand at all times. Seb derm does come and go...and come and go. You have to treat it as soon as you notice it.

Also, I use Nizoral, over the counter, shampoo. You can get a prescription 2% strength, but it is too strong for me to use.

 

[totaldispHAIR]

Too Young for This: since you can't get in to see the derma until August, by all means, swing by a Walgreens or other drugstore and pick up the 1% nizoral. Per my experience, it's really harmless and gets rid of the itching. When you shampoo, lather it up and leave it on your scalp for 3-5 mins. You can also alternate it with a tar-based or salicylic acid-based shampoo like Neutrogena T-Gel or T-Sal. Shampoo at least every other day. I know, I know, I *hate* shampooing because my hair falls out in the shower, but it's really hair that would have shed anyway. With seb derm, contrary to your intuition which would say your scalp is too dry, your scalp is actually over-producing sebum which is a natural oil. The sebum also tends to be thicker and higher in cholesteral and triglycerides, so you want to remove it from your scalp.

Ask your doctor for a printout of all your test results; that way you can bring them with you to any specialist you see. You might want to fax the results over to your gyno--that's the one who can really look at them in relation to each other and tell you if anything's too low (my estro/progesterone were too low because of the birth control pill). You may also just try to call the derma to see if they have any cancellations so you can get in sooner.

 

[Too Young for This]

totaldispHAIR: I just to say thank you.....your advice is excellent. I have researched all the sites you've referred and somehow reading all the info I see on the sites is giving me hope - female hair loss seems to be treatable...I just wish docs were as positive about it...

 

[totaldispHAIR]

Anytime, my friend. We've got to look out for the sistahs and take care of each other. Hang in there and keep the faith. I have not put this in writing yet because I'm not sure I want to jinx it, but my hairloss seems to be slowing down--my last 3 showers have been the best ones I've had in a long time and my comb-outs afterwards have been catching fewer loose hairs than before.

There may be hope after all.

Will keep you posted. Drop me a note anytime.

 

[Too Young for This]

Anytime, my friend. We've got to look out for the sistahs and take care of each other. Hang in there and keep the faith. I have not put this in writing yet because I'm not sure I want to jinx it, but my hairloss seems to be slowing down--my last 3 showers have been the best ones I've had in a long time and my comb-outs afterwards have been catching fewer loose hairs than before.

There may be hope after all.

Will keep you posted. Drop me a note anytime.

Hi friend, the weirdest thing has benn happenning to me aswell and I don't want to jinx myself either but the last week or so I have been shedding very little hair???? This is odd - now I seem to think that my hair loss comes in phases...heres a short story - I was in the Dominican last November and got my hair braided - I was very stressed prior and during this vacation due to personal issues. When the girl was braiding I was shed so much hair that it was very embaressing - my hair was flying all over the place in clumps...stress related??? Now I think so....this gives me hope too.

Heres another wierd thing - I have lost the majority of my hair in the front and right in the middle of my scalp. When I gently touch the crown of my head I can feel very short hairs...could this be regrowth or just the process of thinning???

I have hope girl - and I think with this type of support and understanding we WILL regrow hair.....

 

[totaldispHAIR]

Hey, that is fantastic! Sounds like very good signs to me. Traction alopecia can also occur when you get braids in your hair. Hairloss on the front hairline and top of the head may be signs of Androgenetic Alopecia, but chronic Telogen Effluvium can also mimic that pattern. Do you have hairloss all over or is it just in those areas?

Not to burst your bubble, but keep your appoinments with your doctors and your dermas. It is a great thing that your hairloss seems to be slowing down, but remember, I'm just a schmo here on the chat board and you need to get a professional to check you out as well (not that many professionals know what they're talking about when it comes to women's hairloss).

Plus, when things do get better, stick around and help out the other newbies. I haven't seen too many success stories on here--it'd be nice to get the positives too.

 

[Too Young for This]

Hey, that is fantastic! Sounds like very good signs to me. Traction alopecia can also occur when you get braids in your hair. Hairloss on the front hairline and top of the head may be signs of Androgenetic Alopecia, but chronic Telogen Effluvium can also mimic that pattern. Do you have hairloss all over or is it just in those areas?

I have this strange feeling that I do indeed have Androgenetic Alopecia (my mother has thinned and also suffered from AA at one point - they injected cortisone at that time - so chances are.....as they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree) and I think that I may also be suffering from Telogen Effluvium...The combination has done quite a number - of course this is all speculation....

Overall my hair was drammatically thicker than it is now.....the main portions of loss though are right in the front and mid top. I can no longer part my hair in the middle because I feel way too self-conscious. And my side parts bother me too - I honestly feel like this happenned over night.

I have an important question - my testosterone-free test came back with a 4.9 result and the DHEA-S test came back at 7.9 - is that normal????

 

[totaldispHAIR]

Normal compared to what? Everything is relative to each other, i.e., your estrogen number in relation to progesterone in relation to testosterone and DHEA-s. Your lab results will typically be given to you with a "normal range". Have you had your gyno look at all of these results in relation to each other?

 

[Too Young for This]

Funny - my doctor didn't think it was relativity - she assumed that the male producing hormones were all that should be checked! My gyno - unfortunately is my doctor. I'll push another doctor for further testing but like we've said - docs don't know much about the femaile hair loss theory.....(sighhhhhhh)...

 

[mariejoe]

Most doctors don't seem to be trained to look any further thantheir presciption pads. I bet they take classes in how to "handle" patients efficiently.
If we don't inquire. or don't have knowledge, they don't go any further than the end of their noses!!! :evil:

 

[Too Young for This]

Most doctors don't seem to be trained to look any further thantheir presciption pads. I bet they take classes in how to "handle" patients efficiently.
If we don't inquire. or don't have knowledge, they don't go any further than the end of their noses!!! :evil:

Agreed Mariejoe - somehow I can confidently say that my two weeks of research has probably put my knowledge further ahead than any doctors I have seen yet - with regards to female hair loss. I am going to push and push as much as I can....and hope every other woman will as well!!

 

[Rozzy252]

I hear you Mariejoe,
I was thinking the other day when I was picking some shedded hairs off my shirt about how we can fly people to the moon but can't come up with an easy way of curing hairloss. It still baffles me.
I was also thinking about when I was younger, I had a serious eating disorder in which I eventually overcame, about how much I used to hate my body and how fat I thought I was. I finally came to accept my body and then......8 years later....I'm dealing with my self esteem again...except with the hairs on my head....go figure....

 

[Too Young for This]

Rozzy: I here you - its like all those little things that use to bother us before are now just trivial compared to losing the hairs on our heads. I use to complain about everything and now I'm just thinking I am fortunate for all the other things I have that aren't so bad. My main beef with hair loss is that it seems or it feels like its the one thing I can't change.....but will go nuts trying..