Cetirizine and Scalp Inflammation

[doragio]

First posting here and glad to be apart of this great forum.

I went through the cetirizine thread and made the solution using distilled water approximately 3 weeks ago. One week into the treatment, I notice that my scalp has got these red bumps all over it. It's almost like seborrhic dermatitis or scalp acne. They tend to be red and itchy Just wondering if anyone else has experienced these side effects?

I'm thinking it might be a coincidence but then I'm left with this scalp condition that is pretty bad. Any suggestions on how to beat this irritation is greatly appreciated. The doctors couldn't seem to diagnose it and just gave some hydrocortizone which is not doing that well.

Thanks

 

[HairOutTheWazoo]

Did you mix with alcohol or something else? Try just cet and water.

 

[zeroes]

I use water and cet and i have bumps as well but they don't itch or hurt.

 

[nograde]

Hi doragio!

As I see it this is a common reaction to applying Cet on the scalp. I even think that the small red circles we can see on casperz photos share the same pathogenesis. I use Cet for 6 weeks now and also occasionally get small bumps on my hairline but you can hardly see them.

So what is the reason? I think it has nothing to do with the vehicle as water should cause no irritation at all. It is becoming very clear now that male pattern baldness seems to be a kind of allergic reaction slowly killing our hair-follicles. Both elevated PGD2 levels and lowered PGE2 levels hint in this direction. For me the real question is, what are we allergic to? Is it something exogenous on our scalp (Malassezia fungus, bacteria) or is it an autoimmune reaction against hair itself. I suspect its the former and this is the real reason why antifugals (Ketoconazole, Zinc Pyrithione, Piroctone Olamine) work in some way. Also the connection with sebum production hints in this direction because this is the necessary prerequisite that microbes can happily colonize our scalp.

So how might this hypothesis help us? Well, by applying Cetirizine we effectively turn off the allergic reaction, the allergen however still exists and in case of the allergen being fungi or bacteria they can now proliferate unhindered. And this seems to be the reason we get inflammation and bumps, its the skin taking other measures to get rid of the allergen. I therefore started a vigorous scalp-hygiene regimen cycling shampoos that contain Ketoconazole, Piroctone Olamine, Octopirox olamine, Zinc Pyrithione and Salicylic acid. And it seems my bumps are now dissapearing. However its a fine line as such a regime can be very harsh on your skin and again cause inflammation/irritation.

If this doesn't work then it is a autoimmune disorder and we have to think about eliminating the root causes, i.e. rebalancing the immune system. This however is difficult and nobody really understands the grand scheme of things here.

Hope this helps,
nograde

First posting here and glad to be apart of this great forum.

I went through the cetirizine thread and made the solution using distilled water approximately 3 weeks ago. One week into the treatment, I notice that my scalp has got these red bumps all over it. It's almost like seborrhic dermatitis or scalp acne. They tend to be red and itchy Just wondering if anyone else has experienced these side effects?

I'm thinking it might be a coincidence but then I'm left with this scalp condition that is pretty bad. Any suggestions on how to beat this irritation is greatly appreciated. The doctors couldn't seem to diagnose it and just gave some hydrocortizone which is not doing that well.

Thanks

 

[orez]

Hi doragio!

As I see it this is a common reaction to applying Cet on the scalp. I even think that the small red circles we can see on casperz photos share the same pathogenesis. I use Cet for 6 weeks now and also occasionally get small bumps on my hairline but you can hardly see them.

So what is the reason? I think it has nothing to do with the vehicle as water should cause no irritation at all. It is becoming very clear now that male pattern baldness seems to be a kind of allergic reaction slowly killing our hair-follicles. Both elevated PGD2 levels and lowered PGE2 levels hint in this direction. For me the real question is, what are we allergic to? Is it something exogenous on our scalp (Malassezia fungus, bacteria) or is it an autoimmune reaction against hair itself. I suspect its the former and this is the real reason why antifugals (Ketoconazole, Zinc Pyrithione, Piroctone Olamine) work in some way. Also the connection with sebum production hints in this direction because this is the necessary prerequisite that microbes can happily colonize our scalp.

So how might this hypothesis help us? Well, by applying Cetirizine we effectively turn off the allergic reaction, the allergen however still exists and in case of the allergen being fungi or bacteria they can now proliferate unhindered. And this seems to be the reason we get inflammation and bumps, its the skin taking other measures to get rid of the allergen. I therefore started a vigorous scalp-hygiene regimen cycling shampoos that contain Ketoconazole, Piroctone Olamine, Octopirox olamine, Zinc Pyrithione and Salicylic acid. And it seems my bumps are now dissapearing. However its a fine line as such a regime can be very harsh on your skin and again cause inflammation/irritation.

If this doesn't work then it is a autoimmune disorder and we have to think about eliminating the root causes, i.e. rebalancing the immune system. This however is difficult and nobody really understands the grand scheme of things here.

Hope this helps,
nograde

quite a theory. it may be feasible

 

[casperz]

Hi doragio!

As I see it this is a common reaction to applying Cet on the scalp. I even think that the small red circles we can see on casperz photos share the same pathogenesis. I use Cet for 6 weeks now and also occasionally get small bumps on my hairline but you can hardly see them.

So what is the reason? I think it has nothing to do with the vehicle as water should cause no irritation at all. It is becoming very clear now that male pattern baldness seems to be a kind of allergic reaction slowly killing our hair-follicles. Both elevated PGD2 levels and lowered PGE2 levels hint in this direction. For me the real question is, what are we allergic to? Is it something exogenous on our scalp (Malassezia fungus, bacteria) or is it an autoimmune reaction against hair itself. I suspect its the former and this is the real reason why antifugals (Ketoconazole, Zinc Pyrithione, Piroctone Olamine) work in some way. Also the connection with sebum production hints in this direction because this is the necessary prerequisite that microbes can happily colonize our scalp.

So how might this hypothesis help us? Well, by applying Cetirizine we effectively turn off the allergic reaction, the allergen however still exists and in case of the allergen being fungi or bacteria they can now proliferate unhindered. And this seems to be the reason we get inflammation and bumps, its the skin taking other measures to get rid of the allergen. I therefore started a vigorous scalp-hygiene regimen cycling shampoos that contain Ketoconazole, Piroctone Olamine, Octopirox olamine, Zinc Pyrithione and Salicylic acid. And it seems my bumps are now dissapearing. However its a fine line as such a regime can be very harsh on your skin and again cause inflammation/irritation.

If this doesn't work then it is a autoimmune disorder and we have to think about eliminating the root causes, i.e. rebalancing the immune system. This however is difficult and nobody really understands the grand scheme of things here.

Hope this helps,
nograde

Seems very plausible to me. Sounds like we all need to be on nizoral to combat this.

 

[doragio]

Thanks everyone for the information and feedback.

@nograde,

A quick question regarding your theory. When you mentioned that cetirizine breaks the allergic reaction, hence the allergens are able to proliferate unhindered. Prior to cetirizine being introduced, shouldn't the allergens still proliferate unhindered and yet our scalps give off a normal appearance. I'm trying to grasp this because it would seem once the allergic reaction is broken, we would actually see a more healthier scalp?

In this instance then, cetirizine is helpful in breaking the allergic reaction, but the resulting irritation caused by the allergens would be detrimental to our hair loss wouldn't it? That seems to negate the benefits of cetirizine.

As a side not, I'm starting to use emu oil in an effort to calm the irritation and bumps. Will keep everyone posted if this helps.

 

[Admin]

bump

 

[zeroes]

My bumps cleared up on the temples so I continue to use cet with water.

 

[shivers20]

I have been using Zyrtec liquid gels on my temples for two weeks and have the same small bumps/pimples you guys speak of.