I am annoyed, I have had psoriasis on my scalp on and off for years about 5 years ago it came back with a vengeance. My dermatologist gave me shampoo and another time foam for my scalp that I still use but I don’t think it was ever taken seriously because they can’t see it! I fight everyday to get rid of this on my scalp. I wish me derm was more concerned. Well on the up side my rhemustologist understood its a daily battle.
Are the shampoo and foam helping?
I use a clear liquid (steroid) for the odd outbreak on my scalp, face and in my hairline. I've also used a witch hazel (alcohol free) and glycerin mix when it gets _really_ itchy. But that makes my hair look like an oil slick!
I've found that cycling through a bunch of different shampoos for dandruff/dermatitis really helps. If I settle on one shampoo it stops helping. So I usually have four or five bottles on the go at once with different active ingredients (coal tar, selenium sulfide, pyrithicone zinc, salicylic acid).
My daughter (14) has battled the same thing for years… when she went on Enbrel and Humeria for her arthritis, it helped but she still has spots on the front and back of her scalp … She has an amazing dermatologist; he sent 3 different topical scripts on her last visit. The Olux foam does well for her; she applies at night time. If you have a good rheumy, they should be able to write a script for you. We too have a bathroom of different shampoos so she’s constantly using something different (only uses a “dandruff” type shampoo on occasion)
If you just have it in spots, you might try Elocon Cream (prescription steroid). It was the only thing that worked for me (except lowering stress and increasing sleep, that made a big difference as well).
If anything topical works, ride it as long as you can. My scalp has always been my biggest problem area, but topicals stopped helping many years ago (although clobetosol and calcipotriene worked well at first). I had moderate success with UV treatments for a few years, but that's much more expensive than T-Gel unless your insurance covers it.
I'm on Remicade now for PsA, and that has totally cleared my psoriasis. That's a happy side benefit though--the psoriasis itself was never bad enough to justify a biologic.
I have used the shampoos and it doesn’t work. I just started MTX hopefully that helps I have to say I wake up everyday praying the psoriasis will get better. It is very discouraging. I can’t wait to wear black again without being nervous. I do agree if I switch shampoos I am better off but it’s a constant battle!! I can’t believe there are others like me I felt like a leper before, but NOT anymore!!! I will try the anti dandruff shampoos again!
Have you had any luck with Clobex? That worked for me for a few years...not the shampoo but the lotion.
Don't feel like a leper, there are ways live with it and good Rx out there for it. Tt's an embarrassing condition for sure...I have very long hair so that I can wear black, it covers my whole back so that no flakies show. Then every few hours I hit a restroom to "dust" myself off. I know, gross, but it's how I've come to terms with it. Wearing my hair in a low bun "captures" the flakies so they don't fall out on my clothes. :) I don't think anyone has noticed yet!
I'm about to take my third Enbrel injection tomorrow, and praying that along with my arthritis, maybe my scalp will finally clear up...
A friend's little son asked me what I did to my head, and rather than explain psoriasis to a 5 year old, I simply found it easier to say I scraped it on a low-hanging tree! But it prompted me to ask my I.D. doctor for a repeat on a steroid cream I was given about 5 years ago for my elbow. She prescribed Fluocinonide Cream USP, 0.05%. After 2 months of using it religiously, I wasn't seeing any improvement at all... (or feeling any improvement for the areas on the top of my head.) Then I came across the old scrip that the former doctor had given me. Not to USE the old one but to ask for this one instead. It's Betamethasone Dipropionate Cream, USP 0.05%. Without exaggeration, I was seeing and feeling results in only 24 hours! Now, just short of two weeks of using the Betamethasone version, nearly ALL my breakout areas are GONE!
I have to admit that I was also started on sublingual B-complex vitamins in that time for different purposes, by my neuropsychopharmacologist. But that "may" have helped too. I'm also not ignoring the possibility that this breakout simply ran its course and coincidentally disappeared at this same point in time that I switched steroid cream, and added B vitamins. But I also ran across numerous web postings that found Betamethasone versions "significantly favored" over Fluocinonide.
07 Jul 2013, 17:48
"Betamethasone Dipropionate vs Fluocinonide - Treato.Topical steroid potency chart - National Psoriasis Foundation
Results significantly favored betamethasone dipropionate AF over fluocinonide, as indicated by improvements in signs of erythema, induration, and scaling, nbsp., Uses and Side Effects of Betamethasone Cream - Fluocinonide Cream
Betamethasone Dipropionate vs Fluocinonide - Treato., A comparison of topical steroid medications Doctor Rennie&39s Blog
Knowledge Center: Steroid Potency Comparison - Fougera., A double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of augmented
A double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of augmented., Knowledge Center: Steroid Potency Comparison - Fougera
Betamethasone nausea vomiting - fluocinonide vs., Betamethasone nausea vomiting - fluocinonide vs. - home - FC2
Betamethasone dipropionate comes in the form of a cream, lotion and ointment., Treating Eczema with Steroids..."
Colin said:
A friend's little son asked me what I did to my head, and rather than explain psoriasis to a 5 year old, I simply found it easier to say I scraped it on a low-hanging tree!
I always told people over about 10 that I had been attacked by a rabid badger.
i discovered long time ago that coloring or bleaching my hair helps with psoriasis on my scalp. however, if you going to try that, do it on small spot, and check if this is going to help. for me it was a "miracle" i was looking for. i don't know if this will work for anyone else. also since i do my hair very often it is helpful.
stress will worsen the symptoms, so try to approach that with humor: only your scalp? at least is covered with hair :)
i have it on my legs and unfortunately my hair don't grow that dense to cover it :)
(i hope i made you smile)
Oh, please hear what I have to say. I found an absolutely fantastic product, years after trying everything. I know that different things work for different people, but this product ended years of horror-show dandruff for me.
It's Clobetasol Propionate Topical Solution USP 0.05%. It's a prescription med.
Don't let your doctor mistake this for the lotion or the cream - it's the solution. Its consistency is like water; it has absolutely no oil. It's for use on the scalp only, which makes its watery consistency perfect for this use.
This stuff ended a six-year siege with dandruff that was so bad, it chills me to think of those years. I slapped my shoulders so often, it became a trait of mine. I always appeared to be beating myself up! I wore white all the time, and always wore a jacket, too, so I could take it off every few minutes and just shake off the mounds of dandruff. After a lifetime of enjoying a real crowning glory of thick, shiny hair that people always commented on, I looked and felt awful. I also became very cranky about people recommending all sorts of silly solutions for the moderate dandruff they experienced. Like you, my doctors, who were smart, sensitive and attentive, just couldn't figure it out. It was so thick in my ears, it affected my hearing! My hairdresser, a lovely person, would beg off on haircuts: "Your scalp is on fire; I feel like I'm torturing you."
So you can see why I want to swoop in like Superwoman and fix this for you. I understand!
Please try this stuff; it's not too expensive, and most doctors mis-prescribe it as the gooey lotion and cream formulas. Ask for the solution.
The best part is this - the product seems to stop flare-ups cold, and put the dandruff in total remission for months and years at a time - without maintenance. By that I mean, after using it a few times, my dandruff just stopped over the course of a few day and that was that. I just keep a bottle handy in case the dandruff shows up again. However, I don't use it regularly. I don't have to!
The only time it shows up is when I use a shampoo besides Dove's oil-based shampoo. In fact, last week I ran out, and had to use one of the dozens of shampoos from my graveyard of ineffective dandruff shampoos. The dandruff kicked in the minute I dried my hair.
Dove's "oil" products (shampoo, conditioner, body lotions) are wildly effective. I don't know what it is in it, but it worked for me. And believe me, I have so much shampoo in that graveyard of products that my house guests joke that coming to my house is like visiting a spa. They get to try every product they have ever seen advertised. They love choosing from the vast assortment of shampoos and lotions I tried before I found Dove's oil products.
Thanks for letting me spout off. I think dandruff advice is like migraine advice. Some people get a bad headache once in a while and go around saying, "Do you know what works for me? A Coke and an aspirin! Try it!" Meanwhile, I'm seeing auras and vomiting for three days, and smiling politely at the ridiculous advice.
In other words, there is dandruff, and there is d-a-n-d-r-u-f-f-! And I understand, believe me. Try Clobetasol Propionate Topical Solution USP 0.05.
Oh - this is just a guess, but those OTC horsepills of Omega 3-6-9 seemed to help along with the solution and the Dove shampoo.
OR.................. for us guys at least. The Cowboy Hat. You never have to take it off even inside. Little kids think its cool, it providess UV protection for those of us om MTX, rain protection and explanation protection.............. Take it off by the back door at night and shake and you are good to go Felt for winter and straw for summer.
Jane.. I agree.. they made me try the generic.. it did not work.. it is expensive .. but it keeps mine at bay sometimes for up to a year....
karen
Jane said:
My daughter (14) has battled the same thing for years... when she went on Enbrel and Humeria for her arthritis, it helped but she still has spots on the front and back of her scalp ... She has an amazing dermatologist; he sent 3 different topical scripts on her last visit. The Olux foam does well for her; she applies at night time. If you have a good rheumy, they should be able to write a script for you. We too have a bathroom of different shampoos so she's constantly using something different (only uses a "dandruff" type shampoo on occasion)
That's my go-to liquid, too!
Samantha said:
Try Clobetasol Propionate Topical Solution USP 0.05.
Hi,
I have scalp psoriasis also. When I first got it about 6 years ago it was really bad. Nothing the doc gave me helped including the steroid creams. The only relief I found was using Neutrogena t-gel shampoo. It contains coal tar and I have to admit I used it a little more often than they say one should. I was as you say... just so irritated. It was like someone put cement on my head and left it stuck there. It drove me crazy and just grew in size. It wasn't until I used the t-gel that it improved. Now I use it regularly...maybe once a week to just keep things under control. When it's not bad I don't use to often...only when it gets past a certain point.
Honestly...without t-gel I don't know what I would have done.
Clobetasol Propionate Topical Solution USP 0.05 is the miracle solution! In spite of being on methotrexate, Humira and Enbrel for my PSA, my only patch of psoriasis has never improved a bit and only the Clobestasol calms it down.
Tonia
No matter what I have tried over the years (mine was so severe it bled) the only real solution was a natural wash you make by using baking soda and vinegar. I know it sound silly but it is very soothing/healing, it cleans well and does no damage . Use it in the shower and it makes your skin feel nice as you rinse. Bonus.... it cleans your shower. Also does wonders for your laundry and takes out any irritants that can trigger an outbreak. The daily battle is worth it in the end. I have not had a re flare on my scalp in over eight months.
Speaking of coloring one's hair, here is a solution I dreamed up for the damage caused by the dandruff I had for years. One part of my scalp, near my hairline, was scarred from the years of irritation. I had my hairdresser put a snow-white streak there, so my hair would blend in with the raised, white scar. Now it's sort of a trademark.
Ahh, Betamethasone…
That was my wonder drug for years. The only problem is that one can only use it for short periods of time or risk skin atrophy. I used it two weeks on then used T-Sal shampoo on the two week off period.
It was the only thing that made my skin not ache so much.
Colin said:
A friend’s little son asked me what I did to my head, and rather than explain psoriasis to a 5 year old, I simply found it easier to say I scraped it on a low-hanging tree! But it prompted me to ask my I.D. doctor for a repeat on a steroid cream I was given about 5 years ago for my elbow. She prescribed Fluocinonide Cream USP, 0.05%. After 2 months of using it religiously, I wasn’t seeing any improvement at all… (or feeling any improvement for the areas on the top of my head.) Then I came across the old scrip that the former doctor had given me. Not to USE the old one but to ask for this one instead. It’s Betamethasone Dipropionate Cream, USP 0.05%. Without exaggeration, I was seeing and feeling results in only 24 hours! Now, just short of two weeks of using the Betamethasone version, nearly ALL my breakout areas are GONE!
I have to admit that I was also started on sublingual B-complex vitamins in that time for different purposes, by my neuropsychopharmacologist. But that “may” have helped too. I’m also not ignoring the possibility that this breakout simply ran its course and coincidentally disappeared at this same point in time that I switched steroid cream, and added B vitamins. But I also ran across numerous web postings that found Betamethasone versions “significantly favored” over Fluocinonide.
07 Jul 2013, 17:48
“Betamethasone Dipropionate vs Fluocinonide - Treato.Topical steroid potency chart - National Psoriasis Foundation
Results significantly favored betamethasone dipropionate AF over fluocinonide, as indicated by improvements in signs of erythema, induration, and scaling, nbsp., Uses and Side Effects of Betamethasone Cream - Fluocinonide Cream
Betamethasone Dipropionate vs Fluocinonide - Treato., A comparison of topical steroid medications Doctor Rennie&39s Blog
Knowledge Center: Steroid Potency Comparison - Fougera., A double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of augmented
A double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of augmented., Knowledge Center: Steroid Potency Comparison - Fougera
Betamethasone nausea vomiting - fluocinonide vs., Betamethasone nausea vomiting - fluocinonide vs. - home - FC2
Betamethasone dipropionate comes in the form of a cream, lotion and ointment., Treating Eczema with Steroids…”
I started taking MTX in mid-August and a couple of weeks prior to that I started using a shampoo bar that is handmade by someone locally. There are no preservatives in it.
I don't know for sure which one (or both) has made the difference, but my scalp psoriasis is almost gone. There is still some itching and inflammation, but the huge flakes that made it look like I was stuck in some freak snow storm are 99% gone!