My profile will say I am a new poster - this being my first, but a while back I was a pretty good poster during the time of frizz and bryanshelton et al. I gave up after things just didn't work - dutasteride and RU just didn't give me the results I had hoped for. But anyway, I have mild psoriasis. During Dec, Jan, and Feb I get a little bit on my forearms and lower legs - thank GOD it is not supposed to get worse (which it hasn't in 9 years) only comes around in the cold dry months, and is easily taken care of with topicort (betamethasone variate) salve.
But my point is people who get psoriasis, VERY OFTEN get some sort of seborrheic dermatitis - really really BAD dandruff and flakes - which I do. And I have NEVER been able to get control of it. Steroids, 10+ kinds of shampoos, - trust me I have tried them ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I was convinced that I would never be able to stop the hair loss until I got a healthy scalp to do it. My current regimen has been paired down to Saw Palmetto and 5% spironolactone cream. I don't want to risk the finasteride/dutasteride side effects and minoxidil and other solutions do more harm than good I think. I think the 2% spironolactone worked, but anything that had high alcohol or propylene glycol solutions did NOT help my Seborrheic dermatitis at ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am serious, I would pick off thick layers of crap on my scalp that I am sure was part dead skin/flakes and part stuff I had just paid a lot of money to put on. Oh and quite a few hairs would come along with it. While I wont say that getting my Seborrheic dermatitis under control was the key to stopping hairloss, I do believe Seborrheic dermatitis was the biggest obstacle.
The only thing I have done differently for the past month is now I shower twice per day. 7am when I get up in the morning and 6pm when I get home. I am putting the 5% spironolactone on twice per day - both times to a really clean healthy scalp - and by showering twice per day, the Seborrheic dermatitis build up really isn't able to build up all that much - haven't seen a flake at all. A month later when I wash my hair I have 3-4 hairs in my lathery hands whereas a month ago I had 20-30 hairs in my lathery hands. So my point is, I know this doesn't apply to everyone out there, but quite enough have complained about flakes, itchiness, and little ugly placques that you pick off your scalp - until you take care of that, you CAN'T stop your hairloss. My shampoos I rotate are 1% Nizoral, Denorex 3% salicylic acid, and Head and Shoulders Zinc Pyrithione (or whatever it is called). Putting my 5% spironolactone on a healthy clean scalp twice a day, has made a difference, and the biggest point in that sentence in my mind is the HEALTHY CLEAN SCALP part of it.
Good luck to all - I am optimistic again - though showering after getting home isn't what thrills me, it works. For those of you who have the flakes/Seborrheic dermatitis problems like I do, it's worth a try.
Lou
But my point is people who get psoriasis, VERY OFTEN get some sort of seborrheic dermatitis - really really BAD dandruff and flakes - which I do. And I have NEVER been able to get control of it. Steroids, 10+ kinds of shampoos, - trust me I have tried them ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I was convinced that I would never be able to stop the hair loss until I got a healthy scalp to do it. My current regimen has been paired down to Saw Palmetto and 5% spironolactone cream. I don't want to risk the finasteride/dutasteride side effects and minoxidil and other solutions do more harm than good I think. I think the 2% spironolactone worked, but anything that had high alcohol or propylene glycol solutions did NOT help my Seborrheic dermatitis at ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am serious, I would pick off thick layers of crap on my scalp that I am sure was part dead skin/flakes and part stuff I had just paid a lot of money to put on. Oh and quite a few hairs would come along with it. While I wont say that getting my Seborrheic dermatitis under control was the key to stopping hairloss, I do believe Seborrheic dermatitis was the biggest obstacle.
The only thing I have done differently for the past month is now I shower twice per day. 7am when I get up in the morning and 6pm when I get home. I am putting the 5% spironolactone on twice per day - both times to a really clean healthy scalp - and by showering twice per day, the Seborrheic dermatitis build up really isn't able to build up all that much - haven't seen a flake at all. A month later when I wash my hair I have 3-4 hairs in my lathery hands whereas a month ago I had 20-30 hairs in my lathery hands. So my point is, I know this doesn't apply to everyone out there, but quite enough have complained about flakes, itchiness, and little ugly placques that you pick off your scalp - until you take care of that, you CAN'T stop your hairloss. My shampoos I rotate are 1% Nizoral, Denorex 3% salicylic acid, and Head and Shoulders Zinc Pyrithione (or whatever it is called). Putting my 5% spironolactone on a healthy clean scalp twice a day, has made a difference, and the biggest point in that sentence in my mind is the HEALTHY CLEAN SCALP part of it.
Good luck to all - I am optimistic again - though showering after getting home isn't what thrills me, it works. For those of you who have the flakes/Seborrheic dermatitis problems like I do, it's worth a try.
Lou
