Seborrheic Dermatitis and Telogen Effluvium

[Advice]

Hi all just wondering if I could get some opinions / stories from others as my problem is really bothering me.

To begin with I am a 20 year old male and have always had thick hair which is about shoulder length. I don't have a family history of hair loss (one grandfather is bald, the other has thinning hair although theyre both 80 so I thought that might be considered normal).

However, over 2 months ago I started losing A LOT of hair in the shower while there’d also be a lot of hair on my shoulders / clothes and along with this my scalp also got really itchy. I then went to the dermatologist who said I had seborrheic dermatitis and telogen effluvium and prescribed me a combination of Nizoral 1%, a tar based shampoo for dermatitis and elocon lotion.


Even though my scalp isn’t as itchy anymore I am still losing a lot of hair. The amount fluctuates day by day however I’d estimate that on my bad days I’d very easily lose over 100 hairs and even find large “hair balls†of hair caught in my hair after having a shower, while even on normal days I’d find a large amount of hairs on my clothes, pillow, in the shower or even getting caught on my hands if I run them lightly through my hair.

Therefore I’d like to know if anyone else has experienced this problem and any solutions / help / tips they can provide as my hair has become noticeably thinner, while the pressure / stress of finding large numbers of hairs everywhere is really beginning to bother me. In particular I’d like to know how long the telogen effluvium lasted and whether your hair went back to normal.

Thankyou heaps for any help.

 

[I.D WALKER]

I've had dry scalp or dandruff since as early as elementary school. The first signs of seborrhea struck me at approximately age 18. I didn't have it "officially" diagnosed until my early twenties, interestingly nearly the same time frame when I began to notice a visible change in my hair line. So the parallel has always been an item of intrigue and suspicion for me. I've yet been able to hear a physician confirm my personal account correlative. Most have no problem simply summing it up as coincidence. I can only say my intuition sees something different. I am reluctant to believe that the symptoms of mySeb.derm. have not accelerated and compounded my male pattern baldness predisposition. It's accurate to state that the onset of my male pattern baldness began approximately when the Seb. derm started. At first I tried every thing available OTC to combat the seb.derm. with zero or very minimal success. Once both conditions/diseases were properly diagnosed I looked for the safest and most effective means to treat them. Although I would be cautious how often you administer Nizoral I must say prescription strength (2%) was something of a godsend for me in terms of combatting Seb. derm. but,at least not right away. I had a severe case of it and thru trial and error it took me a little while to understand that medicated shampoos need to remain on the scalp for at least 3-5 minutes to work. In my case again, I learned 5-10 minute shampoos, staggered at 3-4 days per week is better, remembering to always finish with a THOROUGH rinse. Sadly to this day, when it come to treating my hair loss I have yet to discover an effective solution. I may return to finasteride.or try dutasteride sometime this year. If I were you, ( discuss this with your doctor beforehand) about introducing combination therapy with the 3 known treatments presently available to us. You are a little young to be starting on AA's or finasteride so that may have to wait? So minoxidil 5% 2Xp.d. Make sure you don't deviate from your regimen and deliberate some more on your decision before you commit to a program for potentially a life time .What has your doctor prescribed/advised you to do concerning your Telogen Effluvium? It would not do any harm to schedule a second opinion and preferably at a different facility. In addition to nizoral to treat your Seb. derm., in some cases Omega oils are reported to mitigate tissue inflammation by 25%. Possibly upping your zinc and b-12 intake as well to strengthen your hair? Above all when it comes to your health you are your best teacher. Always put it first. With that said continue to research, research, research and ask a lot of questions. Im sorry for taking the circuitous route to help answer your post, All the best and thanx for sharing.

 

[Advice]

Thanks for the reply. In regards to the Telogen Effluvium the dermatologist prescribed minoxodil however my pharmacist recommended that I didn't need it as I didn't have a family history of baldness and therefore my hair should eventually get back to normal, while also saying that if I was set on using it I should wait till the dermatitis was gone.

Also another question if anyone can answer. Does telogen effluvium make your hair / roots weaker? Or is it more of a case of you lose the hair youre meant to lose regardless of what you do? For example, I have not been excercising (to reduce sweat), swimming / going to the beach or tying my hair up because Im scared that'll cause more hair to fall out.

Thanks once again.