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Hair Loss Caused by Psoriasis

Friday, December 18th, 2009

One of the most unsettling effects of psoriasis, aside from chronic physical discomfort, is the hair loss that can occur for those who have problems with their scalp. The scalp is one of the most commonly affected areas for people with psoriasis. For those who are thus affected, hair loss can be a major concern for the simple reason that scratching the scalp damages the hair follicles, causing hair to fall out at an abnormally fast rate. This can mean that, not only does a patient have to cope with an irritated and itchy scalp, but also experience the cosmetic issue of hair loss.

In general, treating the underlying issue will bring hair loss under control. There are, of course, different treatments for preventing and/or restoring hair loss, but for our purposes, the first step is to identifying the main problem, which is psoriasis. Note: if you are experiencing suspicious new scalp problems you probably should visit a doctor who can positively diagnose if this is psoriasis or another scalp condition.

For people suffering from psoriasis, treating the problem can be as simple as finding a moisturizer for a dry scalp, in which case heavy conditioners or hair oil treatments can be massaged in to bring almost instant relief.

Medicated shampoos designed to combat psoriasis on the scalp can be the best good way to stop itching and, by extension, hair loss. I have had a lot of success using two medicated shampoos by Neutrogena – T/Sal (which contains salicylic acid) and T/Gel – Stubborn Itch Control (which contains coal tar and menthol).

The skin under your hair is more difficult to reach for obvious reasons, and thus topical treatments can be difficult to apply. In any case, for those who are determined enough (or possibly for those who are willing to shave their head), steroids can be effectively applied to the scalp for relief from itching, irritation and swelling.

Unfortunately, hair loss is a common issue among people suffering from psoriasis on the scalp. This symptom, which results from damaged hair follicles, can have a major impact on a person’s self esteem and social life. If you need more information about finding relief, don’t hesitate to visit your dermatologist with a list of questions in hand. Researchers are constantly on the lookout for a cure for psoriasis, so there is a good chance that there will be new options at your disposal all the time.

Posted in Psoriasis | 1 Response »

Product Review: Scytera Coal Tar Foam

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

scytera

Scytera is a new coal tar psoriasis treatment by Promius Pharma. Scytera is unique because it’s delivered in the form of an off-white foam.

“What is coal tar?” you might ask. Coal tar is a dark, viscous by-product of coal that has long been used to treat psoriasis. It can be applied directly to skin areas affected by psoriasis to suppress the disease itself as well as act as an immediate itch inhibitor.

Thus, Scytera is designed to deliver coal tar in a way that takes advantage of coal tar’s therapeutic qualities all the while minimizing some of its less pleasant cosmetic qualities, such as its strong odor and tendency to stain cloths. I found that this foam solution smelled more like mint than the coal tar shampoos I am used to smelling. As you can tell from the picture below, it looks as close to white as any coal-tar based solution could possibly look.

My first impression of Scytera was that it must be a new kind of coal tar shampoo. But it is actually a coal-tar-based topical treatment that can be applied anywhere on the body, hence the emphasis that it does not stain cloths as standard coal tar tends to do. According to the directions provided with the product, it can applied up to four times per day.

As a scalp treatment (which is the only kind of psoriasis treatment I need), it worked very well. It had an immediate “tingly,” soothing effect that effectively suppressed my psoriasis itch all day. Luckily my head is almost shaved already, so I was able to apply it directly to my scalp.

For my first time using Scytera, I applied it to my scalp after using regular shampoo. After letting it soak in for a while, then rinsed off any excess. It worked for the duration of the day. The efficacy of this coal tar solution is comparable to my favorite coal tar shampoo: Neutrogena’s T/Gel Stubborn Itch Control, which contains menthol.

Scytera is made up of 10% liquor carbonis detergens, which the makers of Scytera refer to as “equivalent to 2% coal tar.” From researching different sources that use the phrase “liquor carbonis detergens” interchangably with coal tar, it would seem that this can either refer to coal tar directly or a somewhat diluted version of it.

scytera foam

Posted in Psoriasis | 3 Responses »

Psoriasis Shampoo Update – Using a T/Gel, T/Sal and Selsun Blue Rotation

Monday, October 26th, 2009

I switched back to Neutrogena’s T/Gel (Stubborn Itch Control, active ingredients: coal tar and menthol) as of about 4 days ago… and what a relief it is. T/Gel – Stubborn Itch Control continues to be the most effective shampoo for suppressing the deep itch that would otherwise have me scratching my scalp all day. Constant scratching all day can lead to scalp damage over time, including hair loss.

I tried out Selsun Blue (active ingredients: selenium sulfide and menthol) for a few days to see if this well-known dandruff-treating shampoo, would have a positive effect on my psoriasis, which tends to flare up only on my scalp. For a about one-and-a-half days my scalp seemed to react well, but soon after that my psoriasis itch came back in full force. Thus, Selsun Blue might be an acceptable shampoo to rotate in with T/Gel (the current reigning champion for battling psoriasis in my case).

A method I use to keep the pruritus (itchiness) at bay is to “keep it guessing,” as it were, by changing shampoos around every other day. For example, my shampoo rotation tends to include T/Gel, T/Sal and regular shampoo. Using regular shampoo gives my scalp a break and is also significantly less expensive. Now I will most likely use Selsun Blue in the rotation as well, probably for however long it takes to use up this bottle (which cost me almost ten bones).

Posted in Psoriasis | 1 Response »

Expensive Psoriasis Shampoos Vs. Holistic Treatments

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

psoriasis shampoos

You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out that medicated psoriasis shampoos are a lot more expensive than standard shampoos. Whereas basic shampoo brands such as Suave can go for about 99 cents for a bottle, you would be lucky to find any kind of psoriasis shampoo for five bucks (or less). Occasionally my local grocery store, Fry’s, puts T/Gel on sale for about 5 dollars a bottle, but I have come to expect about 6 dollars a pop. As you can see in the picture above, such pricing leads me to leave the shampoo bottles upside down until I can squeeze every last drop out of them.

Included in the picture above:

T/Gel — Extra Strength (4% Neutar) and Stubborn Itch Control (2% Neutar as well as menthol)
T/Sal — Active ingredient: Salicylic acid.
Selsun Blue, with menthol and 1% selenium sulfide, which is a common dandruff medication

Cost is a major factor that must, by necessity, be calculated into one’s daily psoriasis-battling regimen. If insurance doesn’t cover a certain medication, if copays add up to too much or if you don’t have any insurance at all then, short of taking up a life of crime, you will have to seek out other options to treat your psoriasis. It is because of such resource limitations that holistic treatments (changing your entire lifestyle to treat psoriasis) are sometime necessary. This can be a good thing much of the time since treating psoriasis generally involves becoming more healthy all-around.

In addition to being more affordable, holistic, herbal and generally more natural treatments can be more effective in the long run for treating your psoriasis. If your body is equipped from the inside-out to fight off this condition, then additional brute-force drugs such as steroids or immunosuppressants will become unnecessary.

This is similar to the effect that drinking less caffeine has on my ability to concentrate and work effectively. It’s nice to get that jolt of energy, but there is inevitably a let-down afterward, during which work seems even more difficult than before. During the let-down phase I feel compelled to drink more caffeine, thus increasing my dependence on this drug. But, when I opt for sleeping enough and drinking more water, my brain works better over longer periods of time.

The theory behind holistic psoriasis medications is similar to the principal of sleeping more rather than drinking caffeine.

Modern medicine is adapting to the fact that the body is, much of the time, better equipped to deal with biological issues than any man-made drug. This points to the general fact that you, if you are suffering from psoriasis, should use shampoos such as those listed above but, at the same time, keep exercising, eating right and maintain a healthy state of mind to the best of your ability.

Posted in Psoriasis | No Responses »

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