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My Scalp Itches So Bad, I Sleep with an Ice Pack

(female) My scalp itches and stings all day but seems to get worse at night while I sleep. Ocassionally it will wake me. I will sleep with an ice pack on my neck just to relieve some of the burning. Most of the hair falls out while I am doing my hair in the morning.All of the hair that comes out has roots attached.Could this be a fungal infection?

Without examining you, it would be hard to determine what is causing your hair loss. It could be a fungal infection, however, often these type of infections lead to patchy hair loss and are not diffuse as it seems to be in your case. Irritants such as chemical dyes and relaxers (along with anything else that can be applied to the hair/scalp) can cause a skin reaction called contact dermatitis. Hair loss can often accompany severe cases of contact dermatitis usually caused from scratching it. You will need to see your regular doctor to determine if there are any systemic causes of the symptoms you are having such as autoimmune diseases (i.e. lupus).

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Experiencing excess hair loss and thinning hair, what can I expect?

Many people with early genetic hair loss get hairs that become miniaturized (less thick) over time, and this progresses until these hairs just fade away. The drug finasteride often slows, stops or reverses it.


2019-12-11 09:26:34Experiencing excess hair loss and thinning hair, what can I expect?

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My scabs came off naturally

scabs should come out by itself, don’t try to remove them on purpose. I can’t tell if they are grafts or scabs from your first pic. I hope they are scabs.. My scabs didn’t come off until day 15th.

This is what I like to see immediately after the surgery and the days following the surgery. The post operative washing process should produce results without scabs like these:

There is a risk of removing mature scabs prior to the 12th day. I wrote about this in a medical publication here: https://newhair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/mp-2006-graft-anchoring.pdf

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My Rogaine Benefits Have Tapered Off

I have been using generic rogaine for over 6 years. Recently, I have noticed the benefits taper off considerably within the last 2 or so years. In recent weeks, I have just begun treating the my thinning hair with propecia, but I never stopped using the minoxidil.

I know how the saying goes “you have to use minoxidil twice a day for life or all that is gained will be lost”. IS this still true once someone has begun a propecia treatment?

I looked online for an answer, but all of the literature relating the two products together only say “give propecia 8 mos to a year before adding minoxidil”. My problem is, I had already been using it, and there was no scenerio for that.

Thanks in advance!

You shouldn’t replace Rogaine with Propecia and expect it to maintain your Rogaine benefits. You’ll need to keep up with the Rogaine to see those benefits remain, even if they’ve tapered off.

In general, we recommend adding Rogaine about a year after starting Propecia so that the individual patient can make an educated assessment of which medication is working without having two variables. Neither medication is guaranteed to work your lifetime. In fact, they usually decrease their effectiveness over time. Stopping them completely will likely result in catch-up hair loss, though.

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My Right Eyebrow Is Normal, My Left Eyebrow Is Going Bald

It occured about half a year ago almost un-self concious of the problem my left eyebrow started losing hair. As I thought it would just grow back, I ignored the problem but as now its still left unsolved. My left eyebrow has kept the same appearance over the months. The eyebrow isnt completely bald, rather a majority of it is composed of short one millimetre length hairs which doesnt seem to grow at all. There are two small areas of the eyebrow that are have still normal length hairs. My right eyebrow isnt as affected but the right end of the eyebrow does show signs of hair loss.

I am planning to see a dermatologist about this problem but the appointment date duration is almost a month of wait so if you can provide me any advice that would be great. Thank You.

It seems you are doing the right thing by seeing a dermatologist. I don’t know what I can offer you in the month you have to wait to see the dermatologist that will change your outlook or regrow your eyebrow. I don’t know why you lost only one side of your eyebrow. It sounds strange. There may be many reasons why you are experiencing such a problem, but I will only be guessing and my guesses may just give you more anxiety and undue worries without solving the real underlying issue. My best advice is to be patient and address these issues with your doctor. Good luck!

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My Propecia Has Not Expired But Should I Be Worried?

I recently filled a prescription for finasteride at Costco and noticed the manufacturing date was from a year ago (9/2014). The expiration date is 8/2016. Even though it hasn’t expired, should I be concerned that it might’ve been sitting around in a warehouse (either Costco’s or the manufacturer’s) for a year?

It’s Aug 2015 (not 2016) so your propecia has not expired yet. If you are concerned about the potency, just go back to the pharmacy for a new prescription. There is a reason why there is an expiration date and a manufacturing date. As long as you follow direction and use it before the expiration date, you should be fine.

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My penis got bigger on Finasteride

This worried me as I have read that most people who complain about their penis size, find that it shrinks on Finasteride. I believe from what I read that some people get an increased testosterone level when they take Finasteride. I don’t really understand the complaints that some men’s penises have gotten smaller as mine got bigger. I am now 35 year old so changes in my overall hormone balance have been stable.

You are correct that it does seem some people complain that their penis is getting smaller on Finaseride, although there is nothing to support this claim in the medical literature. Your complaint is again unique. I can’t explain either complaint.