Sebum Plugs / Follicular Casts - How many of you get them?

[Yogi]

Ever since I started noticing I was losing my hair I have also been able to scratch out blobs of white (sometimes yellowish) hardened sebum from my head. They sometimes come out with a hair attached, sometimes not.

My hair has always (at least since I was eighteen-ish) been really greasy and needs washing every day, also very itchy.

I also get them all over my body (mainly head but face and back also), but I've never had bad acne.

How can I avoid getting them? I've tried Nizoral and T-gel, but it's hard to say whether they work in reducing sebum. In fact I think Nizoral irritates my scalp, so I only use it now and then.

 

[Guest]

Your story sounds a lot like mine, actually. I too have got extra sebum on my scalp, and the skin of my face is also flaky sometimes. Nizoral irritates my scalp aswell. Nothing has helped a great deal yet, still got the itchiness on my MBP area. It's not feeling inflamed anymore, it's just itchy. I can relate to the greasy hair aswell, whenever I skipped a day of washing my hair was just lifeless lump (back in the day I had long hair). The scalp pain and also hairloss was at its worst this time last year, even touching the hair was painful.

 

[Armando Jose]

Jojoba oil as lotion can be usseful for problems wit sebum

A lot of luck

Armando

 

[Yogi]

Armando,

Do you just rub the jojoba oil into your scalp? I did actually buy some a few years back with the intention of doing that but it just became a chore with my hair not being that short. I may try it again though.

Anyone,

Can this extreme sebum production be classed as seborrheic dermatitis?

So what can be done to reduce the sebum in the first place? My scalp hasn't felt right for a long time now (apart from the rare day where it feels normal).

Would topical spironolactone work do you think? What about topical retin-A? Again, with hair longer than a fraction of an inch, topicals can be a pain and be wasteful, but if there's a chance the health of my scalp can be improved I'm willing to persevere.

 

[Webster]

When I was using Retin-A on my face I noticed that my pores were a lot less clogged with sebum, so I imagine the scalp would be the same. Since taking Proscar, I have noticed my skin is less oily and I have few clogged follicles. Sometimes the stuff clogging follicles lacking hairs is undifferentiated keratin produced by the hair cells, called Keratosis Pilaris.

 

[Yogi]

Here's a treat for you!



One of my plugs with two hairs, one of which is miniaturised.

The fact that two hairs have grown leads me to believe that that plug has been in there for a while.

 

[Guest]

Here's a treat for you!



One of my plugs with two hairs, one of which is miniaturised.

sh*t, that's not exactly what I have! I have like a little bit of dead skin, not a big lump.

 

[abcdefg]

I have that same problem. I have a suspicion propecia might help but im scared to take it on a suspicion with little male pattern baldness history in my family. What can help this insane itch and this stupid white dandruff crap?

 

[Yogi]

Well, finasteride didn't stop the greasiness, the plugs, or the itch for me.

After six months on dutasteride, it doesn't seem like that helps either.

 

[Armando Jose]

Nice photo, friend Yogi;

Sebum acumulated and oxidiced in the root of hair is, in my opiniom, the initial step in common baldness.

Please, if anyone is interested, visit http://www.againstalopeciaandbaldness.com

Jojoba is useful to treat problems with sebum, better if essential oils are added.

Dermatitis sebhorreic is related when inflamation also appears

Armando

 

[blaze]

How can I avoid getting them?

Try low dose roaccutane. And no, low dose roaccutane does not cause hairloss. I have been on it before as have others. About 10mg twice per week.