Folliculitis :/

[abc]

Hi, I seem to have a persistant problem with this menace. I took Accutane years ago which gave me hairloss and folliculitis on my scalp. I wanted to get a hair transplant but of course this stupid folliculitis is preventing me. It responds well to Tetracycline, Minocycline, Doxycycline, and Clindamycin but all of those either give me side effects or I prefer not to be on an oral antibiotic for long. Does anyone have any reccomendations on other things to try? Strangely diet plays a big role in how bad it gets and drinking lots of water seems to help.

[James]

Are you on a hair loss regimen?

I used to have problems with folliculitis but it was due to using topical hair loss treatments... If you are using a topical such as minoxidil (Rogaine), you may want to stop for a while to see if it helps your situation.

Diet definitely has a part in this.... I also believe that diet plays a part in male pattern baldness as well..... This morning a had a nice big piece of chocolate cake and now my head is itchy.

You may also want to look into Low Level Laser Therapy...such products as the Hairmax Lasercomb, the laserwand, etc... the list goes on and on. I used the Hairmax lasercomb and I believe that it helps with the health of my scalp.

[abc]

The folliculitis doesn't have anything to do with any topicals i've put on my head. As accutane destroyed all of my hair it made my scalp so dry and it has remained dry ever since. I wonder if the dryness makes the problem worse. I don't understand why drinking lots of water has a big impact on it. Hmm i've never heard of laser devices working for folliculitis but I guess since lasers are supposed to improve scalp health it wouldn't hurt. I've wanted to get one but part of me always suspected it might be a bit of a scam product.

[James]

You can find fairly cheap ones online that are similar to the more expensive ones... you will find some people saying "they are a scam, they are not proven" and then you will find people who have gotten results from them.

I am confused... do you have male pattern baldness or just hair loss from accutane?

http://www.amazinglasercomb.com/ - this is one place where you can get a laser comb cheap.

This guy made his own and has instructions: http://www.overmachogrande.com/laserbrushinstructions/

[abc]

I have what looks like mpb but it was caused by Accutane. I had a thick head of hair that my hairdresser would complain about but then one month into Accutane I noticed my hairline was suddenly receding. Over the next few months all of the hair on my head had miniaturized into fine straw like crappy hair. I looked like I was going through chemotherapy which is not surprising since Accutane was developed as a chemo drug. I shaved all my hair off in frustration and noticed a thick layer of dead skin all over my scalp. Shortly after the folliculitis showed up and since you could easily see my scalp now through my crap hair it made me look diseased. I've worn a hat all these years so as not to frighten children on the street. The folliculitis spread to my beard area eventually...hooray. Luckily one day while reading about Leaky Gut I decided to do the diet for it and take supplements and this really helped me. Oh and one weird thing the drug did was somehow evaporate the layer of fat that's on a scalp. My skull feels kinda dented these days because theres no layer of fat there to cover it.

[James]

Hmmm, seems like a perplexing situation...so your hair thinned out after the accutane usage.....

how many years ago was that?

has your hair continued to thin these past years?

has a doctor/dermatologist told you that you have male pattern baldness?

[abc]

This mass thinning of my hair happened 7 years ago. It didn't thin after Accutane but during my treatment. It took about 4 months of Accutane to make my hair diameter about half as thick, even on the sides and back of my scalp. It hasn't really gotten any thinner I don't think, just my hairline is slowly receding all this time. The recession was really fast when on the drug but as soon as I stopped it really slowed to a crawl but unfortunately didn't stop 100%. My dermatologists have been worthless. The idiot who put me on this drug who told me side effects were rare denied I even had any hairloss at first. Then he said maturing hairline and then he kinda admitted it was because of the drug but that the hair grows back no problem. Later when it clearly wasn't regrowing he unsurprisingly started saying he's never seen hairloss from the drug. Worst mistake I ever made. At least I don't have psychological problems from the drug like others do. Few days ago I read a story about a guy who I actually knew from an online forum for Accutane who actually went out and stabbed his dermatologist to death because of the drug. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/5126 ... 16.article

[James]

So it seems that the accutane aggravated the hair loss but the hair loss really slowed down after you stopped accutane.

Are you using anything to try to regrow your lost hair?

There is an inflammatory aspect to MPB, the folliculitis may be related to this (just a hypothesis).

Is the folliculitis painful? Have you tried Nizoral shampoo?

Sorry for asking so many questions... I just want to help.

[abc]

Nizoral is of no help. Only stuff that's antibacterial helps. Yeah the folliculitis is painful and itchy. For hair regrowth I was using Xandrox 5% but had to stop since it was making me feel like crap. Now I only use Tricomin, Apple Poly spray, topical Spiro, Emu oil.

[James]

I am assuming that you do not want to try Propecia?

[abc]

I don't see why Propecia would help me. Accutane inhibits 5 alpha reductase in skin anyways. The way Accutane causes hairloss is with stuff like upregulation of p53, bax, caspase 3 and 9 and TGF-Beta 2. Thinking of using topical lithium to normalize the p53. The Apple poly stuff should be getting the TGF-Beta 2. Threw in spiro in case my androgen receptors became extra sensitive after Accutane. Using Tricomin cause it's a SOD and thickens the subcutaneous layer of fat. I hear a lot of people who take Propecia have increased frontal hair loss and that's where my loss is so i'd be afraid anyways...and then there's the people with permanent side effects even after stopping the drug.

[HairLossFight.com]

Hi abc,

If the hair loss resembles a pattern characteristic with MPB, then even if the accutane really did initiate it you probably do have MPB. You should get a diagnosis from an expert on this one.

James' advice to start on a laser product is a good one.

I myself suffered from folliculitis for years, but was finally able to beat it. I discovered that I had very sensitive skin, to the point where using too many topicals caused irritation even though some of them were working for me to regrow hair. I had to stop using topicals. I now only use 1.25mg of finasteride (proscar cut up into quarters) and the lasercomb.

I think the single biggest factor in eliminating my folliculitis though is that I almost completely have eliminated refined starches and carbs as well as sugars from my diet. I eat very well. My hair and scalp have not been this healthy for years.

Anyway, I think you're on the right track with what you are investigating.

Regards,
Sam

[abc]

Hi. So what kinds of things are you eating? I have trouble finding food to buy that won't make the folliculitis worse. I probably was predestined to have mpb but I think Accutane really sped it up so instead of showing up in my late 20's it came in my late teens. My father has a better hairline than me. :/

[James]

I am also curious as to what your diet is like. I don't know what types of carbs to avoid. I scalp has been feeling sore as of late and I think it is because of my crappy diet.

[HairLossFight.com]

It's not easy, but it gets easier as you discipline yourself to get used to eating this way over time.

First of all, I should also state that I've been into bodybuilding for about a year and a half or so now, so my diet needs are different than the average persons now, but I do the following:

Breakfast:

High quality whey protein shake or a couple of hardboiled eggs on 12 grain toast
Good multi-vitamin

Lunch:

chicken breast sandwich or on a salad OR
salmon sandwich or on a salad OR
lean beef steak sandwich or on a salad OR
any form of quality protein either as a sandwich or on a salad

Dinner:

Protein with high quality non-starchy veggies
(it's tough to not have starchy veggies, but I am referring to not eating things like potatos or corn. Instead try yams, artichokes, asparagus... colored veggies with lots of vitamins)


Of course this is a very limited example, but you get the picture. Avoid the following:

ANY kind of pop or sugary beverage
DO NOT HAVE SUGARY FOOD OR ADD SUGAR TO YOUR FOOD
potatoes
white bread
candy in any form
cakes, desserts, etc.

It ain't easy, but since I've been eating this way I have now lost over 35 pounds, gained lean muscle mass, completely gotten rid of my folliculitis and seb. derm, and even I had that stupid restless leg thing (now gone!).

In addition to the above I'm on a supplement program for my weightlifting.

[abc]

Yeah it is tough to control what you eat. For me it was like an addiction, I would me miserable all day at work thinking about my hairloss and folliculitis and then come home and comfort myself with ordered out lasagne and pizza and fries and cheesy bread! Along with several cans of coke. One day I started thinking maybe my skin was just a reflection of how bad things were on the inside, of how bad shape my intestine was in. So I cut out most of everything known to irritate the intestine and had quite good results. It may be my imagination but I also take l-glutamine and colostrum everyday and I feel they help. I eat a lot of brown rice products, turkey, chicken, nuts, fruit but also unfortunately french fries. I had so much trouble quitting those, i've been eating them pretty much everyday until very recently I stopped and saw added positive results. I definitely need to eat more vegetables, the only problem is I hate how they taste.

[HairLossFight.com]

I think what you need is a burning desire that exceeds your desire for those things or for just satisfying yourself in the moment.

For me it happened after I got divorced. It was a huge wakeup call for me that I hadn't been doing things for myself and taking good care of myself. I really wanted to feel and look good. So badly that I quit all the crappy food. I find it somewhat ironic now because I don't even really crave those foods anymore. I'll have something every once in a while, but not very often. I actually enjoy the way I'm eating now.

Results I've seen:

35 pounds of fat gone
body of an athlete
no dermatitis or folliculitis
tons of energy
much healthier scalp

and as a result of all these things, the confidence that has allowed me to have the kind of social life I've always wanted (not to mention more attention from the opposite sex than I've ever had in my life).

So ask yourself the next time you're about to stuff a fatty french fry down your throat if it's worth continuing the way you are and passing up a healthier more fulfilling life. That's what I had to do in the beginning.

BTW, you should also workout. I can't stress how much this has helped me. I'm thinking of starting a website dedicated to it.

[abc]

Heh about working out i'm pretty sure I get enough exercise. My job for years has been moving furniture, so I get about 5 hours of exercise a day x 5 days a week. So about 25 hours a week plus I walk about 2 miles everyday. It can be a real marathon moving stuff sometimes, once had a job that was 17 hours long in the july heat.

[HairLossFight.com]

Nice. You must be pretty ripped then.

[Moomin]

I know this is an old thread, but i've been suffering from folliculitus on my scalp for years now, and its only after my last bout of research on the matter i've finally started to lik it.

Basically even if you use some form of antimicrobial on the scalp the skin still has the potential to become reinfected to a degree that could be potentially worse than before.

The reason is that many anti microbials (i use hibi scrub a lotion used before surgeries) can be quite harsh and have a drying effect on the skin. As the skin dries the area around the pimples is prone to breaking. When the skin breaks deeper layers of skin are exposed to the elements and so reinfection is very likey especially since the anti-microbial has been washed away prior to skin drying.

The way around this is to moisturise the skin. In doing so the skin does not get dry and is not prone to breaking. Becase it doesn't break theres no reinfection so as long as your keep scalp clean with the anti-microbial your body can fight the infection from the inside. However you should try to use an oil free moisturiser or at least one with a low oil content. otherwise the the oil can block pores or smother skin so that it retains too much moisture giving the infection a more favourable environment allowing it to spreed more easily.

My regimine cshould clear folliculitus in 3-6 weeks:

Oilatum - every 2 days - breaks down dead skin and gets scalp really clea
Hibiscrub - 2 times a day -antimicrobial quite harsh but does a good job
e45 moisturiser - 2 times a day

[Moomin]

I know this is an old thread, but i've been suffering from folliculitus on my scalp for years now, and its only after my last bout of research on the matter i've finally started to lik it.

Basically even if you use some form of antimicrobial on the scalp the skin still has the potential to become reinfected to a degree that could be potentially worse than before.

The reason is that many anti microbials (i use hibi scrub a lotion used before surgeries) can be quite harsh and have a drying effect on the skin. As the skin dries the area around the pimples is prone to breaking. When the skin breaks deeper layers of skin are exposed to the elements and so reinfection is very likey especially since the anti-microbial has been washed away prior to skin drying.

The way around this is to moisturise the skin. In doing so the skin does not get dry and is not prone to breaking. Becase it doesn't break theres no reinfection so as long as your keep scalp clean with the anti-microbial your body can fight the infection from the inside. However you should try to use an oil free moisturiser or at least one with a low oil content. otherwise the the oil can block pores or smother skin so that it retains too much moisture giving the infection a more favourable environment allowing it to spreed more easily.

My regimine cshould clear folliculitus in 3-6 weeks:

Oilatum - every 2 days - breaks down dead skin and gets scalp really clea
Hibiscrub - 2 times a day -antimicrobial quite harsh but does a good job
e45 moisturiser - 2 times a day