Suffering from Folliculitis Decalvans, please help

[decalvans1]

I have suffered from this for over 4 and a half years, but I am losing hope fast. I am a 20 year old college student with an embarrassing disease called Folliculitis Decalvans (FD), but scalp diseases are often misdiagnosed so I am not 100% confident that is what it is. I have underwent several biopsies and cultures and the consensus from the Chapel Hill, Duke, and Wake Forest specialists is FD. Essentially, I get constant painful pustules or bumps on my scalp which causes hair to fall out and leaves behind a scar, destroying the follicle and resulting in patchy bald spots with visible scarring. I have tried almost every combination of antibiotics, corticosteroids, shampoos, foams, gels, and natural remedies I could find. The leading theory of it's cause is an abnormal violent host-immune response to the bacteria S. Aureus, which has been found in my cultures. The worst part is knowing my body seems to be doing this to myself and that there may be an obscure treatment that may resolve everything that I just haven't found. I go through several pillow cases a month due to the blood spotting, and constantly worry and check mirrors to make sure my pustular bald spots are not completely visible. I cringe every time I see the clumps of hair fall out in the shower, and when I'm out I assume people are looking at my scalp. It is attacking my confidence and driving me into depression at an age where I should be getting ready to graduate and begin my career. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, I'm at the point where I've lost my drive for self improvement and my desire to even leave the house. Please, is there anything you could suggest that might stop the scarring and hair loss? I am currently on Rifampin 300mg twice daily and Clindamycin 300mg twice daily along with a 6% salicylic shampoo, but it is losing effectiveness and the pustules are occurring more frequently. Septra (Bactrim) DS once a day kept it from progressing for awhile but also lost effectiveness after about 7 months. Thank you for any help you can give.

 

[Pino]

Hi. Sorry to hear about your condition. I have been suffering from the same affliction for over 20 years- I am now 49. Unfortunately there has been no cure found-you just have to manage the disease, live with it and try to accept it. I am currently on topical antibiotic erythromycin which controls the spread of the disease. The Rifampicin/Clyndamycin is effective for several months and does drastically reduce inflammation when it is effective. Keep trying this over the years. You should try Isotretinoin which maybe effective-it is normally used for severe acne. I hope a definitive cure is found soon and you will benefit.

 

[saj]

Hi. Sorry to hear your story. I have also been suffering from FD for around 4 years now. I have had great success with the Rifampicin and Clindamycin cure, but a few months after I stop the treatment the pustular returns. I have not lost much hair from FD but the pain I have had has been so severe that I have often felt depressed and on the brink of giving up. My FD started a few months after I started college, and now as I have finished my education, FD unfortunately does not seem to be finished with me. I don't know anyone else with FD, if any of you are interested it could be nice to share the progress of our situation on this board. I find it hard to talk about this with friends/family because it is difficult to explain to them the amount of pain this horrible disease causes. I hope this disease will get more attention in the media, and a cure will be found.

 

[Pino]

I am surprised that there is no cure for our condition! Suffering a bad flare up now but helped by steroid fluid. FD needs more clinical trials and research by dermatologists!

 

[Masong11]

I just turned 30 and have had FD for 7 or 8 years, it has transformed over the years. I did not really have any scaring until the last year and 1/2. I have read alot about hair coming out in clumps but mine has just become a large area of tuffted follicles.

I refused to take any antibiotics or ointments years ago, I have taken every thing and was not getting any where. I have stopped eating or drinking all dairy & gluten. This seems to have helped, It is always inflamed but does not crust over or bleed any more and if I slip up and have gluten or dairy and it begins to crust over I will use "Garlic Water" I use organic garlic chop it up let sit for 10 mins, put the chopped garlic in a small spray bottle, fill it up with water (about 1 to 2 oz) let is sit for an hr then spray on the effected areas, and I spray alot! I let it sit for about an hr or 2 and then wash it off. If its really bad I will do that a couple days in a row and it works for me. Over in England apparently MRSA is out of control and a proven cure for this is a compound in fresh organic garlic. One article I read stated it was 10 times stronger than penicillin and staph is unable to build a tolerance to it!

I know there is now cure (as of yet) and I dont want to further damage my body with harsh antibiotics. After the 5th or 6th visit to the drs I just realize they are worthless in this situation and will just take your cash send you on your way with another prescription that does not do much of any thing. I wish there was something they can do but there is not. I have not personally heard of some body better off with large amounts of antibiotics with FD than what I am doing naturally.

FYI the last "Specialist" I went to I had found on a site that pertained to cicatricial alopecia (lose of hair by scarring) and this site is actually how I was finally able to diagnose my self, this site is how I learned of FD. SO one of the "Specialists" on this site was only a 2hr drive for me. I called and made an appointment, drove all the way there....and what dose she tell me?? "I dont know what this is?" I had to explain to her I had tuffted follicles and it was caused by FD...she was clueless!!!! I was so pissed! this woman was on the site as a "specialist" for FD, what a joke!

 

[jp05]

Glad to find this website

i have been living with FD now for 10 years (started when i was 13)

hair loss probably started getting really noticable 2 years in and i have just had to learn to live with wearing a hat everywhere i go which has limited my career choices

public doctors had no clue, then after maybe 8 years finally went to a private specialist and he diagnosed me very quickly with FD. have been using rifampicin and fluxocyclin *excuse my poor spelling, they are doing a great job at keeping the puss, blood and smelling down but still not a long term cure just a manager. i really would hope they put some money into some research for FD because it has made my life hell at times. growing up through schooling trying to explain to everyone.

not sure either how long i can stay on the meds. i only do 3- 5 days of treatment and it brings it straight back under control but after about a month will flare up again. i guess im in for the long haul, but my doctor has talked about it being a stages of life thing. as in could be 20 years then go away for a period, not sure if anyone else knows anything about that theory?? i guess i have to hold onto any form of hope. even if my hair doesnt grow back, if the lesions go away i can just shave completely and walk around without a hat confidently.

- JP. NZ

 

[Jackiescott]

Hi everyone i am 27 years old and I have suffered from FD for 20 years. I was always told it was eczema until recently then I was told different. I have under gone many treatments and nothing is working. The balding is everywhere. The pustules hurt I go through many pillow cases. The solutions burn . Nothing really helps but I cut my hair short and bought wigs . I wear hats and bandanas as well. If there is no cure anyway just rock a wig. U can have whatever color and hair style u want and it won't take long to style. It's a sad disease though and it's definitely a shot to the ego but there is always ways to put a positive spin to things . Who knows maybe one day I'll just shave off all my hair I'm losing it anyway but right now we'll stick with it short. If anyone knows a cure or something that works please let me know

 

[FDUK]

Ongoing FD...

I too have suffered with FD for a number of years: it started when I was 21 and I'm now 35. It took me 3 years to go to the doctor about it, which I regret and wonder how it would have changed things by acting more quickly. Reading your stories I feel lucky that 1 biopsy on the NHS here in the UK diagnosed FD straight away and I started a course of rifampicin and clindamycin. This combination is pretty aggressive and really calmed things down. After a period of a year or so I had another flare up and tried to take up the same course again; this time my body didn't want to play ball and caused sickness and diarrhoea. Instead, I was prescribed clarithromycin which I have continued to use for each flare up since. I can't say it works 100% but I have persevered with it. I also use a topical ointment called dermovate (clobetasol propionate) and generally it calms down the eruptions when I feel them start up.

I too feel really self conscious about the hair loss (bad enough!) but also the visibility of the infected areas. I hate getting a haircut when I am experiencing a flare up as it can be painful and embarrassing with the barber paying closer attention than anyone else. (One of life's ironies that even with hair loss I still have to pay someone to cut the hair that remains...)

I tried telling the dermatologist about other contributing factors which I notice provoke a flare up: sweating during exercise, excess sugar in diet, alcohol..... but the doctors don't seem to have anything to contribute unless it's around a medical treatment. Of course, it may be completely random and I actually have zero influence over it but I like the feeling that I can regain some sort of control...

More research is definitely needed! Thank you for your stories. I am grateful for the supportiveness of this board.

 

[Chromio]

First thread I've seen on here about folliculitis. I don't think I have what you guys call FD, but a derm did diagnose me with some type of folliculitis.

I get very painful, hard bumps on my scalp some pop like pimples some don't. I also have scales and small scabs that follow.

For some reason I only get the outbreaks on my crown and the non male pattern baldness zones(sides and back). I do think this condition has sped up my male pattern baldness especially in my crown. My derm gave me topical erythromiacin and topical fluocinonide which helps calm the outbreaks down. I also use emu oil which I read is good for soothing inflammation. It really is a pain in the *** dealing with this.

 

[abdacht]

I have had it for 10 years and use nothing but coconut oil now.

I have suffered from this for over 4 and a half years, but I am losing hope fast. I am a 20 year old college student with an embarrassing disease called Folliculitis Decalvans (FD), but scalp diseases are often misdiagnosed so I am not 100% confident that is what it is. I have underwent several biopsies and cultures and the consensus from the Chapel Hill, Duke, and Wake Forest specialists is FD. Essentially, I get constant painful pustules or bumps on my scalp which causes hair to fall out and leaves behind a scar, destroying the follicle and resulting in patchy bald spots with visible scarring. I have tried almost every combination of antibiotics, corticosteroids, shampoos, foams, gels, and natural remedies I could find. The leading theory of it's cause is an abnormal violent host-immune response to the bacteria S. Aureus, which has been found in my cultures. The worst part is knowing my body seems to be doing this to myself and that there may be an obscure treatment that may resolve everything that I just haven't found. I go through several pillow cases a month due to the blood spotting, and constantly worry and check mirrors to make sure my pustular bald spots are not completely visible. I cringe every time I see the clumps of hair fall out in the shower, and when I'm out I assume people are looking at my scalp. It is attacking my confidence and driving me into depression at an age where I should be getting ready to graduate and begin my career. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, I'm at the point where I've lost my drive for self improvement and my desire to even leave the house. Please, is there anything you could suggest that might stop the scarring and hair loss? I am currently on Rifampin 300mg twice daily and Clindamycin 300mg twice daily along with a 6% salicylic shampoo, but it is losing effectiveness and the pustules are occurring more frequently. Septra (Bactrim) DS once a day kept it from progressing for awhile but also lost effectiveness after about 7 months. Thank you for any help you can give.

I was diagnosed after years of being misdiagnosed. I was told it was an infection and was given topical antibiotics in alcohol solutions (HUGE OUCH) and then when i was finally diagnosed properly by an expert in the field we tried multiple antibiotic, scalp injections of a steroid type thing to keep the redness and itching down and also was on rifampin mixed with clindamycin with 6% salycylic shampoo. I was also given a steroid in a purified peanut oil at night which would help "lift the scales" as my doctor would say. After that stopped working I tried a number of things but so far the one thing that has worked for me to keep it under control is coconut oil. I never wash my hair with soap shampoo or anything. I put loads of coconut oil on my scalp at night and wake up with all the hurt gone and then rinse if out with hair conditioner and then style as usual. Coconut oil has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, the oil ensures that it stays moisturized and not dry which for me brings on flair-ups. Every few months I get the great idea to wash with shampoo and I immediately regret it throughout the day as I feel it getting as bad as it once was. Its not gone, I still need to put the coconut oil on every night and its not great but it doesn't hurt as much, the hair loss has stopped completely!!! no more hair loss! Anyway I hope this helps, its as close as I have come to feeling like I have a normal scalp (which on some days I do, I really do feel like its normal almost). I still google FD cure every six months though and thats what brings me here. Take care everyone!

 

[RyanG]

FD gone for me!

Hey Guys,

I too was diagnosed with FD about a year and a half ago. I had the bumps, crust, pain, small hair loss and nothing any doctor would prescribe worked. I did a ton of research and tried many natural remedies. I used the following all at once so I'm not sure what exactly worked, but I have not had any FD signs for about 10 months. I read many articles on how your GUT Health is important to your entire body and prevents/cures many autoimmune diseases. I started taking a 30 billion probiotic pill found at the Vitamin Shop and also eating probiotic yogurt daily. Along with those 2 trial products I put tea tree oil into a biotin shampoo and sprayed my hair with magnesium oil every morning 15 minutes before I would shower. It took about 3-4 weeks before I started noticing the lack of nasty bumps, within 8 weeks I was bump free. I have had ONE, yes ONE bump in the last 10 months. That ONE bump was probably just a regular pimple. I'm pretty sure FD is related to GUT health. Your gut gets destroyed by all the antibiotics and your body starts attacking itself. The probiotics help restore the natural levels of good bacteria in your body. I hope this helps all of you as FD was a pain in the ***! Good luck.

Ryan

 

[ashare]

11 years with Folliculitis Decalvans

Hey Guys,

I too was diagnosed with FD about a year and a half ago. I had the bumps, crust, pain, small hair loss and nothing any doctor would prescribe worked. I did a ton of research and tried many natural remedies. I used the following all at once so I'm not sure what exactly worked, but I have not had any FD signs for about 10 months. I read many articles on how your GUT Health is important to your entire body and prevents/cures many autoimmune diseases. I started taking a 30 billion probiotic pill found at the Vitamin Shop and also eating probiotic yogurt daily. Along with those 2 trial products I put tea tree oil into a biotin shampoo and sprayed my hair with magnesium oil every morning 15 minutes before I would shower. It took about 3-4 weeks before I started noticing the lack of nasty bumps, within 8 weeks I was bump free. I have had ONE, yes ONE bump in the last 10 months. That ONE bump was probably just a regular pimple. I'm pretty sure FD is related to GUT health. Your gut gets destroyed by all the antibiotics and your body starts attacking itself. The probiotics help restore the natural levels of good bacteria in your body. I hope this helps all of you as FD was a pain in the ***! Good luck.

Ryan

Hi Ryan,

Glad to know you have been cured of the disease for long. I have been suffering from FD for the past 11 years. Recently I have read a lot online about the GUT health and its affect on the immune system. These are mostly from patient experiences and clinical journals do not consider this as a cause for FD. However, I have a 'gut feeling' that this might be true because I was initially diagnosed with FD after I left home for my higher education. That's when I started eating unhealthy and mostly junk food. Since then I have been on antibiotics on and off. So clearly my body never recovered because of the antibiotics. Recently the frequency of breakouts have increased and it's getting difficult to manage. I am worried that these heavy doses of antibiotics might affect my overall health, but can't live without them whatsoever. I would like to try out the method you mentioned in your post. Could you please elaborate on it? Did you completely stop antibiotics while you were on the probiotics? It definitely makes sense to stop, but given my condition of increased frequency of flare ups, I am skeptical about stopping the antibiotics altogether. Also, did you maintain any particular diets like gluten-free, sugar-free? Kindly share the brand of magnesium oil, tea tree oil and shampoo you had purchased.

Thank you.

Ashare

 

[SahotaG]

Hello,

I have had FD for last 5-6 years. I had all the common treatments even homeopathy ( search it incase ). But nothing worked out. I am currently taking some 'Ayurvedic' treatment ( again search it). The medication is to treat my digestion and improve gut health which in turn helps with FD. I was first amazed at this analogy but now i have come to this conclusion that it is all related to your gut. Moreover i feel that the antibiotics ( other then the initial control on bacteria that causes it) worsens the condition. I am not suggesting to quit dairy or gluten as they are not the cause but may promote general acne or worsen the flair. Since most of us have it for prolonged time please take patience for things to work. Improve your diet as RyanG mentioned above and also use topical treatments to help through until your gut health improves and show improvement in FD.

The solutions may not put it to a complete end but will for sure improve your everyday life.

 

[Dboy86]

Hi

I've had FD since about 8 year back. It started has small pimples randomly. About 4 years ago it started to become bigger and more active. Went to a couple dermatologist and they had different diagnosis, one even said it would cure itself with time lol. Then I visited a naturopath and he said I had a fungus. 3 days ago I found out about what's called a trichologist he diagnosed it as FD. Told me I had to go every week to get some therapies and what not anyways that would have cost me a fortune because no medical insurance covers it. Now I found this thread and I'm anxious to try some of what you guys have done. Thank you.

Also I want to share what a pain in the *** it is to get a decent haircut with FD

 

[Paul W]

Hi,

I have had FD for about ten years. I got to the stage where I was using the rifampicin and clyndamyacin combination 3-4 times a year. A visit to my local chemist suggested the use of a bacterial wash (I use phisohex) but I don't think it matters. The bacterial wash has stopped the pustules for the past three years, however the previous scarring remains and the hair loss (to the crown) continues (at a much slower rate).

Worth a try
Paul

 

[Wyattdecalvens]

I have had this issue for about 4 years now I've tried all kinds of injections many different oral antibiotic And some topicals nothing has even slowed the flares yet but I did order some colliadial silver and citric acid to mix together I was told by a herbalist this is great staph control he said apply it on then let it dry once dry apply coconut oil so I will post updates as I continue on with this fd journey

 

[moriarty]

I do not have FD but "regular" folliculitis and it also sucks. I have had it for 10 years now (26) and like most of you I tried every medical solution but nothing seemed to work. Lately I have been eating curcumin powder everyday and probiotic pills to balance out all the antibiotics I´ve used during the years. It actually helps bring the inflammation down significantly. I also tried cutting out all the sugar/carbohydrates during a couple of weeks and every single pustule went away, even the redness and itching. But when I went back to my normal diet it all came back, so I´m going to try that again and if it works, I´ll let you guys know.

 

[Livehappy1985]

I have suffered from this for over 4 and a half years, but I am losing hope fast. I am a 20 year old college student with an embarrassing disease called Folliculitis Decalvans (FD), but scalp diseases are often misdiagnosed so I am not 100% confident that is what it is. I have underwent several biopsies and cultures and the consensus from the Chapel Hill, Duke, and Wake Forest specialists is FD. Essentially, I get constant painful pustules or bumps on my scalp which causes hair to fall out and leaves behind a scar, destroying the follicle and resulting in patchy bald spots with visible scarring. I have tried almost every combination of antibiotics, corticosteroids, shampoos, foams, gels, and natural remedies I could find. The leading theory of it's cause is an abnormal violent host-immune response to the bacteria S. Aureus, which has been found in my cultures. The worst part is knowing my body seems to be doing this to myself and that there may be an obscure treatment that may resolve everything that I just haven't found. I go through several pillow cases a month due to the blood spotting, and constantly worry and check mirrors to make sure my pustular bald spots are not completely visible. I cringe every time I see the clumps of hair fall out in the shower, and when I'm out I assume people are looking at my scalp. It is attacking my confidence and driving me into depression at an age where I should be getting ready to graduate and begin my career. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, I'm at the point where I've lost my drive for self improvement and my desire to even leave the house. Please, is there anything you could suggest that might stop the scarring and hair loss? I am currently on Rifampin 300mg twice daily and Clindamycin 300mg twice daily along with a 6% salicylic shampoo, but it is losing effectiveness and the pustules are occurring more frequently. Septra (Bactrim) DS once a day kept it from progressing for awhile but also lost effectiveness after about 7 months. Thank you for any help you can give.

So I've suffered with foliculitis decalvans for about 15 years I'm 32 years old. At about 17 years I got a pimple that would itch and bleed if scratched at the crown of my head. I thought nothing of it continued to wash my hair daily and thought it was probably from surfing everyday and possibly the ocean with all its bacteria. It wasn't until about 2-3 years later when I noticed a small infection on my scalp probably the size of a pea that I went to urgent care to see what it was. They prescribed all types of ointments and it never fully went away so I went to my gp and he prescribed more topical stuff and still never really went away. with no luck I just continued to wash my hair daily in hopes it would go away I tried otc shampoos like selsen blue, head and shoulders etc...finally after about 5 years in I had a scar about the size of a quarter and tufts of hair emerging out. I figured it was time to go back to the dr this time he sent me to a dermatologist. The first dermatologist I saw prescribed more topical creams and ointments and told me it's probably because my hair is so thick and curly it's causing this infection. So again no luck with the topical solutions I went back throughout a course of about a year and still no luck with any medications prescribed. I decided to try a new dermatologist as my scar was starting to get bigger. The 2nd derm to look at my head instantly New what this condition was and labeled it tufted foliculitus aka dolls hair. He put me on a course of antibiotics including rifampin and clyndamicin for 6 months. After treatment my scalp had cleared only to return about a year later. I let it slide for about a year and returned back to the derm after scar got bigger. He put me on another round of antibiotics this time around I got c-diff and got extremely sick. After this I pretty much told myself I was done with antibiotics and asked if there was another alternative treatment he told me there was but that this medicine had lots of harsh side effects he called it isotretinoine aka accutane. Before trying it I consulted my neighbor who is a world class eastern medicine practitioner. I asked him if he knew of any herbal remedies that might clear this up. So I tried some herbal medicine he put together and so no results. Long story short ended up going on accutane and saw no results after 6 months. Finally I was ready to give up and asked my derm if there was anything else anything I could do besides taking anymore medications. He recommended a bleach bath and then informed me there was a new shampoo out called CLN. I ordered this stuff about 2 weeks again and well within 3-4 days my scalp was practically cleared up. I see a lot of reviews of people saying it didn't work for them but I can attest that it worked for me. I will continue to use this shampoo. ThanksCLN

 

[Livehappy1985]

Hi,

I have had FD for about ten years. I got to the stage where I was using the rifampicin and clyndamyacin combination 3-4 times a year. A visit to my local chemist suggested the use of a bacterial wash (I use phisohex) but I don't think it matters. The bacterial wash has stopped the pustules for the past three years, however the previous scarring remains and the hair loss (to the crown) continues (at a much slower rate).

Worth a try
Paul

CLN SHAMPOO!!!!

So I've suffered with foliculitis decalvans for about 15 years I'm 32 years old. At about 17 years I got a pimple that would itch and bleed if scratched at the crown of my head. I thought nothing of it continued to wash my hair daily and thought it was probably from surfing everyday and possibly the ocean with all its bacteria. It wasn't until about 2-3 years later when I noticed a small infection on my scalp probably the size of a pea that I went to urgent care to see what it was. They prescribed all types of ointments and it never fully went away so I went to my gp and he prescribed more topical stuff and still never really went away. with no luck I just continued to wash my hair daily in hopes it would go away I tried otc shampoos like selsen blue, head and shoulders etc...finally after about 5 years in I had a scar about the size of a quarter and tufts of hair emerging out. I figured it was time to go back to the dr this time he sent me to a dermatologist. The first dermatologist I saw prescribed more topical creams and ointments and told me it's probably because my hair is so thick and curly it's causing this infection. So again no luck with the topical solutions I went back throughout a course of about a year and still no luck with any medications prescribed. I decided to try a new dermatologist as my scar was starting to get bigger. The 2nd derm to look at my head instantly New what this condition was and labeled it tufted foliculitus aka dolls hair. He put me on a course of antibiotics including rifampin and clyndamicin for 6 months. After treatment my scalp had cleared only to return about a year later. I let it slide for about a year and returned back to the derm after scar got bigger. He put me on another round of antibiotics this time around I got c-diff and got extremely sick. After this I pretty much told myself I was done with antibiotics and asked if there was another alternative treatment he told me there was but that this medicine had lots of harsh side effects he called it isotretinoine aka accutane. Before trying it I consulted my neighbor who is a world class eastern medicine practitioner. I asked him if he knew of any herbal remedies that might clear this up. So I tried some herbal medicine he put together and so no results. Long story short ended up going on accutane and saw no results after 6 months. Finally I was ready to give up and asked my derm if there was anything else anything I could do besides taking anymore medications. He recommended a bleach bath and then informed me there was a new shampoo out called CLN. I ordered this stuff about 2 weeks again and well within 3-4 days my scalp was practically cleared up. I see a lot of reviews of people saying it didn't work for them but I can attest that it worked for me. I will continue to use this shampoo. ThanksCLN

 

[Livehappy1985]

I do not have FD but "regular" folliculitis and it also sucks. I have had it for 10 years now (26) and like most of you I tried every medical solution but nothing seemed to work. Lately I have been eating curcumin powder everyday and probiotic pills to balance out all the antibiotics I´ve used during the years. It actually helps bring the inflammation down significantly. I also tried cutting out all the sugar/carbohydrates during a couple of weeks and every single pustule went away, even the redness and itching. But when I went back to my normal diet it all came back, so I´m going to try that again and if it works, I´ll let you guys know.

So I've suffered with foliculitis decalvans for about 15 years I'm 32 years old. At about 17 years I got a pimple that would itch and bleed if scratched at the crown of my head. I thought nothing of it continued to wash my hair daily and thought it was probably from surfing everyday and possibly the ocean with all its bacteria. It wasn't until about 2-3 years later when I noticed a small infection on my scalp probably the size of a pea that I went to urgent care to see what it was. They prescribed all types of ointments and it never fully went away so I went to my gp and he prescribed more topical stuff and still never really went away. with no luck I just continued to wash my hair daily in hopes it would go away I tried otc shampoos like selsen blue, head and shoulders etc...finally after about 5 years in I had a scar about the size of a quarter and tufts of hair emerging out. I figured it was time to go back to the dr this time he sent me to a dermatologist. The first dermatologist I saw prescribed more topical creams and ointments and told me it's probably because my hair is so thick and curly it's causing this infection. So again no luck with the topical solutions I went back throughout a course of about a year and still no luck with any medications prescribed. I decided to try a new dermatologist as my scar was starting to get bigger. The 2nd derm to look at my head instantly New what this condition was and labeled it tufted foliculitus aka dolls hair. He put me on a course of antibiotics including rifampin and clyndamicin for 6 months. After treatment my scalp had cleared only to return about a year later. I let it slide for about a year and returned back to the derm after scar got bigger. He put me on another round of antibiotics this time around I got c-diff and got extremely sick. After this I pretty much told myself I was done with antibiotics and asked if there was another alternative treatment he told me there was but that this medicine had lots of harsh side effects he called it isotretinoine aka accutane. Before trying it I consulted my neighbor who is a world class eastern medicine practitioner. I asked him if he knew of any herbal remedies that might clear this up. So I tried some herbal medicine he put together and so no results. Long story short ended up going on accutane and saw no results after 6 months. Finally I was ready to give up and asked my derm if there was anything else anything I could do besides taking anymore medications. He recommended a bleach bath and then informed me there was a new shampoo out called CLN. I ordered this stuff about 2 weeks again and well within 3-4 days my scalp was practically cleared up. I see a lot of reviews of people saying it didn't work for them but I can attest that it worked for me. I will continue to use this shampoo. ThanksCLN