Throughout the time I’ve suffered with hair loss I’ve had several episodes of scalp pain, sensitivity and a burning sensation. Trying to touch my head, lying down on a pillow or even moving my hair slightly would cause excruciating severe pain to my scalp. I had no idea what caused this and why it was sporadic, it would last for while then just disappear, last episode I had was this past July. Apparently there is a correlation between hair loss, telogen effluvium and scalp pain, also called trichodynia.
This is what I found about it on Wikipedia:
Trichodynia is a condition where the patient experiences a painful sensation on their scalp. The pain sometimes is described as burning. Trichodynia often is associated with hair loss, but some studies show it has no connection to hair loss. Often there is an underlying psycho-somatic cause, such as stress, depression or anxiety.
Only a few studies have been conducted on this condition. A theory behind the condition is that nerves innervating scalp hair follicles send pain messages back to the brain when the follicle no longer has a hair in it, in a similar way to phantom limb pain. Another theory is that people who have this condition (sometimes called “ponytail syndrome”) have super-sensitive nerves in their scalp.
A possible treatment is to halt hair loss in the patient, however it is important to understand and address any underlying psychologic comorbity (humm…of course I’m thinking, easier said than done)
I also wanted to share this article I found about it:
Hair Pain (Trichodynia): Frequency and Relationship to Hair Loss and Patient Gender
Barbara Willimann, Ralph M. Trüeb
Background: Patients complaining of hair loss frequently claim that their hair has become painful. Objective and Methods: The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of this phenomenon and its relationship to hair loss. Patients seeking advice for hair loss either spontaneously reported or were questioned about painful sensations of the scalp. Hair loss activity was quantified by a hair pull, daily count and wash test. Telogen percentage was obtained by a hair pluck. The scalp surface was examined by dermatoscopy. Results: Of 403 examined patients, 20% of women and 9% of men reported hair pain, irrespective of the cause and activity of hair loss. A minority presented scalp telangiectasia. This strongly correlated with hair pain. Conclusions: Hair pain (trichodynia) affects a significant proportion of patients complaining of hair loss and may increase the anxiety. The symptom neither allows discrimination of the cause nor correlates with the activity of hair loss. A higher prevalence of female patients might be connected to gender-related differences in pain perception in relation to anxiety. The role of vasoactive neuropeptides in the interaction between the central nervous system and skin reactivity is discussed. In the absence of any correlation with quantitative parameters of hair loss or specific morphologic changes of the scalp, management remains empiric and tailored to the individual.
{ 348 comments… read them below or add one }
In the hairloss forums I’ve read of so many people that have had scalp pain and hair loss. That’s one thing I’ve never had. My hair has been falling out like crazy this week – I’ve been flying and travelling in a new climate. I don’t know if that can make it worse, but I get balls of hair coming out every few hours. UGH. It seems like every time I travel this happens.
I’ve always had scalp burning/stinging/itchiness since I lost my hair, but I know a lot of people with Totalis that have no problems at all. Does anyone know why it would be different for people with the same condition? :S
Jeni – Sorry to hear that you’ve been going through a shed this week particularly when you’re traveling. Shedding is horrible anytime it occurs, but for me I always find it even more troublesome when I’m traveling and away from home, probably because I’m outside my comfort zone. I also don’t a vacuum cleaner on hand to just vacuum the floor real quick after a shower. So it throws me a little off.
I’m not sure if climate can effect hair loss, I do know that some people tend to shed more in different seasons. But if it happens every time you travel maybe you are hair is susceptible to climate change. If you find the one climate that makes it stop completely let me know and I’ll be there faster than you can say rogaine! 🙂
Elle – Do you still continue to have the burning and itchiness? Do you notice that it’s when your hair is shedding or right before a shed. The thing I found interesting about the Wikipedia definition was this part “A theory behind the condition is that nerves innervating scalp hair follicles send pain messages back to the brain when the follicle no longer has a hair in it, in a similar way to phantom limb pain.”
That is definitely an explanation. Luckily I haven’t had one of this episodes since July.
Hello,
Just a question… Do you notice anything where or when your scalp hurts?
When my scalp hurts, it happens in patches that become red or bumpy. There is usually one hair or a group of hair that is very tender. When it falls out, the bulb is white. Sometimes the hair is brittle and literally snaps off. The feeling is almost electric or tingling. The tender spot hurts, alot.
When I had more hair, it would be so agonizing trying to find the tender spot, and dealing with it. Now I have less hair, I can usually find where the problem is.
I have no idea what to do?!?! I wish I could numb my head with some anagelsic or something?? I know the relief will happen when I find the tender spot, and do something to ease the sensation. I have tried ice packs, doesn’t help. Sometimes washing the hair helps.
My dermatologist put those shots in my scalp, and that helped for a week. I’m trying Sulfa 8 now. It works okay but the smell is annoying. Thick cream like Black & White also seem to alleviate some of the sensation. I get desperate and try anything–I asked my dermatologist what to do and she said “Whatever works”. Any ideas?
Blessings, Lynn
Hello Lynn,
My scalp not only hurts, but it’s very,very red. This has gotten worse over the years. The more shampoos I try, it just seems to make it more irritated. I have an appointment next Tuesday, the 17th.
My scalp feels hot,sore, and “crawlie” or “tinglie”. Hard to describe unless you’ve been there.
Hope someone can help us.
Millie
Hi Millie,
I have had the scalp pain but usually not a red scalp along with it. Please let me know how your appointment goes today.
Best,
Y
My hair is falling out really bad but I first notice my scalp being very tender to the touch, now I get sporadic sharp stinging pains and it strangely feels dead and extremely sensitive at the same time. If hurts to wash my hair, it even hurts when the wind blows it. I went to the dermatologist and she said she saw nothing wrong with my scalp so she doesn’t know what is causing it. I’m actually getting a little scared, this can’t be good. I hope to find help soon.
Hi ive had this a while im a man and have the pain and the hairloss,Im on Propanalol from the Doctor and find this helps its an anti anxiety drug found to work in an Indian study it does work. I assume most people with this like me have a stressed out life,I also take Certrizine that is an off the shelf antihistamine and i also mix this tablet with distilled water and apply it topically it really does help.Studies show certrizine to grow hair so its a win win ,my hair loss is much less on this method.i have tried all this as a top hair specialists in London ,Derby and Nottingham didnt have the answer its all been trial and error.im also on JS hair and energy vitimams the revues are very good ,regards David
Hi Dianna,
I really don’t what causes this awful painful occurrence but it doesn’t usually last forever. I usually have episodes of it that last between a couple days and a week, if I am recalling correctly. But for myself when I do get it, it hurts to wash my hair, touch my scalp or even lie on a pillow.
So far the only thing that has made sense to me is what I read on wikipedia “A theory behind the condition is that nerves innervating scalp hair follicles send pain messages back to the brain when the follicle no longer has a hair in it, in a similar way to phantom limb pain. Another theory is that people who have this condition (sometimes called “ponytail syndrome”) have super-sensitive nerves in their scalp.”
I wish I could help you figure out a definite cause, but I just don’t know. I hope you are doing okay.
~Y
I have a similar story to everyone. My scalp hurts so much with a burning sensation that goes away after a little while, or perhaps I ignore it or my tolerance level has increased, I’m not sure. I try to massage my scalp, and it feels good as I’m doing it or as someone else is massaging it for me; but after the massage is done, it hurts even more; the tenderness, the itch, and the burning sensation increased. I have hair on my scalp, but my hair is no longer growing. In fact, it sheds everytime I comb it. When I was in High school, I used to put my hair in tight pony tails. I wonder if I’m paying for that now.
This is a hard thing to go through, especially when you’re still young. But I managed to gain strength from God, because there are other people who are going through rougher experiences in this life. So thank God for wigs, weaves, and pain management.
Be strong, From Milly
Millie: What did the doctor say about the burning and pain when you went for your appointment the week of the 17th? Do you, by any chance also have a ‘tight’ scalp?
Suffering right along with your for the past 20+ years,
Pam
Hi. This is the first time I have had scalp pain with
hair loss. I recently (2mo) had a perm. followed by coloring, week/half later. After that my scalp hurts and hair has been falling out and breaking a lot. I use a sticky roller to sweep my clothes after I comb or wash my hair and it is always filled with my precious hair. I wonder if I had this before the perm or if the perm set it all in motion. Thank You, Regina
Diana and Millie,
This is EXACTLY what I’m going through! I felt a sense
of relief (and validation) reading your posts because my doctors are baffled by my hair thinning and little hairs constantly growing in that feel like they had been shaved or something) it feels like stubble. Three of my doctors had no clue but gave me Rx’s for $200.00 worth of cortisone lotions and potions that made it worse! I was petrified I’d go bald. I felt this ironic because my hair was normally too thick! Now it’s scraggly and lifeless and when it’s windy I can feel wind on my scalp!
My scalp is tingly & numb-ish and burns (at the same time) and I’m always aware of the feeling. I have
Telogen Effluvium and today found what Trichodynia
was! It’s taken 6 months to find out other people have this! I don’t have to suffer alone!
I think my doctors think I’m crazy! All told me that as women get older their hair thins out. Ha! 1/2 of it?
and what about the weird scalp thing? No answer from any of them.
Anyway, thank you ALL for your posts. There’s a really gentle shampoo my doctor gave me called DHS shampoo that is so gentle and sudsy and makes your hair fluff up when you blow it dry. So far, that’s the only thing that’s made me feel better.
I’m so sorry we have this and hope it will eventually stop. We’ve got to be optimistic!
Blue 1
Burn baby Burn….
Oh I’m so glad to read the comments. I wrote just awhile back, warning about skin weft hair extenions, this is done with a tape glue that bonds to your hair, they say it’s safe..(don’t do it) As I mentioned I used clip in for years, Sigh…yes it’s caused some traction alopecia, but not as bad as the bonding skin wefts!!! I took them out along with loads of hair. Save you the sad story. Since then I’m sheading more hair than usual, (will go to doc.) My hair loss could be a few reasons, 1. I’m 40 yrs. 2. I have already thin hair 3. too med. for back problems, 4. tried Zolof 5mg for depression caused by PMDD. 5. user of hair extenions. All these I think are linked to hair loss.
Going back to the what feels like HOT SPOTS, or a burning feeling (no red scalp) sometime itching, mostly top mid back of the head. I have to say I’m very stress out right now due the hair loss…so this could be the cause too.
Oh I really want to stress to everyone who are taking Zolof due to hair loss, I read that it can cause more hair loss. Sorry….
I thank everyone for there wonderful words and stories.
Cin
It has been so good reading these comments. I have been on HRT for two years or more and recently due to ear problems, was put on gabapentin for eight weeks. I have just recently noticed hair loss, with a burning sensation on my scalp, something I have not experienced before. I am losing a lot of hair at the back of my neck. It hurts so much and am stressing out more due to hair loss. I have stopped all my medications. Your posts have comforted me.
I have had burning scalp for a year. I too have seen many doctors. I did find a dermatolgist who was familiar with this disorder and explained anti-depressants have worked on most of her patients. I take 30mg of Cymbalta along with Omega 6. It has helped to some degree. More than likely it was brought on by stress.
Well add me to this. It has been several years now with absolutely no answers. My pain at times is debilitating, scalp gets pink. I have lost about half my hair with a painful reminder of the loss daily in my scalp. Anyone try steroids yet? I can’t take much more of this pain
Hi Mindy,
My regular doctor gave me Lexapro 10 mg. for the scalp burning but it’s been a month so maybe it’s too soon to judge if it works.
Little hairs are finally poking out of the back of my head through the long hairs the last 2 weeks) almost in the order they fell out in Feb and March top, sides then back.
The burning sensation is still strong and there are a few bumps on the top of my head that are, too.
I had an anxiety disorder way before TE came along. It was the the odd scalp feeling that preceeded it falling out. Gee, I should have known so I could have worried and dreaded it before hand!
I am a fellow sufferer of burning scalp, and share all the similar symptoms. (Until I figured it out!!) By far the most miserable experience of my life, and had driven me to near suicide at times. After 8 years, I finally figured it out, and I wanted to post this note just in case my thoughts can help other people. My first experience with this was 30 years ago when I was in high school, and it disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. I will say that my scalp now feels great, and as it heals, I am expecting that my hair will grow back. I believe that the health of the scalp and hair follicles will yield itself to the hair regrowing, and even if it doesn’t , I will be happier with out the burning and pain. To sum up my experience, I believe that it is due to a malfunctioning liver. This is only speculation on my part. I have been an avid vitamin and mineral taker through the years, along with herbs, juicing etc. It turns out that as this condition got worse, it seemed that everything I took aggravated the problem, and made my scalp worse. When I completely stopped taking all forms of supplements, vitamins, minerals, herbs, oils, etc. my scalp would heal. Then, I would start taking vitamins or mineral, etc, and it would all come back again. Then it would take literally months for it to calm down again. I believe that my liver simply does not tolerate the extra load of having to metabolize all the vits and minerals. Along with the scalp issues, I have had severe anxiety and depression. In the past I took Prozac, and had good results, and I always noticed that when I was healthy emotionally, my hair was also heatlhiest. So, about a month ago, my doctor put me on prozac, and it seemed to stimulate my liver function, and I am feeling better in all respects. So, if you want to try what I did, try getting off all supplements of every kind, this includes herbs and oils, and try an antidepressant. All the supplements that I took were actually causing the problem!!!!! no kidding!!! Good luck, because I know how much you are suffering! Paul
Hair loss can be due to too little vitamin d, E and B. Also, when I started taking alot of omega 3 (fish oil) and omega 6 (borrage oil), my hair stopped falling out. I hope this helps someone. I worked with a nutritionist who really helped.Liz
I have had this burning sensation in my scalp in certain spots following or even during a hair loss shedding. The scalp feels tender to the touch even if I happen to move a hair from right to left…. really painful to the touch. I have gone to a doctor who told me to go home and count how many hairs I lost… put the in an envelope… and call him .. that this is normal for my age… (63) I have had considerable hair loss and now my hair is thin in certain areas. It seems to to subside at times and then the pain intensifies… I have gone to another doctor and they don’t see anything wrong… this doctor even went as far as to say that he doesn’t see any thinning or redness… Help!
I had this problem really bad. I started taking 150 to 200 mg of zinc per day and it has resolved.
I have had this three years and lost so much hair. My scalp in the nape feels like someone cut me with razors. My crown feels like someone poured a severe irritant on it. My doc went as far to put me on plaquenil which helped somewhat but I also am cranking out heavy facial oils and scalp has an odor to it. Logically one would say hormones but which one? I went on the pill for 7 or so months and my pain got worse. I am so tired
I am a young college student and currently dealing with severe scalp pain and dry scalp along with rapid hair loss. I have been losing hair for about 7 months now and the scalp pain has persisted for about a month. It seems that the dry scalp increases my hair loss. I recently battle a severe time of malnutrition and anxiety disorder and am under heavy stress still but my nutrition has been improved for about 3 months now. please if anyone has any suggestions or information. I would appreciate help
Maggie, it sounds like you’ve had a terrible time lately! I’m so sorry.
I totally feel for everyone going through this. I’m 34 and suffering itchy burning, tingling, painfull scalp, so bad that I cry when I brush my hair. I started off noticing a quarter size patch of hair missing, in Sept ’08 and now have 3 inch x 4 inch bald patch ( just starting to grow back in now) on the back of my head. My only saving grace is that my hair is very long and covers 95% of the bald area. I am still waiting to see the dermatologist ( Feb 5 ’09).
My sincere feelings go out to all of you. I have experienced scalp pain on and off for a few years. Never thought much about it until recently. I do believe it has a lot to do with depression and anxiety. Even though we live in an educated world about mental health I still feel uncomfortable talking about it. My mother used to complain about her scalp hurting, or rather her hair. It could be hereditary?!! I take an antidepressant and something for anxiety but really…I hate loading my body on this stuff.
I don’t think it’s depression. But I do feel that depression is the aftermath of chronic pain and hairloss.
Antidepressents like elavil and doxepin both which are used for chronic pain disorders have antihistamine properties. So this is probably why they work, they reduce inflammation.
I just had my third child 01/09/2008 and after about 6 months my hair started coming out. “Hormones are the reason” said the doctor. Stop breast feeding and it’ll stop. So I did. Now a year later, it’s coming out more and my scalp is so painful I can’t lay on it at night without taking a muscle relaxer (for migraines). I’m a very stressed person and I think that might be the issue here, but I’ve been on Lexapro and Wellbutrin SR for years and I still have this loss. It’s to the point I have handfuls in the shower or if my daughter “pulls” at my hair is all comes out. I HAD thick hair for years but now bald spots. HELP! hairloss doesn’t help to my anxiety and stress right now either. I literally feel your pain guys!
Melissa
I am going to be going to a weight loss management program on Feb 2 through my work and my Dr will do a bunch of tests as well. I’ll be sure to ask him about this issue especially. Maybe once I lose this extra 75 lbs I’ll be a happier person too. I’ve already lost 57 lbs. I’ll try and keep you posted!
OH MY GOD!! Finally an explanation. I thought I was going crazy! I was up all night because of the pain in my scalp. I don’t suffer from hair loss but it seems every time I wear my ponytail too tight I suffer the next day. Actually, I try to be very mindful of how tight/loose the ponytail is but still, there are times when I guess it’s not enough. The pain is excruciating. The pillow hurts, touching my head hurts etc.. It usually subsides wthin a day or two. “ponytail syndrome” makes sense to me. Also, I’m 39 and have been suffering with depression and anxiety since I was a teen. Stress/anxiety seems to affect my physical well being also. I suffer from IBS. I have low thryroid (hashimoto’s thyroidosis type) and Epilepsy. The more stress I have the worse my syptoms. The list of physical symptoms goes on.. The moral of the story is I guess my current stress level is also affecting the level of pain I experience in my scalp. It seems to be precipitated by the ponytail.
Hi,
I read few week ago a post regarding the use of Braggs Cyder Vinegar was the remedy, but I could not find this post. Does anyone know about this and how it should be applied?
It seems like what I’m reading is all the same…in one way it’s encouraging to see I’m not crazy or alone in experiencing the sudden hair loss with extreme scalp pain (I just turned 35…it began last year…), but in another way it’s almost discouraging to see how many other people also are not getting “real” answers from their doctors or seeing relief.
I was told last year my hair loss was due to rapid weight loss (and here I was thinking I was go wonderful to lose 70 pounds in 3 months…) and stress (my living environment at the time was awful…). I was told the slight pain was due to dandruff and told to use T-Sal shampoo.
Cutting my hair shorter (which I hated…) over the summer seemed to help.
For awhile.
Now, I am in agony to sleep or even move my hair as I style what’s left of it. I have the same burning sensations others have mentioned, but no redness (although I do have a ton of flaking, but’s sticky, not dry…). My hair is totally falling out and I can’t seem to find a doctor who can tell me why or if I can get my hair thicker.
I can see major scalp at my part and my hair has the look of a 60-70 year old woman, yet I’m 35 years old. I don’t feel stressed now with a great home and life (except for the hair/scalp problem…). My weight is being maintained and I cannot discern anything that would cause this.
WHY are there no answers? Has ANYONE got news of their pain ending and hair growing back? I need some hope. I’ve prayed and prayed, even admitting to God that asking for hair might seem trivial…but I honestly am in tears almost daily over this.
I do take Klonopin daily, but as I’ve taken it for over 6 years, I tend to discount that as a reason. One thing of minor note I read elsewhere was alcohol consumption could be a cause. Well, sorry, but when I see my hair I want to drink. Has anyone else seen this correlation? Should I give up alcohol? Although to be honest, it’s almost ironic because when I lost all that weight the main thing I stopped was wine…and that’s when my hair started falling out. So, again, I’m confused.
In severe scalp pain and hair loss trauma…but confused. I just wish I had some hope.
Amy,
Have you ever tried shampoos without lauryl sulfite? I’ve been using JASON products for a while, and think my scalp feels a little bit better, although it’s still tight and tender in spots, and I’m also on several supplements (not sure if that could be the reason). I have all the other symptoms you described – hair loss, sore scalp, scalp showing, no redness, etc. One doctor said he’d heard the scalp pain comment from other women experiencing hair loss, but that there was no answer to that (of which he knew of, anyways) and that my scalp looked otherwise “healthy”.
I have been having hair loss for 5 months now, had all the tests, iron slightly low and have been supplementing ferritin is coming up slowley but I have not had any decrease in the shedding in the 5 months. For the last 10 days shedding has got worse and now I just pray to see the amount of hair that I lost prior to these last 10 days, I am not sure if it is that I am exercing more and sweating more that I am loosing more hair. Just after washing my hair today, my legs are like jelly and I am shaking and thinking this is the way I have to start my weekend off, I just am so down and do not have any energy for the kids and just want to be by myself, I hate the days that I wash me hair and just see it coming out. I now have 3 weeks to go until my scalp biopsy, it will then be going on for 6 months solid.
I feel so down.
Just a note to join in on the talk of hairloss and scalp pain. Gosh, it really does stink going through hair loss and it’s such a stressful event. My story is that I have always had a good amount of hair until college when I had my first episode of TE. Even in losing so much hair, it was quickly replaced and barely noticeable. Then, in 2002, I took an anti-depressant which I believe triggered it again. I awakened one morning to find no hair in areas of my scalp. I remember that year being wrenching. I think I paid a hairdresser to fix my hair daily for work….the extremes we go! Anyway, after that horrid year, I went for seven years before awakening anew to this nightmare. About three months ago, I had a good amount of hair; no loss except for the normal fall. Then, I noticed my skin growing increasingly oily. I would find myself suffering loss in areas of my scalp again. This time, I believe it is hormonal related but it happened so quick. My hair, once thick and full, is now fine and wispy. I went to a stylist for a suggestion and he cut me bangs. Now, what’s left of my frontal hair is so sparse, it’s difficult to make them. Bonus….I have the scalp pain too! It feels hot and sore, but doesn’t appear red. I honestly don’t know how to manage with this problem. Before, I could hide it…now, I can’t and it just seems there’s such a stigma with hair loss. I’ll probably resort to hat wearing again……eek. Oh well, just wanted to share my story and prayerfully we’ll all get through this.
I am right there with Bees. I have quite literally come to dread “hair wash” days. And me someone who used to wash my hair daily without giving it a second thought! I also have the “jelly leg” effect after I get out of the shower just knowing that as I’m putting on my makeup and attempting to somewhat style my so-called hair the sink will be full.
I don’t seem to have any “spot” of clump-type loss (other than my part where my front bangs/side part separate and there is about an inch almost circular area of scalp that shows on that side…), as my hair seems to be rather uniformly diminishing. Lately, though, my crown is seeming to show more often than not. If anything, the majority of my hair loss seems to be coming from my nape area…and just not growing back. Hair on the top and/or side of my head seems to grow quite healthily…to a point at which it too falls out. I find that somewhat odd.
Along with everyone else, I’ve had so many tests, I thought my doctor was a vampire. And I actually HOPED to fail one or two of them! Just for an answer and a solution. But no. I LOOK anemic, but while my iron tends to low, it’s not low enough to “officially” count…I’m just Nordic pale. All hormone levels are normal, no cancers, my thyroid is functioning on the lower end of normal…but again, “officially” normal. My weight-to-height is normal and no longer variable.
I was told (I suppose she meant to make me feel better, but as your hair falls out at age 34-35…no such luck…) that blonde hair “is generally much finer and more prone to appearing thin as well as falling out earlier in life than darker hair…” by my hairdresser. Whatever. She also said that there is a big difference (supposedly) between dandruffs. The dry, ichy, flaky kind and the wet, painful, gooey kind. I apparently have the latter. She claimed every place I screamed at her touch was covered what she likened to “ear wax” patches but on my scalp. Truth to tell, I though she was a little insane, but I’ve been really LOOKING at hairs falling out, and each one has the root bulb on the end ALONG with a yellow-white clump of gunk. HUH? I wash my thin hair well…or so I thought. WHAT IS GOING ON?
As for the doctors, so far (and I have another appointment 03/16 with a FEMALE this time, whom I hope is more sympathic…) have not really cared. To them, it’s just, “Yep…sorry about the pain and hair loss. Sometimes it happens.” I tend to think of it as a doctor telling someone they have cancer and it sucks. I’m like, “That’s it?”. No help? You’ve GOT to be kidding.
For me, it’s not about vanity. It’s about mental health. My young son is high-functioning autistic. I have GOT to have something in my life go right. I can’t live in constant scalp pain, hair falling out, crying all the time…my self-esteem has always been extremely low and this is NOT helping. I’m already on my second marriage which is falling apart as I type this…what else?
I own a wig that I can’t wear because I live in a high-wind area. Even with the mono-filament weave, I might as well tattoo “I’m wearing a wig at age 35 because my real hair is pathetic” on my forehead. That’s assuming the thing would even stay on my head in gusts 20-40 mph here.
There has GOT to be some explantation and solution. Know what the last doctor told me when I asked if my hair might grow back if I bite the bullet and really scour my scalp despite the pain & hair loss it causes? “Anything is possible”. HMPF. So is finding another doctor.
PLEASE: someone. Hope? Has anyone re-grown hair after the painful scalp and hair loss & KEPT it? Should I do as my hairdresser said and worry about the scalp care first despite it making the hair loss worse initially? She claims that the scalp pain should be 1st concern and once it’s healthy the hair will come back. But I worry and so a part of me that hates to even touch my head in pain and shock at how many hairs come back on my hand just wants to hold on to any strand I can for even 1 more day!
In the meantime, I will look up those JASON products. I’d been using Paul Mitchell “Strength” line…but I’m willing to change.
ladies, at least there is hope! my head is hot!!!!!
i have been to 3 different doc.
two of the docs perscribed Rogan. While this did help grow my hair back, i thought ‘there has to be something else!”. so i stopped taking it.
about 1 yr later, my scalp started irritating me! it’s burrnin as i type!
we must find an answer. there has to be a solution to the problem!
i m also suffring 4m the same problem i guess we first get our eyes cheked stop using computer too much, eat properly , drink water alot, keep your mind stressless…. be happy and do some meditation. may be it will help..i have startded doing this .its just 1 week now, hair loss is a little less…
if any body finds the treatment plzz post as soon as possible…
we all need if.
Hi Everyone,
Has anyone experienced the pain without the hair loss? I am freaking out! For the past two weeks I have experience intermittent pain in one area. It feels like it is being pulled really hard.
Melissa
Hello to everyone,
I am new here because I was searching for answers to my sore scalp and very thinning hair. I thought it was my blood pressure tablets, the fact that I go dizzy when I lay down..or that a couple of months ago I decided to use a mousse on my hair and then all the problems seem to start then. I also thought that I got sunburn on my scalp…but now coming here and reading all your problems I am even more mystified. I use a cold tar medicated shampoo now and that seems to ease the burning sensation. My next step today is to find a site that shows acupuncture pressure points so that I can try that, then see the doctor to see what he thinks. Last year I had very high blood pressure with nose bleeds so the increased medication may be my problem. I would like to buy one of those laser treatments but at $1400 it is a bit too much at the moment. My burning sensation is light and not as painful as some people here. I think the mind is very powerful and I am going to try and not be fearful or dwell on the negative too much…see a positive outcome in my fighting this new situation.
Anne
Melissa I read you comment and can relate. Although my pain just started a few days ago, I was really getting concerned since I had taken a bad fall on the ice last month and hit my head hard. Did have CT scan and all was supposedly fine. I too have that hair pulling sensationn that usually by the end of the day leads to a terrible headache. The question is what to do.
Hello everyone,
I am having the same problems you all have, I have pain on the top of my head, migraines, hair loss and I have just been diagnosed with depression. I had a hysterectomy last November and ever since them I have had all kinds of problems. I am starting a new treatment for depression, I let you know if that works for the scalp pain also. I would only recommend to check you hormonal balance, that could be causing the hair loss and consecuently all the other problems.
Nadia 🙂
Well I know that feeling all too well, and was frustrated at the derm who looked at me like I was nuts .. I felt it was related to depression stress.. hair loss / sudden shedding is bad enough but when your HEAD is on fire Its worse BC it never escapes your thoughts …
I have found a few things that not only had progressively lessened the “time ” my head is on fire .. But also a very calming effect ( and little shoots of new hair growth )
I have found that using an ‘ice bag ) ya know the big blue ones from years ago… I FILL IT PLACE it on my head. move it all around Its very soothing , and also VERY calming .. if I cant have the ice .. I massages my scalp .. the stimulation seems to alleviate the pain .. I have a huge amount of stress.. and looking back the burning was DAILY & unbearable .. now i have found Its only when I am really stressed ..
HOPE THIS HELPS
Hey Victoria, it def is stress induced. I have had every test run and seen every doctor imaginable. Mine started when my ptsd started from the ex who tries to strangle me. Every thought that has entered my mind since then, even if it’s small, my body reacts big time. It could be one simple stressor you experience and bam your adrenals just can’t do it anymore. You think your not stressed about kids and home and work, but you are, imagine the stress your body feels over this hair issue. Think about over your lifetime, it all adds up and puts your body in flight or fight which triggers your adrenals to either release cortisol or adrenalin, both of those after prolonged stress in your mind and body will cause your scalp to burn and hairs to fall out. You are right those old fashioned blue ice packs work great because it cools the scalp and gets your hand moving it around to the sore spots and before you know you you aren’t stressing.. vitamins? Too little zinc, iron, vitamin E and B deficiency’s all just off a little can trigger TE and out comes the hair. It’s awful and after all this and all the results and no answers I promise you this is it. Stress can kill you, of course we can shock or organs and hormones will release chemicals that shock our system.. my burning scalp come with me ticking and rubbing the area, therefor I stress the hair root more. A Vicious cycle too because once you’re in that burning scalp phase, the fight or flight like I mentioned above is always around. I should also note I have lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, and while these do carry hair loss, I make sure to keep them at bay. Fight or flight can also bring out auto immune disease more because of the level or stress, a big crappy cycle.. I hope this helps anyone that reads it.. I do take doxipen 10 mg, but I open the capsule and take a quarter of it every night under my tongue to help control that substance P that can help the hair more. This drug saved my life in a way.. now does anyone else have crawling skin at night that feels like bugs? I have had this for 7 years and all the docs look at me like I’m an addict, It happens like clockwork if I stress at the same time every night, or on windy days it comes out more. I often wonder if the two go hand in hand and my liver isn’t doing good because of all the stress etc. The liver can release histamine to trigger both.. any of you want to compre things that have helped or vent to me, I’m here it’s a hard struggle but I promise you there are things to help Manage it. mindiferrari @ yahoo
hello everyone,i also suffer from pain on my scalp and hair loss.it began in december of 2007 after my daughter got married.there was alot of stress because she moved to a different part of the state.still learning to let go.anyway i went to the doctor and he told me that he had never heard of the pain that i described—how could he—he never had his hair in a ponytail—at least i don’t think so. i had been taking 1500 mg of calcium a day and probably more with eating yogurt and drinking milk.i think i might have been overdosing so i stopped the supplement and my scalp doesn’t hurt as much but i am still losing hair.i hope that this will help you.i will keep checking back to let you know if this was my reason for the pain—thank you for letting me share my story btw i was taking the calcium on the advice of my doctor who was concerned about bone loss
HI all it’s me again. I keep checking this back to see how many others have the scalp pain. I am still in pain and have hit year number 3 of chronic irritated sore greasy scalp. I don’t know what to do. I have tried everything from the pill, progesterone cream, bioidentical estrogen, armour thyroid, everything nothing works not even a steroid pack. WTF? How can t be?? My hair is deterioating my part is about the size of a pencil, very wide but my nape is gone… going going going… the crown those are my two burning points along with my face which gets a tingly burny feeling, my eyebrows burn and sting and some do fall out, nose hairs itch and eyelashes itch. But if this is autoimmune why am I a grease pit? How do hormones come into play with this? Id on’t feel well, have not in years and now the pain has become chronic 24/7 VS the once a week it was in the beginning. HELP. I am posting my email incase anyone with scalp pain wants to talk. Chances are you’ve seen me on another forum anyhow I am also a member here as well.
I too have hair loss and scalp pain. It started 6 months ago after suffering emotional stress from the death of my father. I noticed hair falling out and 2 coin sized hot pink bald spots on the top of my head. I became even more stressed. My dermatologist diagnosed Alopecia Areata and treated the patches with cortisone treatments to encourage the hair regrow. I now have many balding spots and terrible scalp pain, burning, tingling, electric shocks, itching. No one has yet been able to explain or treat the pain. This condition has been degrading and depressing dealing with my hair loss, but the constant pain is almost worse. I have been searching for an answer to arrest it. I think acupuncture helps and anything relaxing that takes your mind away from the nagging problem. I am trying low level laser lights to stimulate hair growth. My doctor thinks the condition with stop, but can’t tell me how long I will endure this. My prayers are with all of you out there dealing with the same. It’s helpful to know I am not alone.
Jill I am so sorry :o( From what I gather it’s just the immune response causing the pain. I don’t get the electric shock feeling but I get the hornet bite, caustic acid combo and at times bad itching mixed with a mentholated sensation. I hope and pray that it eases up for you.
For “painfulhead”: what do you mean by “the immune response” causing the pain? I am just curious. It seems that if our immune system is making our scalps go crazy that a good long term course of prednisone would suppress that immune response and bring us painheads some relief. It doesn’t make sense to me WHY we are having these awful sensations in our scalps. I know other people(men and women) with thinning hair and none of them have these horrible sensations!! Does anyone know if prednisone is hair friendly or not? I have got to have some relief!! I am on estradiol and prometrium(6 weeks now, but I was told it would take 2 – 4 months to see the benefit hairwise). Best wishes to all. I feel your pain – A BIG OUCH!!
Don’t take prednisone, it will be a life saver at first and then after a month you get all the wonderful side effect like hair loss to the extreme. I’ve been on and off it for years and finally said no thanks after I lost 2 Inches of height and have a small lump on the back of my neck.. look Into doxipen 10mg.. I posted about it above..
WOW! I had no idea anyone else experiences the discomfort, and anxiety that I do! I’ve been crying reading your posts- mainly because now I know I am not alone. My hair loss began when I got my first perm at age 18- the hairdresser left the chemicals on for too long, and when I left the shop I had patches of literally burnt hair throughout my scalp. Through the years I continued to try perms and the end was always the same, my hair gradually broke off and was so weak and damaged I’d have to get it cut off. I resorted finally to wearing extensions/braids . 3 years ago I vowed to never get another perm and to leave my hair natural. I don’t know when- but I started to have the burny- painful sensation on my scalp (I even thought maybe I had a brain tumor or something) and the crown or my head itches constantly-Now just a couple of months ago, for a change- I decided to get my hair pressed -no chemicals just a good old fashioned press. I loved it! My hair was beautiful, I felt beautiful! I felt so free! My hairdresser raved about how healthy my hair was- (something I had never heard before in my life!) Now my hair is getting wispy and it itches like crazy, I keep my my scalp oiled as instructed, and this burny sensation makes me feel strange. I feel sick to my stomach each time I comb my hair. This morning I went and bought a wig to be prepared for the inevitable . Thanks to all of you for being here, it feels better to get all this out knowing someone out there can relate and understand. I believe there is a clear answer to this dilemna. We must continue searching, asking, and knocking until it comes!
Me again. The only real good news I have is that I saved my marriage stress with a puppy. Who knew? My husband had always wanted a German Shepard, but with an autistic child (despite how high-functioning he is…) I didn’t think a large dog in his face 24/7 was a good idea…especially since I saw how badly he reacted to my sister’s Husky. *chills* But after loads of crying and almost divorce-impending moments, I remembered my son did WELL with my mom’s Corgi. So, now we have a little (literally, she stands about 8 inches…) Welsh Corgi. Everyone is happy. One stressor down, about 50 to go.
Anyway, back to the hair loss, burning, severe pain, etc. I did see my dermatologist almost 1 month ago. I was told my 1st (male) dermatologist was a moron (which I kinda knew…) and that what he had told me to do had made my head worse. She diagnosed me with SEVERE seborrehea dermatitis (not 100% sure on my spelling…). The first doctor was treating me for simple dandruff, which was making the other far more painful because they are completely different conditions (most commonly known as “wet” vs “dry” dandruff…).
She put me on Clobex shampoo 1X per day and Clobex foam 2X per day along with rather strong prenatal vitamins. I was told to avoid heavy build products (no mouse…which I don’t use anyway, light on the hairspray…gentlest brands I can find, and to only blow-dry when necessary).
I will admit the Clobex is a bit of a double-edged sword: it is a STRONG corticisteriod and causes loads of side-effects (weight loss, slight vision impairment, dizziness, lowered immune responses, and hair actually temporarily falls out WORSE than before…).
However, my scalp NO LONGER hurts. At all. And all the crap on it I’d never noticed because it wasn’t shedding like traditional dandruff (it was plastered to my head like ear wax, blocking pores and not allowing hair to grow once it fell out in it’s normal telogen phase along with additional fallout from high-stress…) is OFF MY HEAD. Now my scalp looks so healthy!
But, I have to admit, I see ZERO new growth. Sorry. I wish I report a miracle, but I can’t.
The doctor did take a biopsy (which hurt like hell…can I type that word?…) and stitched up the back of my head for a week. Oh, that was FUN. But I’ve not heard back on the tests from that yet. She’s checking the obvious like cancer, lupus and various forms of alopecia. But she’s saying as of now, that she has already seen such improvement, that she feels there is no reason my hair won’t grow back. Perhaps not to my age 20 thickness (although I don’t really know why not…I’m only 35…), but she cautions patience. The other tests of the biopsy are for follicle viability…to see out of the area of scalp sampled how many follicles are still healthy and capable of growing/sustaining healthy hair. She says the ratio should tell me an idea of whgat to expect in terms of hair re-growth. In other words, if all are scarred from the condition or a form of alopecia: the hair will not grow back ever and continue to shed all over. If the ratio is that MOST are healthy and fine, then once the condtion is clear and STAYS clear (there is no cure for sebborehea, only treatments and it can flare…usually in winter or in states with vast differences in winter dry winds and summer high humidity, like where I live on the Northeastern Coast…), then the hair should come back at almost close to ideally normal. I guesss she’ll tell me on the 13th. I can post if anyone wants to know.
She says once the Clobex is totally done (on April 13th for the shampoo, I’ve already completed the cycle of the foam…), she will either move me to another RX shampoo or simply to Selsun Blue with a rinse of Nioxin 2-3 times a week. I will be on the prenatal vitamins for 6 months to one year.
I will say this though: what hair did NOT fall out worse with the Clobex is honestly healthier, shinier and stronger. Hair in my nape area is glossy and thick. Although ironically, the reverse is true for my bangs/part on top of my head! Before, that part was fluffiest…but after the treatment, the top of my head looks like a 70 year old woman’s head. I suppose because that’s where most of the “scales” were and removing them took the hairs (which in that area tend to be rather wispy anyway…). I think it looks awful, but everyone lies and says they don’t notice because my hair is so light that the scalp doesn’t “stand out” as visibly as I think it does. Right. It almost looks like pattern baldness beginning up there, but the doctor swears I’m being melodramatic and the medication caused some added ” temporary thinning, but I see no legitimate BALD spots at all”. Sure.
My point to all of this is: I think a great dermatologist is KEY. Since most of us cannot see our own heads in their entirity (even with a mirror…), and male dermatologists (my apologies to any men here…) seem less than inclined to be sympathetic to hair loss…I reccommend a female.
And try to rule out the seborrehea. Believe me, I never thought that is what I had because I couldn’t SEE it. But once she pointed it out and the treatment began…I could. And don’t let it go, because left too long, the follicles will scar and no hair will re-grow even if it was once possible. Plus, why have pain if you don’t need to?
I admit, I’m not pleased with the side-effects of treatment and it’s been a bear, but NO PAIN. Honestly. And a nicely scented Island Breeze Selsun Blue rinse a few times a week is cooling along with the treatment (although you don’t really need it with the Clobex…Clobex is a cleansing shampoo enough by itself as well as a treatment…). Just check you medications you are already on because I think high-blood pressure contra-indicates it. My blood pressure is amazingly low (which is another factor in hair loss…), but just tossing that out there. I don’t think anti-depressants matter, since I take Klonopin (although technically that is a Benzo for anxiety…).
Just wanted to share my 2 cents about the awful pain. Oh, and just recently, I’ve not been losing (although I don’t know I’ve got much left to lose even though everyone around me tells me my hair looks 100% fine to them…gotta love those sweet little ‘ol liars sometimes…) when I shampoo my hair and comb it! Well, except for my bang/part area…but that is where I “style” the most, so I suppose that’s why. But regardless, it is better. No new growth, but I seem to be hanging onto what I have with more success. If only my bangs/top/crown/part will fluff up and grow in I’ll consider myself a happy camper. Until then, I have a ways to go. But I feel the path is finally laid out.
Best wishes and I hope something in here helps.
do any of you have cancer and have had chemo and is that the reason for hair loss and itchy scalp? because this is why I have hair loss.
Still no pain, burning, itching or “pulling” sensations anywhere on my head at all, whatsoever. And now that the Clobex regimen is done…also no increased hair loss or shedding over what I already losing prior (which is still more than the average 35-year old female…).
Biopsy results. Here I had a mixed bag of good news and bad. Good news is that the main finding was the seborrehea dermatitis (which incidently is 100% clear now..) diagnosis. Also good news is that there was no scarring found on any sampled hair follicles…they were all healthy, but inflammed down to the pupa. However, the bad news I consider to outweigh almost all of the good. Main diagnosis: Androgenic Alopecia. Yep. No cure, no nothing. Absoutely not a thing I can except work with what I have and try to keep it as healthy as possible.
Since this condition is supposedly genetic and my father has a full head of hair at age 66…I called my mother. She was so upset because ever since this issue started with me losing so much hair last year, she hadn’t wanted to tell me. She has the same thing. She said she began having EXTRA thin, wispy hair at my exact same age of 35 (she’s now 67…). She asked why I’d never noticed it, and I said I just thought it was her typical hair. I suppose we DON’T notice that unless it’s OUR head. Plus, again, on fair-skinned Nordic coloring persons with VERY blonde hair…the thin, wispy hair just isn’t as “in your face” I think. I mean, it’s harder to see the scalp, because the hair itself is so pale. Plus, my mom has always curled her hair, and I guess that gave the illusion of volume. Me? My hair won’t hold a curl to save it’s life. Straight and fine. I can’t even put my hair up in clips because the pieces slide right out of any barrette or item I use! In fact, when I was a Police Officer and the Department required my hair be restrained so as to not be able to be grabbed, I tried a bun. I went into work all smart and sleek with a cute little bun. After the first fight response call, my hair was down around my shoulders and I looked like I’D been the loser of the fight LOL. I ended up having to cut my hair because of that. But I digress.
Hair (or lack thereof…). Now, I am on Ketoconazole 2% shampoo for 3 months 2-3 times per week to be used in conjunction on “alternate” days with either Nioxin brand products (or the less dermatologist recommended Nexxus Vitatress brand products…). Ketoconazole 2% is generic for the more common name Nizoral. It IS available OTC in a 1% formula and is gaining in popularity to Rogaine for people with this type of Alopecia (where the hair is thinning all over and not in specific “bald spots” which makes them less likely clients for hair replacement surgeries…). It is easier to use than Rogaine, and unlike Rogaine hair that grows back in most clinical studies has been proven to NOT fall back out. The hair grows thicker and embeds deeper into the hair shaft with this shampoo. It really sounds like a great product that removes sebum (the culprit of seborrehea dermatitis…) and is extremely cleansing. Since it is not a steroid, there are not the side-effects like with Clobex. But in my case, I had to clear the fist problem in order to address the second.
I just wanted to post this update. I should know something in about 6 months about the hair growth, although studies claim visiblely less shedding is obvious in 2 weeks. Wish me luck…I wish it to you all and I really hope some of my experiences and products/treatments mentioned will help or something. I know how much better I feel already just without the pain. If I can get some hair out of it…wow. But right now, I’m just praying. God bless.
Hi All, I’ve had scalp pain with hair loss for fifteen years, on and off since I was 29. I’ve been to a dozen doctors, internists and derms. No one except the derms in the more recent years knew about aldactone, but I can’t take it, and it’s supposed to help androgen-based hair loss. I think I have overall hormonal issues caused by genetic predisposition to certain health issues. I’ve had hypertension and high cholesterol/triglycerides since I was 20, the first time they were measured when I tried to go on birth control pills. I also have hormonal menstrual cycles, that is to say, my whole life they’ve been unpredictable and ghastly for years but then okay or not too bad for years. I’m now 46. I’ve done so much research on this over the years, here’s what I do, and I think it’s helping somewhat. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to grow back the lost hairs, in my crown, but if I can keep it stable which it has been for a year or so, I’ll be satisfied enough at this point. My tears over those lost hairs have already been shed a thousand times.
I find before a shed, my scalp hurts. I used to get hot spots, but don’t get them where the hair loss is, it was a hot buzzing feeling on a patch of scalp. But the hair didn’t shed there. I get a top-of-head overall pain, no weird build-up or wounds, usually. I use scalpicin which is a 2% salicylic acid over the counter hair item, which helps with itching and burning. Usually both go away. I put the stuff on at night and for another day if needed. I know this ingredient is the main active ingredient in aspirin, and is used for facial peels in stronger formulations.
I also use tea tree shampoo from Trader Joes, called Tingle and I wash twice every two days, or once if I am shampooing daily – it really helps avoid any crusties or sebum. Then I use an organic gel which is amazing, you don’t have to condition your fine thin hair if you use this, because this seems to condition it and help create volume. My hair was looking damaged when I didn’t condition it, and limp when I did condition that day. Now I don’t ever condition it, and the gel is what makes the difference. It’s called Giovanni http://www.vitacost.com/Giovanni-L-A-Natural-Styling-Gel.
My hair problems, my rosacea, hormonal issues, etc., are probably all tied to insulin and ovarian hormone stuff. And I agree with a previous poster that liver cleanse should help hair, and all body functions. Squeeze a fresh lemon in warm water when you wake up in the AM, drink it on an empty stomach and wait 30 mins before adding anything else to your day. Except rinse your mouth and swallow some plain water to eliminate citric acid from your tooth enamel as it can eat it away. There’s a really interesting article here, if you think you have some of the same issues. http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/6/1442
I’ve read recently about food combining and eliminating sugar from the diet. It’s easier on the liver, keeps your food moving through you because you don’t overload your GI tract which, when you do, causes undigested food to ferment in your belly. Which causes yeast overgrowth. There’s some research out there that says the yeast overgrowth can manifest on the skin causing acne and hair problems. The yeast provides food for mites that live on your skin, and when there’s too much, the population explodes and the mites are bad when there are too many. Alot of our problems could be because of sugar, and alcohol is like jet fuel sugar, by the way, worse than white sugar. So don’t look in the mirror and cry about your hair then go drink your worries away, you’ll be feeding insulin resistance and possibly the mites.
To my fellow sufferers – I felt so alone when the burning and pain started in the top of my scalp several months ago. No one I spoke to had ever had anything like this. I knew it had to be related to my hair loss which has been going on for almost 20 years. The 5 or 6 dermatologists I saw for this particular problem said that except for some redness they did not see anything wrong. I was put on cortisone drops which frankly only gave me mild relief. However after time the scalp pain has clearly coincided with a very rapid hair loss at my temples, hairline (which has receded about 3/4″ in last last 3 months and the crown of my head is extremely thin. Considering that up to this point the hair loss was slow, this dramatic change has me near tears every day. I feel that the pain must be a result of the follicle going through major changes. And when I touch my hair and the hairs just come out 5 or 10 at a time, I notice that the bulbs at the end are very large. I suspect that this means the follicle is gone.
The strange part is that I am not completely bald. I have diffuse thinning with hair minuturation. It looks like I have the hair of most 6 month old babies.
As bad as I felt before, I am amazed at how much worse I feel now. I find myself retreating from being in public when ever I can. The thought of going on a date scares me to death. I have worn a beret most of the winter but I live in dread of the summertime breezes when berets are not really an option. I have a list of places to go to find out about a wig topper. Has anyone gone that route? How do you make sure no one touches your head?
Despite going through this for so long I have not come to any peace about it. And I won’t take anti depressants because with my body chemistry the shedding is intolerable.
Boy did I need to rant a bit. Thankfully there is a place where I know others can understand, even if it’s not exactly the same, the torture I feel on a daily basis.
Your symptoms sound very familiar. Cicatricial alopecia or scarring alopecia can produce burning, pain, severe itching and redness. A good website is: http://www.carfintl.org
I was aware of my hair loss, so i disregarded it because i would put hair moose in my hair to get it nice and curly almost everyday, so i cut down thinking that -that was the problem. Untill three days ago when I straightened my hair for my grad photo :(. the next day i tried to part my hair from the right corner of my forhead (to make my hair seem fuller) when i felt this EXCRUCIATING pain. and i was just shocked.but most importantly depressed. I had been growing my hair for up to 9 months which is now just below my breast and all i think of everyday is cutting it off:( because of how bad it looks and feels near the scalpl. I dont know what to do. I have tried oiling my scalp but i only get temporary relief from the pain. I have even stoped washing my hair everyday and blowdrying to prevent loosing all the natural oils from escaping my scalp, but once again only have gotten temporary relief..now I dont know what to do, CUT-TREAT or just wait cry.
Hi – its me again. I wanted to post that I read that melatonin helps ferrits grow their hair back so I ordered a liquid form. Also that melatonin, vitamin D which is all the rage today, and I think vitamin K are all hormones. Insulin is a hormone. And you know about androgenic hair loss being a hormonal issue, so is weight gain in many cases. Anyways, I’m not a doctor, but I can say I have been more help to myself than a culmination of 10 doctors.
Elizabeth,
I read your post and I agree with alot of what your saying. What caught my attention was the insulin resistance/yeast explanation. I have an overgrowth of yeast my derm actually saw using a woods lamp, it shows overgrowth, apparently I am covered. Also I have high cortisol which feeds the yeast and I am sure a hormonal problem since I am very oily. Extremely oily in fact. So I think I have insulin resistance and all this hair stuff. Can’t way which came first the hormonal issues or this condition brought them on, non the less I avoid sugars and alcohol and am looking into low dose metformin. I was low in oil probably due to this imbalance and inflammation. I am taking b12
I will look into the melationin as well since I am not a good sleeper. How is your hair holding up now and have you done much different lately?
Also for those who have stumbled across scarring alopecia, my derm did not think I had it despite my painful scalp. Besides a color change I do not have flakes or scars or scabs etc. Granted LLP can cause diffuse loss, please don’t freak out whomever reads this that you absolutely have a scarring alopecia. Do not rule it out but don’t freak out about it. I was convinced but a biopsy was normal and she said nope I don’t think this is what it is. I feel mine is hormonal maybe seb derm who knows…
Hello,
Absolutely crazy, I always thought it was just me and my mother with this problem. However, I see we are not. That’s good news,Because I can have my husband stop looking at “that spot” on my scalp. Two, I now know it’s best not to go to the doctors for this painful problem. Because, they dont seem to have a reason for it either. I dont have the money or time for that. My mother and I have always associated the pain with our monthly periods. because that’s when it’s the most painful, and the pain seems to go away immediately after it starts. I also noticed when I’m stressed it bothers me really bad. I have really bad hair loss.( But friends and family say I pull it out) some of that is true because I tug at it to relieve pressure or tingle feeling. my hair is really course, and very thick. I have tried cutting it all off, and that seems to help. After three months of new hair coming in my scalps starts to tighten. A hair relaxer works, to straighten it but that only last for three weeks then the new growth comes in curly ( I can feel it coming in) painful!! Well, I quess I’ll keep coming back to this site to see if anyone has an answer. Good Luck
Painfulhead, one more thought – have you tried taking 2-3 grams of omega 3/fish oil? I’ve heard the theory that your skin produces oil when it’s too dry, and I’ve also read fish oil can help restore balance through resolving a deficit in our diet of same.
Hi Elizabeth and all,
I am on Lovaza now for the past 30 days, it’s a perscription omega 3 fish oil. So far nothing. But I am trying to remain positive it can take a few months to work.
I also am on Neurontin a nerve pain drug for 4 days now. Somehow and I dont know how my scalp pain has gotten worse. How is that possible? The neurontin on 300mg worked but upping to 900 I am retreating back to horrible flare ups.
I am beyond cnfused. I hope and pray some doctor is reading this forum and perhaps is trying to understand this all
Hi Painfulhead, good luck, let us know how it goes. I’m going to see a specialist for OAT. Ovarian Adrenal Thyroid imbalance. I am convinced if there’s any explanation happening in my lifetime, it will be related to this.
Elizabeth, good luck also with your Dr’s visit! I think that all the hormones go out of whack when we have pain. It’s the chicken and the egg thing, which came first, hormonal imbalance or scalp pain the imbalance. I think the hormones got wacky and did something to the scalp, then the chronic pain tosses up the hormones even more. Clearly we are having nerve related sensations, burning, stinging, itching…. so there is some inflammatory condition occuring. These scalp nerves need to be calmed down! I think when they are constantly raw and irritated the blood flow cuts off thus the TE loss and thinning. Maybe AGA who knows?
Painfulhead, what is AGA?
My friend Nancy experienced scalp pain right before and during her hair loss, which was a chemotherapy side effect. I think that the follicle death hurts, and/or the loss of a hair whether hurts but we don’t feel it when it’s normal shedding. We with more rapid shedding and sensitivity emotionally about our looks/hair, are much more sensitized to it. Which creates stress and that causes more of whatever imbalance (cortisol? adrenal exhaustion?) that makes us shed in the first place.
My heart goes out to every sister here with this problem – my scalp is pink, and shines through, and I try not to obsess but here I am again!
Recommendation to Shedding Graduate, cut your hair, maybe it’s longer and weightier than you can tolerate. It will curl up better once it’s shorter too. Good luck with your pictures! Hair loss doesn’t show up as much in photos as in real life.
My hair loss started about 3 years ago. I have head pain when the shedding starts. It is head pain not scalp pain. The feeling is like cactus thorns being poked into muscle on my head. Usually lasts for a couple days to week then subsides for a while. I will not go to a doctor for this because my doctor just looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am.
Elizabeth,
AGA=Androgenic alopecia.
This is so crazy. My scalp hurts so bad today and the nape is pink as can be. My eyebrows also burn like my scalp, both of them along with itchy lashes and nose hair.
I just do not understand. I mean apparently my follicles are dying, but never to leave a voided bald spot. So Alopecia Areata is not as likely unless this is diffuse AA. I do see fringe hair along the bang area that does try and grow back so I think it’s safe to say it’s not scarring alopecia
If any of us find answers please keep the others posted. We really need to help one another through this
I’m so glad to run across this site. I am 22 years old and have been fighting hair loss since I was 16. I also have the burning sensation on my scalp ( only in one spot where my hair is thinning the most). It happens for periods of time, then goes away. I have seen countless doctors, and just as most of you have said, they have been no help at all. So discouraging. The current Dr. that I see thinks this is a hormonal problem. Possibly PCOS. Usually, during the week I am on my period, the hair loss eases up a little, but then continues when the week is up. I think I’m the only women in the world that prays for her period to come! Has anyone else notices this pattern?
This is just so discouraging. Also, hany of you had to deal with telling your significant other (boyfriend) what is going on with your hair? I’ve been dating my guy for 10 months or so now and know that I should fill him in, but am scared he will run for the door. Any advice?
Hey micky,I have been losing my hair for a year and im 22. If you have been losing it since you were 16 is it AGA? or u have never been diagnosed? Also, if you have been losing for over 6 years and it is still not noticeable for your boyfriend then your loss is progressing very slowly. Because it’s only been a year for me and u can tell by the temples and tin all around. For me I have been with my bf for almost 3 years so he was with me and still is when the loss started and right now cant tell but I have told him about it and cried to him about it. He is really sweet about it and I know he just wants me to be happy so he opes for effective treatment. Telling him about it has definitely made this easier for me knowing tha he supports me.
Vicky,
Thanks so much for your response. I noticed that my hair fell out more the usual when I was 16. (We had a carpet cleaner come to my house and he asked if I had an animal that lived in my room because of the amount of hair that was clogged in his vaccum!) I saw numerous doctors, all of them said I should just use Rogain. Finally I started seeing an endocrinologist who said that my testosterone level was slightly higher than normal and thinks that it may be due to PCOS ( however I don’t have any of the other PCOS symptoms). He put me on Sprionolactone, which I thought worked in the beginning, but shedding has started again. Anyways, I have had a biopsy taken on my scalp and the hair loss doesn’t seem to be due to Alopecia. Losing my hair has been a slow process, but recently, every time I take a shower I am counting around 250 hairs on my floor and in my sink and Im noticing gaps at the top of my head and around my bangs. I’ve become a pro at covering my thin spots, but its becoming almost impossible to do so now. I’m so glad your boyfriend is there for you through this! It’s so hard keeping it hidden, and a lot of days when I’m upset about it, I wish I could go to him about it. I just haven’t worked up the courage yet!
Does anyone have a time frame on this? For example, scalp pain started in May, and hairloss began in..July? My scalp pain started about two months ago…how long before you guys started seeing hairloss after you noticed the scalp pain?
I have had this problem on and off since 98, shortly after I had my daughter. I first noticed it when there was hairloss just in a small circle at the crown of my head. Eventually it started to hurt on and off. The hair that would grow back was a really coarse hard bristly textured hair. At one point it hurt so bad I was about to go the ER. Now it gets worse, the pain has spread to the entire crown of my head and the hair completly comes out. My beautician says its stress, another says perm is not being rinsed all the way out. But I know I rinse properly. So I went to a doc who said that it was a hair folicle infection and prescribed a cream. The cream was over $100, I don’t think so. I decided to try Sulfur 8. That stuff smells too bad for me to use an adult. So I did find something that works great and when the symptoms start up I definitely put this on. It is by HAWAIIN SILKY HERBAL SUPER GRO; ORANGE JAR WITH PURPLE TOP. Ingredients that r old skool, sulfur, rosemary, (good for scalp conditions) horsetail,pine cone, and hops. Every since I’ve started using this product I haven’t had any problems. My hair has grown back and no sore spots! By the way Sally’s has it. I hope this helps you guys as much as it has helped me. Best Wishes.
never heard of this before .started for me 5 weeks ago after using a hair colour .since then become worse.Have tightness burning stinging pain all over scalp back of neck and ears.Have tried corticosteriods antihistamines antiinflammatorys .no help now on amitryptaline 20mg to reduce the “P” SUBSTANCE .SIDE effects not good.cant touch scalp nothing helps .best wishes to youall.
I noticed my hair thinning a month and a half ago and this past week I am experiencing that burning, tingling sensation as well (Not very comfortable). On a routine visit at the Drs. I was told I am vitamin D Deficient my level was 25. Can this cause hair thinning/loss? I am taking 2,000 mg a vitamin D a day. Can hair grow back after leveling vitamin D? I was also under a ton of stress the last 3 months which I know can be a factor.
Vitamin D is a hormone and assists in the assimilation of very important nutrients. That and Fish oils, plus Cod liver oils are pretty important, and what we are usually always deficient in.
I’d recommend getting allergy tested by your dermatologist, patch tests, to figure out what chemicals in the products you are using you are allergic to, and causing the burning/itching/hair falling out.
Surprise Surprise Affirm products (including relaxer) have a urea product proven to thin, take out your hair!!! (if you are allergic to it)! That stuff is in everything….
Get the test before spending tons on random products.
Also remmember if you are allergic to say, grass, having chamomile or horsetail in your shampoo is not a good idea.
OK, so think, scalp pain = allergy / sensitivity bad reaction to hair permanent.+ your daily maintenance products.
Hello All, Well I have had this problem for about 3 – 4 years now. My first bout lasted about 6 – 8 months and it was the constant burning, prickling irritated feeling on my scalp. I went to doctor upon doctor and they could not see anything wrong with my scalp and sent me away. Then it was anitdepressants they put me on. Made me really sick. So I want off of them. Eventually it dissapered. Then about 2 yers ago it came back……I dont remember how long it lasted but once again it went away. No problems untill I went away on vacation and came back home and within a week of being home…..it was back!!!! So it has been about 7 weeks now and I did go to see doctors and they put me on the antidepressants again. I took myself off them and now am at a loss of what to do. Feel like I am going crazy and going to cry all the time.
Hi everyone. I’m so glad i found this website, cause lately i feel so alone with this problem. For a little over a year my hair has been falling out. My first bout with it happened April of last year and lasted a couple months. Now since june/july my hair has been falling out like crazy in literal handfuls. Even worse than last year. Now i’d say i’ve lost about half over my hair, and am experiencing that scalp pain/tingling sensation that you get after taking your hair out of a ponytail. I’ve been given blood work tests and everything came back normal so i can not understand why it’s still coming out in handfuls. I have also been feeling really fatigued. I haven’t been doing anything differently than normal to cause this. i just want answers 🙁 hope is fading
Are you taking low dose iron 28mg and split in half, or zinc glucoginate 50mg ? Or what about auto immune disease do you have any.. how would you rate your stress everyday? Do you find yourself dwelling or have panic attacks.. are you anxiety meds like Xanax or lorazepam? The reason I ask is because this drug will make you panic more because it’s just a bandaid till you fix it yourself in your mind and body. Drug are only good for a certain time in our bodies (I’m sure you knows this) the. We are feel this emotions ten fold. And now our adrenals are feeling the flight or fight with even simple tasks. When adrenals start going haywire even the vitamins will and not absorb right. Losing hair when your a women is beyond detrimental, I speak from experience and every doc looks at you like you’re crazy and family start too because this one thing no one can help you.. I have learned we have to help ourselves and ask for certain blood work etc, you also need people that have experienced the hair loss and know your pain and struggle .. say it was your liver, but the doc feels those levels are within normal range for him. You feel it’s not, so cleansing your liver is important so the toxins are coming out of the pores in your scalp which will cause your hair to fall out fast.. or the fight or flight that just release cortisol and does it so often that it procedures too much and hair loss again.. and when you take cortisol your body stops producing it naturally so you have to taper down, those are no joke, I went through hell with answers is what we all want and need but these days docs just don’t know shit and aren’t understanding, finding a new doc is a miracle., I either keep going or read in this group some of the stuff the ladies tried and it worked or didn’t. But they are honey. Email me if you need anything or want to chat about the hair loss don’t let the hope fade girl, you got this.. smile don’t let the brain stress
Ashliegh,
Do you have the pain all the time or does it come and go? Does anything help you at all with the scalp tingling burning and pinching? Just curious?
I’m so glad to have found this site with all your comments. The best I can described this pain on my head is the comment about pony tails. If feels the same way when you let down your pony tail and the rubber band was too tight. ouch! it’s so weird. why must i always have weird stuff? How do you tell a doctor, “hey my hair hurts.” Then, what the heck can he do? Thank all of you out there who post their stories. No, you’re NOT alone!! I guess the best we can do is wait it out, it comes ‘n goes over the years. I thought I had bumped my head so many times, but hadn’t. No hair loss…yet.
P.S. keep having blood tests…thyroid function could be the culprit. One minute the test says A the next time it says B. Also, test for Lupus. I am hypothyroid and it’s not good, the tests are always different and my dosage is always changing, I take my pills faithfully and have been stable for a long time. Change doctors if you don’t feel satisfied. Until then I share your pain…in my hair.
Still having scalp pain. Will be 4 years come March. It’s maddening, especially when nobody can tell me exactly what it is. Nothing has worked, absolutely nothing. I also have high cortisol and my body is in crisis mode, muscle wasting, complete exhaustion. Anyone else to this level of complete and utter loss? Feeling crappy physically on top of this? Please tell me I am not alone. I am out of Dr’s to see, abandoned by the medical community left to fend for myself buying useless suppliments and shampoos
I also have painful scalp ( I think it’s called trychodynia) and issues with cortisol. Except, mine is too low, and my adrenals are exhausted. Chronic exhausted, impaired adrenal function, and depressed immune system can create inflammation in the body. Researchers don’t know what causes the scalp pain, but they do know it’s inflammatory. I feel best when I get enough sleep, take my immune supplements ( I use OPC3) and do some mild exercise and much stretching. I also try to stick to a diet in which I only eat foods are high on the glycemic index. This is also called the anti-inflammatory diet. I also take hefty doses of flax oil, and fishoil to combat inflammation. All in all, I feel like the scalp burning and hairloss are kept at bay when I keep a lifestyle and diet program that reduce inflammation. But yes, it is very maddening to be chronically exhausted and have your hair falling out and you scalp on fire all at the same time!
You’re not alone.
On a side note my husband is a chemist and told me flax seed has cyanide in so In would put that in any veggies or find a compay that spends money to not include that
Ladies with painful scalps and no medical explaination: I was was relieved to see that others have the same wacked symptoms. After many years , many doctors, I finally came across a condition called fructose malabsorption on the web. After keeping careful food diaries, I realized that my scalp hurt (hair pulling sensation) after eating sugary foods. With that as a start, I hit google. I convinced my gastro doctor to send me for a test and Voila – I tested positive. After a radical diet change, I no longer take midday naps from exhaustion, my scalp no longer hurts and my energy levels are more consistent throughout the day. Check out the condition online. It may be what you have – its not commonly understood, but it is is rising as a diagnosis.
Good luck!
I have all the same symptoms as described by people above. It is very disheartening going to doctors and being told they just have no idea what this could be. I have been wondering about the connection with stress and anxiety – I am not particularly stressed and cannot see a direct link for me, but I am a person who has always kept my worries/fears/anxieties inside and I wonder if that is a common trait of people who have this problem? Maybe it is a physical response to longstanding worries that aren’t resolved??
Also, I’m wondering whether anyone else has the same cycle – 1 week or so feeling fine, then 1 day head feeling tingly, then 1 day feeling anxious/short of breath/down/weak/head very tingly, followed by 1-2 days of profuse hair shedding. I have been keeping a diary and this seems to be my pattern. On my good days I really feel like myself again.
Could you let me know if anyone has similar? My doctor feels certain it is stress-related but I just don’t think it can be. It comes on so strong on the bad days it feels as though I have had an allergy to something or a virus.
It really is helpful to read all your comments. i think that if we all share information we might be able to come up with some answers. Hopefully!
just a quick add – did any of you take ro-accutane for acne? this is the only drug I have been on when I was a teenager (am now 31) and am wondering if any connection (maybe i’m grasping at straws for some type of explanation!).
Yes!!!! I have been trying to find a link for my hair loss and burning scalp. The hair loss has been happening off and on throughout my life, ever since I took Accutane at 22. I’m now 53 and I’ve had unexplainable health problems for years. As if the last 5 years, neither my naturopath nor dermatologist have solved my problem with hairloss. I feel it’s useless to even go to a doctor. When the scalp burn gets so bad, or the hives on my skin, I resort to taking a small dose of benadryl, but I don’t like to continuously use it. Any one else used accutane at some point?
Clare,
Yes! I too took Accutane when I was younger (14 yrs old). I took a 5-month course because I had acne and it worked great on the acne – I’ve never had a problem with it again. But I also am wondering if this could have had some effect on my hair – even though my hair loss didn’t begin until I was about 21. I am 24 now and the loss continues. I recently got a diagnosis of TE after ditching my old (useless) dermologist and starting to see a trichologst (hair specialist) in NYC named Dr. David Kingsley – he is awesome. I have my follow up with him on Saturday and we will look at the results of my bloodwork and *hopefully* find some sort of answer. But while I grasp at straws in the meantime, the Accutane is what I keep coming back too. I mean they have no idea how the stuff works. And I’ve had a host of other weird health ailments that began in my teens that ALL have do to with inflammation – IBS, tonsilitis, painful bladder syndrome (yes, that really exists and I have it), etc. It seems like my body just has an inflammation problem and tends to attack itself. I wonder if any/all of this is related to the Accutane. I guess we will find out in the years to come as the long-term effects of this drug are revealed.
hi ellie, that is really interesting (if a little bit scary) – let me know what happens on sat as I’d be really interested to know if your dr. comes up with any answers.
X
I too use to experience tingling, burning and hairloss. I went to scores of doctors and I tried everything home remedies and prescription, but nothing worked. Sometimes i felt as if the doctors thought it was all in my head. I was loosing myself..i lost my self esteem..i hated looking in the mirror.
After countless reviews of posts and medical reviews…I decided to try something new…I found a way to help myself. It has been almost a year and my hair is regrowing….I think I have found a way to prevent my hair from burning and balding.
hi nicole,i just finished reading your post.i am so happy for you that your hair is regrowing,will you please let us know what you did to help yourself
Nicole please do share! Many of us are so desparate we need all the help we can get, could you please post more info for us all?
claire yes mine feels like an allergic response. Head gets warm to the touch, pink in areas. I go through phases of no pain, or mild pain and different parts of my cycle my scalp will feel like a pin cushion, stinging then morph into horrible pain, then back off again. Best description a severe allergic reaction to something. In fact this what I thought was going on when it began, that I had a bad reaction to something. I had been getting a lip hive for a year prior daily so i thought this was an allergic response. But who knwos what it may be
Nicole,
What is your secret to finding relief of this terrible and painful scalp problem that so many of us have.
We’d love to know !
Sorry if I sound negative but does anyone else wish nicole would post her secret? If I found relief i’d be shouting from the mountain tops :o(
This Nicole thing is a very cheap shot at trying to sell her own gimmick. what a low trash to try to take advantage of people pain !???
as if she doesn’t know that people would be interested !
I agree with Williamco…smh
Nicole that is terrible. Come here and suggest an answer and just leave. Great for you I hope your scalp pain does not come back 10 fold.
I too have severe burning/crawling feeling of the scalp and hairloss specifically around the affected area. Just curious, does anyone have problems with excess oil on skin, whiteheads and melias(I think I spelled it right)?
I’m asking bec. seems like the hair and skin problems started around the same time for me. later I was able to control skin issues with Klaron(Sulfacetamide) and I just remembered that before the treatment my FACE hurt just like my scalp hurts now. The sad part is, I can’t even find a doctor in this godforsaken city that is even remotely interested in running tests or doing a scalp biopsy.
So I figured that perhaps sulfacetamide will help with scalp problems too. Applied it for the first time today.
Update to previous post. The burning, which was particulalry bad yesterday, subdued a little in a few hours after I slammed half a bottle of klaron all over my head. It’s too early to tell for sure, but ladies, I think I may be onto somethig here. Washed my hair before going to bed: that stuff dries and looks like I used too much hairspray but washes off fairly easy. Today is the second application. Will keep you posted. Maybe this info will help someone else.
I too have the itchy crawly feeling with burning at times. My dermatologist said it is scalp yeast and had prescribed a medicated shampoo, clobetasol, and men’s Rogaine. I only used the shampoo in rotation with TGel and Selsun Blue, and found some relief and regrowth. I ran out of the shampoo and only used the other shampoos. I went to another doc and she gave me clobetasol too and if I use it at night, I actually can go to sleep without itching. In 6 weeks she want to do a biopsy to find out what else is going on. But I’m also going to look into a natural way to solve the yeast problem.
Hey guys,
I also have the same problem although not as severe as some of you guys have. But when its on, even one hair move is discomfort. With me I think its associated with stress.I am 28F and student, so exams days are problems for my scalp and its been like this from last 10 years. The day it happens it will go no till i sleep at night. I am confused between so many posts…..Have you guys got to anything or its still a mystery?
I also have pain on my scalp and lots of hair loss.I feel like crying from the pain,a nd the fact that I’m aware of it almost 24 7.I have lumps on my head and if you press on them they’re very painful.I have another derm appointment,the first time the Dr. didn’t know what it was and said check with my other doctor who treats me for my thyroid,but that doctor says everything is fine.I have another appointment with my derm doctor,hopefully she can do something this time.
I hate to be another person to say “me too!” and not have and answer but…me too! I am 26 years old and I have had a full, and I mean FULL, head of hair my whole life. A few months ago I noticed that my light brown hair was changing color and getting very light in the front. Next I noticed that my hair got very thin, very fast, in the front. I of course freaked out and went to my doctor who ran some blood work. My blood work was normal…therefore he had no answers. Next I went to a dermatologist who was the biggest jerk I have ever met! I could tell he wasn’t listening to me nor did he care. He told me that I had male pattern baldness and there was really nothing I could do. THEN he told me that he could understand what I was going through..he used to have thicker hair too. ONE he is a male and TWO he was in his 60’s!!! I hate to sound like the jerk but its a little different to be a female in your 20’s:( Soooo next I went to another dermatologist who specializes in hair loss. I am currently seeing a female doctor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. I saw this doctor a month and a half ago and she was great. She may not have the answer yet but she was honest, understanding, and interested. She took a biopsy and believes I may have andro genetic alopecia. She started me on men’s rogaine asap. I haven’t noticed a change yet but I have only been using it for about a month. I go back to see the doctor in another month. The top of my head is so sensitive and my hair has gotten so thin. My scalp is not red and there are no bumps but it is very uncomfortable. I never wear pony tails but it feels like I have had a tight pony tail in my hair.
I have had my thyroid checked and they say everything is fine…but I still wonder. I also wonder is the birth control pill is to blame. I have drastically changed my diet trying to cut out all preservatives, sugar (except natural sugars) alcohol, and increasing nuts, fruits, veggies, grains etc. Who knows if this will help.
I am trying to keep a positive attitude but it is sooo hard. I have been using an organic conditioner with biotin by JASON. I love it. It is very soothing to the scalp and its called Thin to Thick and it helps a little. I have not found a shampoo that I like yet but I will keep trying.
I hate not knowing how bad this will get and if this is forever. Its nice to know that I’m not nuts and others have this problem. I am sorry that we are going through this, and I will share any good news that I find.
Hi everyone,
I am coming up on my 4 year aniversary of scalp pain. :o( WOW hard for me to even type that.
Anyhow I decided that it’s been so long with chronic pain I am getting on an antidepressant. I hope it works to lift my spirits. It’s very depressing after awhile. About 3 years into the chronic pain the actual depression kicked in, I was able to fight it but it got the best of me.
Anyhow I wonder here if there is an estrogen dominance factor? Because every single time I drink soy, have used estrogen creams or the pill I get bad pain. Estrogen fuels my problem whatever it may be. I am also extremely greasy and oily. So I know my hormones are wacky. However when I got on the birth control pill my oil did not abate and my pain worsened. I have read through the hormonal path estrogen dominance can cause hair loss and oily skin. I’ve tried Inositol a b vitamin that is supposed to normalize estrogen and I noticed the morning I woke my face was not covered in oil, first time in along time. Anyhow just throwing some ideas out there for all of us beause I know so many of us strugle with this and have a very hard time with it.
Wishing everyone the best!
Well I saw my derm,and all she said was that the top of my head felt mushy,so she gave me Clobetasol,which dose’nt work,I’ve now noticed that the pain and mushy head is now spreading to the sides of my head and at the base.The next step is to have a biopsy,makes me wonder if this will spread to other places.If there are so many of us with this problem why is there no doctor that can help us?
Mushy? That sounds like it could be celulitis? Does it feel boggy and hott to the touch? Ouch Mary that sounds very painful. I hope you find some answers.
Dear Painfulhead, Thank you so much.I did some research and cellulitis sounds like what i have.Hair loss is also caused from scaring from this,I didnt realize how serious this can be.I’m a diabetic and diabetics are at highest risk.I have an appt. with my diabetes Dr. tomorrow and will discuss this with her,and hopefully I’ll get some answers.Again thank you, without this forum I don’t know what I would of done.
I Join all of you! I know how you all feel! Some days are worse than others but there are no great days! I dread getting dressed every day because of the pain I know that is comming! I have seen to 5 Dr.s none of them were concerned because they did not think that it was no big deal! Well it is a big deal and there has to be an answer and I hope that one of us will find it and share it with the rest! I know that I will! Hope every one feels better soon. Pam Of Troy!
What seems to be the best solution for people with scalp pain? I have been suffering from it for about a month and hair loss for a little over three months, though it has been very significant loss. My thyroid and iron levels were normal, so I am now taking Biotin, a multi-vitamin, and cod liver oil. What else is recommended to help this?
My doctor wants to put me on antidepressants when I get home from college, since they believe stress and depression are the root of the problem, but of course they don’t really know.
Well I’m back again.It wasn’t Cellulitis,I went to the emergency hospital about a week ago because the pain was so bad,I was also very sick with acute sinus infection low grade fever and dehydration. The doctor gave me an antibiotic ,Amox.
The great thing was that the pain went away,I still had some swelling,went and saw the Derm Dr again and she did two biopsies, one for the swelling to see what that could be and one for the hair loss.I mentioned to her about the pain having gone because of the antibiotic.I also have rosasca and the Dr said that maybe the problem,but of course she still doesn’t know what it is.
Has anyone tried Nioxin? Any results??
Ladies I found an interesting site. It’s for ovarian cancer patients and they were discussing scalp pain while loosing hair to chemo. Many experience it.
so perhaps we have so many hairs in the shedding phase the scalp is having some reaction inflammatory process.
http://www.inspire.com/groups/ovarian-cancer-national-alliance/discussion/painful-scalp/
Pam! Its me again !Since I have have talked to you all ! I went to a Dermatoligist! I ask him if he had ever heard of Tricadinia! He said I know that Tric means hair loss and laughed at me and said OH! you just have a very dry scalp! Thats BS! Why does my head burn every day? He said it was from the dry scalp.Well I just dont believe him it is something more .Today is Tuesday and I do feel some better , Saturday & Sunday was such bad days! OH MY GOSH! I felt like I was gona jump out of my skin! The fatgue was terrible my scalp was killing me it felt like it was on fire!And I could not keep my hands out of it. If I could just run my hands through it one more time it would ease the pain knowing that it would’nt. I was just wondering if the texture of your hair has changed? Mine feels like it has three different textures to it (course, fine , and baby hair) Fuzzy! Ring a bell to any one ? Please answer me back.Thanks Pam of Troy
I got my biopsies back and this is what the pathology report said.The microscopic differential diagonsis is essentially between lupus and lichen planopilaris.Given the presence of increased mucin and peri-adnexal/vascular inflammation with plasma cells, lupus is favored. It turns out I have cutanous lupus.I still have pain on my scalp and if I move my hair around it still hurts. The doctor has put me on plaquenil. If you have a derma doctor have them do a biopsy and ask them to check for lupus. Lupus never entered my mind. The medication is to help wi the inflammation. A lot of you are in your twenties,lupus hits women during their child barring years. I hope this will help some of you.I will keep checking this web sight to see what you may have found out if it may be lupus,hopefully its not.
Omg i am currently experiencing all these symptoms…losin my hair in the front edges and back..little bumps on my scalp and scalp soreness….i did see somewhere about lupus and am very nervous…i am 25 and ahave a little daughter…if any more info is found please email me…im going to the dr asap and ask to be tested for lupus.
I was diagnosed and put on Planquil and went to see a top dermatolosgist whilst on these and he told me to get of them immediately! My hair has been falling since i was 18 – im now 26. V painfull scalp. even more so when i have just washed it, have to use wide tooth comb etc. Have lost 90% of hair on top of my head and dont know how i have survived this long like it….. Had perm when i was 15 – may have been that, tried drugs around that age – Have been looking for answers for 8 years, unsure how im going to get to 40 without withdrawring myself from the outside world, I have tried everything you can possibly get!! Now i wash hair and apply pescribed dermovate scalp application which is a liquid steroid that sothes the burning, using Kerestase shampoo, toppik, its getting to be a long task washing my hair and i have to do that every day as its so greasy. I am pescribed Amtriptaline also as this is suposed to ease the pain… unsure if it does or not?!!?
Rogaine is a joke. I went into with a positive attitude that I was going to give it six months. Its been four months, my hair is much thinner, my scalp itches like crazy, I have dandruff for the first time in my life, and I have dark coarse facial hair (another wonderful side effect of Rogaine). I’m giving up on Rogaine. My thyroid and iron levels are normal and the doctors have no real advice so do I just accept that I am going bald for no reason? This doesn’t seem right….
Nic, why did your dermatologist have you get off the plaquenil?,I do have to see an eye doctor because the med does cause eye problems but thats if your on it a long time, and also had to have blood tests. I’m interested if there is a problem with plaquenil.
Do any of you ladies have silicone breast implants? I do and I am having the removed on Tues. Ever since the day I had them put in I have lost my hair with various other symptoms. I show signs of chronic fatigue and joint pain. I just got the results of my biopsy and they show no signs of disease although I have a ragging rash and bumps all over my head. It burns all day and night. The Derm, was pretty sure it was LLP so he perscribed Plaqueinel. Now he says to stop taking it because its nothing! Well it is for sure something. I think I have an auto immune dissorder from the silicone and it is causing me to exhibit signs of illness. No one can help me and I have had over 20 different blood tests. My ferritin was 9 now 54. I know all about low ferritin. That is what I focused on for 6 months. I also am a little hypothyroid. The things is nothing can explain the rash and bumps on my head. I am taking out these possible toxic implants in hopes of having releif. Either way it will be off of my plate. Would love to hear if anyone has had success with plaquenil? I will see a rhuematologist on Mon. so we will see if they want me to continue to take it or not. So if anyone out there has implants of any kind please consider this.
Hi there, as posted in so many of your letters…it is so great to find out that there are others that have the same problems…not that anyone would ever wish this upon anyone else! I too suffer from an extremely sensitive painful scalp, mainly at the crown. it started as a small sensitive area but this has extended to most of the top of my head. I noticed an increase in hair loss about 6 years ago, and i have had pain ( sometimes exscutiating!) for the last 2 yrs and my hair loss has increased considerably…its not in patches but just a general thinning mainly at crown and back. I have probably lost about 2/3 of my hairs thickness ( luckily I had very thick hair to start with. The burning painful sensations never seems to totally go away just vary in degree of sensitivity. It is painful after i wash..but often way more sensitive/painful before i wash it if left to get a bit oily….and i have never before ever had oily hair and now it becomes like an oil slick after 2 days. Mine also hurts with the wind, very sensitive with heat aka the sun, and keeps me awake at night with its contant ache.
I have seen a ( male ) dermotologist, that was very un sympathetic and said my scalp looked fine…prescribed a shampoo that burnt like !!!
I guess my next step is a biopsy…scary thought!
has anyone used a ‘clive hair clinic’ …i was going to give them a try as they guarantee ( ha ha ha???) results
Cheers Karen
I have been reading the posts on this site for some time now and could not keep in the dark any longer, so this may be long. I am now 26 y/o (F) and about 2 years ago I noticed some “funky” hairs on my head and I also noticed pain in these regions. Unfortunately, after two years I can’t remember what came first – the hair changes or the pain. I had a full and THICK head of hair all my life which is light brown/dark blond and slightly wavy. My mom would always get mad when I straightened my hair, claiming my natural texture was so beautiful…. man, do I miss those days…
So, hair pain and texture change – I would find hairs that seem as if they had seized while growing. They were small waves all down the hair, kind of like looking at an EKG. I would also feel a sensation like small, fast vibrations in an area where I would find one of these hairs. It is as if I could feel the hair pulsing out of my head. I began to lose weight, was fatigued all the time and snappy towards everyone. After 8 months my mom took me to her Endocrinologist who did a full blood work-up. I had a B12, D and Iron deficiency which I immediately began to fix. The fatigue and “bad attitude” went away and my deficiencies reversed, but the hair loss/thinning as well as the pain persisted. I began to notice more of these weird, almost crunchy hairs on my head as well as a lot of short hairs where they should be long. I tried to explain that my hair hurt and that the thinning was very slow, which is why no one else could see it. What began at the top/back of my head eventually spread to the front, sides and base of scalp – essentially everywhere! I get the “hot-tip knife” feeling as well as tingling and sometimes a throbbing pain. Certain hairs, when lightly tugged on radiate pain beyond that specific spot and I also get differed pain (tugging on one hair results in pain in a different area of my head).
Since my initial visits with the Endocrinologist 12 months ago I have seen a Neurologist, 2 Infectious Diseases doctors, a Rheumatologist, 4 Dermatologists (including the head of hair loss at Stanford Univ.), I was seen for 6 months at Stanford’s pain clinic, and have had an MRI of my head and neck as well as a CT scan and a CT with bone windows (whatever that is!). The potential diagnosis has ranged from Occipital Neuralgia to Lyme Disease to an underlying Psychological trigger. I even went to a Psychologist for 5 months who was not able to find any psychological factors/triggers. The medications that you guys have mentioned (mainly in the family of anti-depresseants) are given in a small dose to help with the pain b/c the work on the nerves. I decided not to take these because I worry about the long term effects of such drugs. I have also switched my birth-control (about 3 months ago) but so far no change.
Slowly I noticed that my full head of hair was not so full anymore. I once wore bangs but now I don’t have enough hair in the front of my head to even attempt bangs! I have not cut my hair in over a year b/c of the pain and fear that shorter hair will reveal the thinning areas. Most of my day in public is spent covering up these areas with various loose ponytail styles I’ve practiced. I feel sometimes that this is bitter-sweet b/c, while it allows me to more comfortably emerge from my home, people never see what is actually going on and therefore cannot begin to relate. I don’t want sympathy from my friends or family but simply recognition of the unrecognizable(?)
My Endocrenologist has (essentially) become my medical advisor on retainer for all the research I do online. While she does not know the cause of what I am going through, she helps me sort through the various possibilities and points me towards the right specialists. She is the only person I have met in the medical community who cares to help even though she does not have an answer and knows the problem is most likely not in her field. I hate to say it, but I feel like she’s one of my best friends. Apparently there is no “Dr. House” out there and it is up to us to find the answers. I’ve learned so much about hair and nerves and cutaneous conditions that I think I should have a medical degree. I have also begun to think of doctors in the same way I think of politicians – they want to help you but only if it is in their own interest to do so. If they have nothing to gain, they don’t strain.
I would love to write more about what I’ve learned but don’t want to make this too long 🙂
Most of my research revolves around the weird hairs I’ve found because I am convinced that the problem is in the hair (or hair follicle). Whether the hair causes the pain or the pain causes the hair change is still unknown to me. I take pain pills daily to get through life and hope one day I will have an answer. If this sounds like something you guys want to talk more about I’d be happy to share 🙂
Hi Temple and you all!! I have the same problem,totally. My hair started to thinning when i was about 17,just after when my tonsils been removed. it started with my hair become so dry,but my scalp was so oily that i needed to wash it every day,so now im 27,since 1 year i started to have this scalp tingling,vibrating and painful sensation,i never took it seriously until today as the pain started to get worst. I live in the UK,but im from Hungary and i do believe so that there is an explanation why these things happening to us. Seriously, whats the answer? Why is it happening to us? I went to see so many docs in UK and also in Hungary, none of them could tell me any helpful information,they are just guessing. I have a low iron level though,but its still “normal” as they say. It feels like my hair just reborn,its like a baby hair,but falling out. I had a blood test today to check my hormone levels,as this is the only thing what they never checked, but as i can see everyone is “healthy”,still having this issue. I hope they will find something wrong with my hormone level.so then there is a hope. By the way,is any of you suffering from a lot a sweating? Because i do, i am also stressed sometimes,but not all the time,i know people who was all about stressing in their life,still have a lovely hair. I wear glasses, i was born with a bad eye,but then why didnt it start falling out then earlier on? I love chocolate though and eat lots of bread,but i always did and i east the same way and the same things since i remember.There is must be something what all of us got in common! Im from a different country,still have the same problem, and i feel so down, my life is a mess right now.If anyone knows something or have some advice,please help me! Oh yes one more thing i remembered that my hair started to fall out in 2000, did any of u started to loose their hair too?because there is must be something what we started to eat or got an injection or had some medication. Thanks alot and dont give up!
Ps.: I forgot to tell u that i was taking ro-accutane for a month about hte age of 16, but i couldnt handle the side effects of dry lips and eyes,so i stopped.
Hello,
I’m New 🙂 I have been doing a little research myself on what might be wrong with me. There is SO much to go through! I thought I would post here for some advice on where to start. I have always noticed my usual VERY thick hair has thinned out through the years, I am 43 now, so I figured that part was age. I parted my hair about 2 months or so ago and a round bald spot greeted me. It it a little to the right of my natural part. It was not completely bald as in smooth, but was definately NOT right. I had my husband look at it and he didn’t know either.
Since then, it has gotten bigger, almost to the front line of my scalp now. A little harder to conceal, and I am not sure where to start. I will probably see my regular doc first and go from there. I am not on any medication, last hormone check was fine (9 months ago), I am probably a little stressed, nothing major though. I have been using the same shampoo for a year. My scalp in just the balding area, burns I guess, kind of itchy and tingly. I tried explaining it to my hubby, and its hard to do. My hair is coming out root and all, when I brush or just run my fingers through it. I have no problem with shaving my head and reverting to a wig, “Shrugs” you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I would rather keep my own mind you, but if all else fails, it is what I will do. Any advice??
Thanks
Tami
Wow. Nice to see you all here!
It is wonderful to know that there is an understanding crowd around somewhere. The sore scalp/hair loss has been an issue with me for a year. I used to grow and harvest my hair for Locks of Love because I had so much so fast, but now I have less than 1/3 of my normal volume. Despite the fact that what is left continues to grow in length, what comes back is baby fine and never stays for long. I massage my bumpy scalp each night and have to really focus to get to sleep without being smothered by a blanket of worry and discomfort. Lately even wearing a scarf hurts.
I am frightened to note that this thread is 2.5 years old and not one success story is here. But thank goodness you all are. Be strong for yourselves and those around you—we need you in the game if we are to be of any help to each other 🙂
Thank you all for sharing! I’ve learned quite a bit from your posts!
~~DOG
Temple would there be a way we can talk? I was very interested in your post we sound very much alike in our research and thoughts. I wonder if there is a way we can converse or exchange info? I totally have the same experiences as you do minus the strange hairs. I do see regrowth but my scalp seems to kick it right back out with the pain.
I have read all the posts and did not find much mention of hair dyes or hair products. I am 62 and have fine hair. I have my hair colored every 6 weeks. I think I noticed my hair loss about 9 months ago and my scalp tingling and sensitive. It seems that was about the time that my hairdresser changed hair dyes. I also use another product that I’ve loved called Straightener by Enjoy. I only have a slight wave to my hair, but this product has given me smooth, good hair day even on the day I shampoo. I try to shampoo every third day. My hair is thinning every day. I do not have bald spots that I can see. My scalp is recently getting warm and pink.
I have read different posts about thyroid disorder. On another site a woman said her regular thyroid tests were on low side of normal and then she had a thyroid antibody test or something and it did diagnose her with hyperthyroidism. This also goes along with fatigue and feeling down. I had blood tests this past week with everything normal but low normal on TSH and T3, 4 thyroid tests. I think I am going to ask for the additional test. I see the dermatologist on Wednesday, but after reading everyone’s posts, I do not have a lot of hope he will help. For the past month I have tried Scalp Recovery system by Nioxin. It’s a zinc shamoo, conditioner, and serum you apply and leave in on the scalp. I almost think it’s worse. I don’t think my scalp was pink or warm before. Has anyone tried Ovation Cell Therapy? It’s advertised on radio in Southern California, and my hairdresser and one of her clients said it helps hair grow faster and makes it feel healthy. They did not talk about scalp tingling or pain, however.
I’m really interested in the hair dye correlation if anyone has experienced this. Also, if anyone has tried the Ovation Cell Therapy. My best wishes to all of you.
Lee
This website has validated some of the isssues I’ve been having. I have been to several dr’s and all have said the same thing… hair loss is normal for a woman your age (57) and you have plenty of hair. I did, in fact I had very thick hair, but now it thin and broken. I’ve had dr’s act as if I was crazy. In fact I was begninning to wonder myself. I have frontal hair loss that happens during an episode. The episode starts by tingling and needle feelings in my head. The hair then begins to fly off my head and finally the patch breaks to the root and flakes off. During an episode I have described the sensation as electric. It is annoying, but not so painful that I can’t stand it. Please let me know if anyones is similiar.
I got a biopsy done a couple of months a go and it came back as hyperkaratosis! They told me I could try and control the pain but there was nothing I could do about it !My hair loss is awfull it makes me sick to my stomach most every morning! It is so depressing to have to wake up to everyday . I wear a wig every day and guess I will have to as long as I have to go out in public.And yes MJ it has an electric shock about it! Any way at least I know what it is and it cant be fixed
Pam Of Troy!
Hi Painfulhead and everyone else! I just had my first scalp biopsy and a collection of hair was also taken for analysis. I hope to have some results in the coming weeks and more information to share/discuss. The dermatologist I saw mentioned a rare form of alopecia that I had never come across: Lipedematous alopecia of the scalp. Though it is very rare, the symptoms of this seemed, to a degree, to be in line with what I have experienced. I am still learning more about this while I await my results. I also met with another doctor who spoke more philosophically about my problem. While he agreed that I am in pain and truly affected by the matter, it has become a sort of “demon” in my life. We talked a lot about the evolution of medical knowledge and the ever changing/growing thoughts on the soul (and it’s “location” within us). I have already spent two years of my young-adult life obsessing over the matter and spending much of my time researching and doctor-seeing instead of just living. Given the reality that I may never find a solution to the cause of this, he suggested that I try to think of my hair pain as a sort of demon on my soul; a demon that I need to conquer by sitting with myself and telling this demon that it will not control me. At first this sounded a bit far-fetched but the more he spoke and elaborated on his thoughts, the more I began to understand his message and felt the tears forming. In a way, I think that I have begun to do this over the last few months without knowing. I have stopped wearing my headband and obsessing over what I think people are seeing. I have tried to fight through the urges to touch my head in times of pain and focus my attention elsewhere. I am working to reduce the stress in my life and regularly taking the essential vitamins per my blood-work (B12 and D). Though the thinning of hair has not reversed itself, the pain seems to have become more manageable. While I continue to hope for an answer/solution, I have begun to take the necessary steps to move forward with my life, defeat my demon and embrace acceptance of whatever this is. I hope this helps 🙂
To those experiencing the burning sensation can you please provide some insight into how long after this you see shedding? Is it immediate or days after, weeks, months?
My burning and itching is at the same time it falls. If I touch where it hurts then hair will fall too.
Hi everyone,I know how you all feel I have been experiencing all symptoms (burning scalps, losing hair even burning tounge) for five years. I have seen so many different doctors and have done so many different tests(blood test,MRI,cst,…………..).Here comes the good news I hope this will help u guys the way it helped me. last year I asked my doctor to put me on prenatal care since I have tried so many multivitamins and none them worked, so I started taking prenatal pills within one month I noticed my pain is less and less .And now I can say my pain is almost gone.
I hope this information will help.
Please try it you are not going to lose anything.
If this helps any of you please post it.
Good Luck
I am so thankful to read your post. Yours was the first I saw where a burning tongue was mentioned. My hair loss started immediately after beginning to take the “mini pill” 11 years ago after the birth of one of my kids. Within one month of taking this form of bc pill, my hair’s texture completely changed, became very course and almost half of my hair fell out. I was told at that time that it was a “side effect” of the mini pill and once out of my system, the hair loss should stop and reverse itself. Even though stopping the pill immediately my hair was never the same again until I became pregnant with my last daughter 8 years ago and during that time my hair was absolutely glorious — thick, growing like crazy, healthy. Within four months of her birth, a burning began at the crown and spread like a monk’s ring around my scalp and the hair loss began again, only now with two more symptoms, burning eyes and a burning tongue. Doctors have no clue. All tests are normal. The burning is not constant; the hair loss is. Stress definitely makes it worse; however, even during times of peace, no stress, and a calm family life suddenly I’ll feel the burning sensation begin and will find a handful of hair when I wash it that night. Any clues? Any one else experience something similar?
Oh my goodness- yes- I have the burning tongue, face and eyes along with the scalp What IS this?!
I had all the symptoms that may mentioned, I don’t think it is stress related,for five years I was looking for a clue why this happend to me,but I think you have to look for something to make you feel better.The Prenatal Multivitamin That I’m using is(RE OB +DHA) Don’t take the DHA part of it.
once your body starts being free of this horrible sensation every thing is going back to normal little by little even your hair.
I will join you guys in that there are parts of my scalp that can be so tender and painful, and of course, I’m losing my hair as well. I’m afraid to wash it anymore. I am on antidepression drugs, but the pain on my scalp has been going on for years, but I can’t remember when a ponytail actually became a torture. May I ask anyone if they have noticed that the hotter the environment that you are in increases the pain! I certainly have! It seems as if these tender parts of my scalp just cannot take the heat… a bad deal when you live in Texas. Has anyone else notice this? I’m about to start looking for scarves and have my head shaved.
I didn’t realize so many people have this type of “burning sensation” on their scalp. I thought I was going crazy because I haven’t been able to find one doctor in Virginia to believe me. My hair has started thinning at the front/temples which is causing me to wear a wig (which I HATE!!). I’ve been getting laser treatments for the past month and I don’t see any improvement. Losing hair is extremely stressful plus I have a fibroid problem as well. I’m truly sorry for everyone who has this problem — I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
I started losing hair in large amounts about 6 months ago. I started taking an anitidepressant 1 month ago. I have sensitive scalp, that I’ve noticed seemd to get worse on days when my allergies act up.
My scalp hurts more on some days than others, but the scalp does remain very sensitive, and up to now has is confined to the the crown of my scalp, but has been increasingly getting more intense.
I’ve noticed that my scalp pain seems to get worse on days when my allergies act up (high mold, grasses, etc)
Has anyone noticed a correlation between allergies and painfull scalp episodes? How about correlation with antihistamines and scalp pain?
Everyone’s input on this site has been very helpful…it’s a relief to find that I’m not alone in this struggle. Thanks everyone!! I look forward to your input.
about a year ago during class I noticed I was constantly having to scratch my head and around my hair line. I had no idea what the hell was going on I mean I knew I had no bugs. I noticed I was losing my hair and that my scalp would get oily and that the itching got worse when I worked out. I began to feel bumps on my head and I tried all kinds of shampoo’s but the itching would not go away I went in to see a dermatologist. She said that I had a staff infection put on on doryx and a steroid shampoo and an antibiotic shampoo. The anitibiotics cleared the bumps but as soon as I was done with them some bumps returned and the steriod shampoo made the itching worse. Attarax is a prescreption antihestimine that helped reduce the pain. after the antibiotic my scalp felt like it was on fire the root of my hair folicles was exteremly painful and tender. I saw many dermatologists and they have no idea what the hell is going on. Here are somethings that helped reduce the pain and itching. Attarax but it will knock you out for a few days. a cold pillow, placing an ice pack in your pillow. plain yougert hair mask helps cool it down. antifungle shampoo prescription also helped reduce the itching. It has been a year and the burning scalp is not as bad as what it was when I got done using the antibiotic. I just want to go back to normal. avoid any hair oil treatments beacause oil attracts heat and when your scalp feels as if its on fire anything cool helps. I hope this well help and if anyone dicovers what the hell is going on please let me know.
Hello All, I have not been on here for a while. Well my burning scalp has come back. God i wish i could find out what this is. Doc still thinks that it is stress related. I am going back to see him on monday and asking to go see a neuro. And we will se what happens there. I just want to find out why this keeps coming on, staying for months and then leaving.
This is extremely important, Ladies. PLEASE listen and ACT accordingly. Firstly, I had NEVER in my life experienced scalp pain until last week.
I have used all natural shampoos from Wholefoods market for years. Last week my husband brought home some little lotions, shampoos and conditioners from a hotel he stayed in while away on a business trip. Just for the fun of it, I decided to use the shampoo and conditioner. I don’t know, I guess I was in the mood to try something different! Sometimes when I switch my shampoos, all natural ones-that is, they give me an extra burst of volume. Well, not this one.
Later in the day after using the ones he brought me, I noticed an odd sensation on my head. The top of my scalp started to itch and was red. The sides of my head felt bruised and burned. I didn’t realize what the culprit was for a few day. I honestly thought I was fighting off a bug of some sort. A cold? Virus? I continued to use the s&c for about a week. The pain on my scalp increasingly worsened. My hair follicles felt on fire. It hurt my scalp to run my fingers through my hair, flip it to the side, and brush it. I got this strange sensation deeper in my head on the upper right side sort of like a headache but closer to the scalp than a typical headache for me. I rarely get headaches. This was all very odd to me. When I turned my head to the right, the right side of my scalp and head pulsates with the strangest pain and burned.
I started worrying. I mentioned several times to my husband that something odd was happening to my scalp. My head felt weird. My hair follicles were burning.
There’s a saying that sometimes the answer is right in front of your face so much that you would never suspect but it is so obvious! The ONLY thing different I was doing which was so casual to me, I didn’t even think about it, was using this shampoo and conditioner that are NOT natural.
I ceased using the s&c, and the problem was alleviated. It took a couple of days to feel completely normal again as my head/scalp was healing, detoxing. I’m coming from a baseline of ALL NATURAL hair products. – The typical store-bought brands are full of toxins. Ladies, you are POISONING yourselves with toxic products. BELIEVE IT.
I recommend you immediately throw out all of your hair products. Go to Wholefoods or any all natural market and buy natural shampoos and conditioners.
The answer is sometimes so simple that you would never think of it yet it is RIGHT THERE! I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the shampoo and conditioner that my husband brought home was what was causing the scalp pain that I was experiencing.
I was merely reminded WHY I started using the natural products years earlier. This other stuff is pure poison. There are a slew of culprit ingredients that I could list here, but I challenge you to do the research into it for yourselves!
The only explanation I can come up with as to why most people can tolerate the toxins is that the body habituates and metabolizes them over time. – Essentially gets used to it, the immune system adjusts. But why try to make your body get used to poison? Don’t use it to begin with.
PLEASE do the experiment for yourselves. Replace your toxic products with natural ones. Use them for 2 weeks and then come back here to report your results. (Perhaps it may take longer for some of you to detox.)
I recently went through TE which ended about a month and a half ago. My dermatologist put me on Clobetasol (a strong topical steroid) around that time for scalp dermatitis. I used it for about two and half weeks, twice a day. It didn’t seem to help, and my scalp was even more sensitive after I used it (the dermatitis eventually cleared up on its own). Now I have a very sensitive scalp, mostly on the top/crown area, which is where I used the most steroid. I was experiencing a burning sensation that was definitely caused by anxiety/stress. Once I restarted my anti-anxiety medication the burning stopped. However, I still have to be very gentle when styling my hair as my scalp is definitely still sore. Pulling on it, even gently combing the ends, causes a little discomfort on the top of my scalp. I am not experiencing serious pain, but it’s enough to be irritating and distracting. I suspect the steroid irritated my scalp, but I can’t find any research that would validate that conclusion. I go to another dermatologist this Friday to find out what may be wrong (the last dermatologist said my scalp looked healthy and that there were no signs of any skin thinning, etc. from the steroid, which is what I was primarily concerned about). I am really hoping that this irritation will resolve on its own and that my hair will grow back. I will post again once I see my dermatologist.
I was doing some research today. Has anyone ever considered a cicatricial/scarring alopecia as the source of their issues? It causes scalp pain and hair loss, and often there are no visible symptoms. Hair loss associated with the disorder can be gradual or rapid and no hair regrowth is seen in affected areas. It is supposedly a very rare condition though.
I do agree with Dianne! All unnatural hair products are toxic, but even natural hair products may cause irritation.
Last week I found a natural shampoo by Carol’s Daughter. My scalp felt so much better than it did for a long time and my hair’s shine and volume was restored. I went back to buy more of that natural shampoo and found another natural shampoo brand that contained volcano ash that was suppose to give your hair more volume and I thought why not give it a shot!!! well, as soon as I used it, my scalp began to hurt and felt like it was on fire. I ended up breaking out all over my scalp
I went back to using the first natural shampoo I purchased, hopefully it would clear my scalp quickly and alleviate the pain.
I still think that this problem initially was caused by some sort of bacterial or fungal infection, and that unnatural hair products poison us and aggravate the problem. Although, certain natural shampoo’s alleviate and may cure the problem, some may cause irritation. You’ll just have to try some and find what will work for you.
hi every one, i also have same problem of hair loss but not exactly the same..
i have pain in the center of my head from where i m loosing my hair and every night its difficult for me to sleep as it hurts on that part. i m just 20 and its been 4 years that i m loosing my hair
i need to wash my hair daily as after one day they become very oily and the hair loss becomes worst.
I JUST HAVE PAIN IN THE CENTER OF MY HEAD FROM WHERE I M LOOSING MY HAIR…. IF ANY ONE HAVE CURE TO IT THEN PLZZZ PLZZZ HELP ME…
just a little addition…. after washing head pain decreases to a great extend…..
PLEASE HELP ME
i agree with you surbhi….after washing my hair my scalp feels really good,only after a couple of days does it begin to hurt again,but i am afraid to wash my hair too often because of the hair loss.maybe there is a toxin that builds in our bodies and is released through our scalps.i’ve begun a cleansing procedure a few days ago,it will take a month to finish…also i have stopped towel drying my hair as alot comes out just doing that….i just wash and gently comb with a wide tooth comb and then blow dry…please enjoy your holidays everyone and maybe in the new year we will have some good news to share
Right now, I am at the worst.. with scalp pain. It has started since over 10 yrs ago. I tried everything and went to many different dermatologists. I kept coming up with their various diagnosis results which I find it interesting and confusing as well. I have always felt it may have to do with staph infections or tinea capitis.. I was tested and there was no infection from scalp biospy patch and blood work. So, I have no idea. For those crazy years til through now.. I find aloe vera most comforting of all to put on my head.. I would use the aloe gel with some plain cream type mainly consisted of glyercin.. Sometime abit with vaseline when Im at the worst.. I dont find kitchen oils helpful as they make it worst for me.. I think it has to do with balance with moisture and healing aids.. I d use shampoo diluted with tea tree and put it some in bath.. I use it little because it gets my scalp dry and soreful.. If I do this, I would put the aloe or aloe mixture right away after when Im out of bath. I do take showers but with the shower head.. sometime it is not clean. So, i take occassional baths to play safe. I dont wash my hair every day. I wash when I feel its coming on with soreness and pain.. It tells me that my hair is getting infected and also drier.. So, I go in bath or a quick shower as long as I dont saturate my head in the shower long.. The key to make the feeling comfortable for your scalp is to be gentle and moderate with whatever u find thats comfortable for you to use. I wouldnt use hairsprays, hair stuff for making my hair look better. However, I use aloe vera gel with abit of lotion to make my hair manageable. If it needs abit uplifting, Id put very little of gel spray or tiny bit of hairspray on my hand and just put on top hairstrand parts (not near the scalp at all). Sometime, water helps abit to dilute the heaviness of lotion/gel and wipe off abit with the damp towel. I dont use brush very often but I have used the woolen bristles just to brush once a while like once a month for fifteen or ten mins to relax the scalp when my hair hasnt been washed for a day or so as long as my scalp isnt infected or sore. Then right after brushing, Id wash my hair gently with little teatree diluted in shampoo only if I have used the brush more than twice.. Id wash the brush too. I also would use the sulphate free shampoo.. Theres the shampoo I find it okay is the Loreal Brand in pink container tube whihc is sulfate free and color safe. I used to color my hair but now lately .. I havent done it. When I color my hair, Id use the root color products and just put them sparsely around where the grey strands are.. Not near the scalp though ,, I try not to color my hair as often as its not necessary when my hair is not showing so much of gray hairs. Its still abt 85 percent that I have all brown hair. So, im not concerned abt coloring my hair for now. Remember, try to see what feels comfortable and go moderately as gently as possible.. Im planning to see another dermatologist but it has to be someone very good and experienced with the scalp issues.. I assume that in Florida,, where there are so many dermatologists would be a good finding area but I think most of them may know something related to the sun or photosensivity which isnt of my area. So, Ill try to find one out as long as I m putting up with my head up in my —.. ha ! Well, I pray often for my head as well as I ask the others to pray for me. On the other hand, I have read many books.. yes with health but mainly abt spiritual stuff or in general related to the areas of health, praying, etc.. I kept hearing this again and again and I have come to see this in agreement of sort. Out of many readings and everything else, they often say that when theres illness in someone or someone with constant pain, theres spiritual issue. It is not just about physical problem.. For eg. with the Charkas or understanding spiritual issues in regards to your body problems.. Mine is largely with the crown area.. The charka says its related to divine relationship.. such as my relationship with God. Or, lack of communication or understanding I have with God, etc.. I dont know though but its what my crown area stands for spiritual level as up to the seventh level which is the last charka in orders. I try to understand myself in general to see what is it with my spiritual issue if its at hand in regards to my scalp problem on the crown area. Im still working on it but I am also trying to remind myself that God is always here to help me so.. thats abt where Im at right now. Though that I know Im to find a dermatologist that Im repsonsible for no matter how long or how many… because I try to see abt my faith in God that I keep going with hope.. So, this is heavy stuff ha ha only because of my scalp problem. However, I think this problem does help me in alot of ways to learn abt myself and to take it responsibly to improve myself that I take care of it as well as of myself. I also understand this reason as my lesson as I think and believe so based on my relationship with God. Okay, I hope u dont think Im crazy or nuts but bascially Im just teeling ya plain truth and honest .. You do not have to agree but just to take it from me to see more abt what you have with health problem like the scalp problem and all.. So, okay? Hope you will find the way! Pls let me know if you want to share anything abt it or whatever u find with the scalp treatments that is comfortable which Id like to know abt. Thank YOu!
EVERYONE WHO DYES THEIR HAIR PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS! It took me forever to figure out what was going on with my head, severe burning and itching 4 doctors no 5 said it was stress related, but no way I felt like I had a wound! And lots of hair loss. I was keeping a hair journal and noticed over time every time I got my hair dyed my hair would get worse 2 weeks later. I was having a major fallout just suddenly it wasn’t there. When I would get my hair dyed it would not burn my head or anything while it was on my head. It was so hard to put it together but once I started looking and researching I figured it out. It was the dye in hair dye PPD that I was allergic to. It is a black rubber mix and is what gives it color. It brings on all of kinds of allergic reactions and sensitivity to everything. ABSOLUTELY cannot wear my hair in a ponytail anymore it cause me bad headaches and more bruises feelings. I also started going 3 days without washing my hair and I noticed on the 3rd day my head didn’t burn so bad. Well I started using Johnson’s baby shampoo, went the several derms and a hair specialists in ATL they gave me a shampoo that doesn’t have any chemicals in it, well it hurt bad. So I stayed with the baby shampoo and oddly only Johnson’s and Johnson’s was it. Well after only and I mean only using it no styling gel no hair spray no color nothing (no color for 8 months now yes I’m gray and it kills me, but my hair seems to be coming back) my readness and burning etc…has subsided substantially! I mean like a miracle and it very well may be a miracle because I literally spent a year in pray and believe you me I don’t think God thinks losing hair is trivial for a woman because it is biblical! Little by little it was revealed as to what was causing so much trauma to my head and hair. I also several burned along the front hairline and was very red with a lot of inflammation. I had 3 shots of steriods, then I figured out I didn’t need to put face lotion on my forehead because it was seeping into my scalp. I also am very mindful of my face wash. Please research hair dye and PPD it received allergen of the year in 2006 and has been outlawed in Europe. People I went to 5 derms and they all said it was stress related and they couldn’t have been more wrong! This was wounded feeling of stinging as though a bee had stung me. And the reaction was gradual over time it intensified! It was so hard to figure out because the dye didn’t hurt while it was on my head. I never thought I would feel relief from my pain but it is truly miraculous how over time and only using baby shampoo my pain has subsided. I still have the occasional semsation, but absolutely nothing like before. Also google inflammatory telogen efflivium. There is a study that was performed in Italy in the web address it will say something like arcderm or something. The comments won’t let me attach a link, but I’m telling you the symptoms were completely identical to mine and it developed after chronic use. My forehead even itches which has also subsided. It took me forever to figure this out, but I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t praying about it. After you research the hair dye you will be in disbelief that they are allowed to put that stuff in a product that goes on our body much less our pourous scalp that is so close to our brain!
One more thing on hair dye, I even had my hair dresser completely foil my hair and stay 1/4″ from scalp and it didn’t work. It still hurt my scalp. This stuff is lethal ParaPhenyleneDiamine (they have several different names for it) But PPD is used often to shorten the name. All hair dyes that you buy in the store, hairdressers, etc… use it. There is a product called Actyva that doesn’t use it. It is out of Italy and touts PPD free. PPD is worse than ammonia or peroxide. But once you develop sensitivity from PPD you are pretty much sensitive to everything. Lord willing, I want to try Actyva but will still only allow them to foil and only a few foils I’ve gotten somewhat accustom to gray hair after a year of letting my hair be dye free. And by the way it took my hair a long time to adjust to baby shampoo (which is not PH balanced whatever that means) but it is not nourishing to your hair at all but mine has finally adjusted to it and it feels clean. Baby shampoo doesn’t have a lot soap and won’t lather so your hair feels dirty, but it will adjust to it over time. Believe me it will. Mine has. If you must condition, only do your ends and rinse thoroughly. I’m telling after reading so many of your symptoms and what I’ve been through and discovered I would bet half of you are suffering from this. I also have to thank my mom for the baby shampoo she was the one who discovered baby shampoo was the only thing gentle enough not to burn. I only wish I could have figured it out sooner. Because there is absolutely no doubt that PPD is what has caused my hair and scalp nightmare woes. I truly hope this is helpful to some of you!
By the way, even when I took the study in to my derm treating for TE he didn’t think that was it; however 2 others (including the hair specialist Dr. Edmond Griffin in ATL) agreed. And one said dark hair dye is the harshest hair color there is because of the PPD (black rubber mix). Kids I’m telling ya, I don’t understand why there is not more out there on that. The symptoms are odd and hard to piece together. It is not obvious like the allergic reaction people have to the developer ammonia or peroxide. It is very delayed and you can use it for years then develop the sensitivity to it. The stress bit just wasn’t adding up. God’s grace has blessed me with a good life, husband and job. Stress is losing your hair! I love reading this forum because I can relate and get a giggle out of reading some things like looking at your 15,000 times a day and avoiding harsh lighting, etc…. Love all you and hope all of you find answers, relief, restoration and Jesus!
I heard about Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, beeb using it for the same problems discussed here and also for high blood glucose. I actually think it relieving my scalp pain but its only been a week, ordered from Braggs website. no report on wether its helping glucose though such a short time only on week. I got a spray bottle and sprays it directly on my scalp
Hello,
I for years I had experienced the same symptoms as Temple has, (posts #120 and 129) complete even with the bent hairs and feelings of vibrations in the area, and even what she refers to as differed pain. Temple, I would really like to discuss this with you as my situation has progressed further beyond this point, and I would like to share. Please reply via a post to this comment section and we can exchange contact information.
Thank you,
Jennie
My problem was intensified when I went to one hair dresser who dyed my hair and then permed it two weeks later. Supposedly the first dye was natural but within two weeks my hair (in back) begann to fall out. Being unfamiliar with wigs and weaves, when she suggested “tracks” on the back of my hair (“for about a year”) I readily agreed only to later find that she had sewn the tracks incorrectly (i.e. directly onto the weak hair) and thereby one year yielded little to no results. On the other hand, I still had hair! Enter a new hair dresser who supposedly knew what was doing. In fact, he was the owner of the shop. I knew people who went there and had long, nice hair so I never suspected anything was wrong. He, in turn, informed me that the previous hair dresser had incorrectly used tracks that in fact they should have been attached to my braided hair (I am African American). Thus began my saga with weaves. My own hair was in front and weave was only on the back. I had fun with it for awhile but it became too expensive. Then he became concerned with my gray hair. I remember saying, “I would rather have gray hair than no hair!” inregards to my concern about dying my hair. He assured me he knew quite well what he was doing. Then he became someewhat obsessed with my real hair “turning back” due to hot flashes and it obviously was beginning not to match the sewn on weave in the back of my head. So , he convinced me to let him put a permanent the front of my hair in order to match the back. Within two weeks my hair came out in patches and I could put it in a bag! While admitting he did something wrong, he also said he had “never seen anything like this” before. Ironically, my spirit had told me not to go back to that shop but I instead said I would let that be the last time. I also remember feeling uneasy when he “friend/wife/whomever” was putng somethng on my hair in an unmarked container. I remember wanting to just get up out of the chair and say “Stop! I’ll finish this at home myself”. But, alas, I did not and have rgretted that lack of conviction every since. My hair almost came back once, but that was in 2007. I have been told my scalp is scarred and that my hair probably will not grow back, however I am trying not to give up on finding a solution. Thanks for heaing my story.
I have one more item to add to the list. I started getting “ice pick pains” to the right side of my head. Have been losing hair in the front forehead area. Have been treated for everything imaginable, but have found the “pains” are nothing that are life threatening (as per an MRI, MRA & CAT Scan) and now am heading for a neurologist. Still I lose hair daily, although the pains are less frequently, thank goodness. Anyone have this combo? The pains are severe enough they stop me, but fast enough I can continue whatever I’m doing. The hair loss is hurting my ego terribly!!!!!
I’m so glad I found this forum! My scalp feels severely swollen and extremely tender and itches almost all the time yet has no visible inflammation or scarring. So far, only regular chamomile tea rinses or spritzing temporarily stop both symptoms. My hair is: painful to part, style, sleep on. Combing and brushing are out and even finger detangling HURTS. The worst has to be when 1 strand is parted, styled or swept with any tension whatsoever. It feels as if I’m being dangled out of a window by that 1 strand – hope that makes sense.
Just for reference if anyone else is similar:
I’m a natural kinky-curly and my hair is 6 inches and ranges from tiny curls, to straight to waves with med/thick strands with average density.
I’ve used perms, hair dyes, Marcel and tourmaline iron straightening, sew in weft extensions, bond extensions, invisible braid extensions, individual braid extensions, wigs, tree braid extensions and twist extensions on and off for 14 years and have had every salon disaster known to man. As a consequence I developed a 1/2 inch of traction alopecia along my hairline at least 7 years ago, the hair looks like fine, sparse infant hair.
Before I stopped everything in January FOREVER, I had invisible braids (tiny microbraids braided 1 inch with the rest left out) on/off from April to Jan. I recently discovered that some of my hair is broken off leaving a 1/2 inch of butchered-looking, patchy hair in various areas around my head, likely from installing and removing these minuscule braids. It looks like chunks of hair is missing and only a 1/2 inch of broken hair remains in these parts. The breakage areas are the most painful, I get the obvious connection, but the initial damage would’ve been at least 2.5 months ago it occurred.
I can’t say if I exacerbated an already existing scalp problem or if I created a problem with my insane hair practices, though I’m positive it’s option 2. I didn’t notice the extent of the swollen, tender feeling until January though I’ve always complained about scalp sensitivity and any hair braiding. From what I’ve read, medication isn’t doing much to alleviate the pain for others. I’ll try tea tree oil, copaiba, mallow, horsetail, aloe and other astringent/antiseptics and moisturizers, a better diet and see a trichologist to hopefully discount a chronic disorder.
A.M. It sounds like you have caused a good amount of traction on your entire head. You could also be sensitive to chemicals even in shampoo. Why don’t you try to use Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo for a couple of weeks and see if that settles the pain. I had to use it for months before everything calmed down. My follicles felt very swollen and sensitive and the only thing that didn’t hurt me was baby shampoo and it has be Johnson and Johnson; I don’t know what makes the difference but it does. I used nothing else not even conditioner on my head, no gels, creams or hair spray only would wash with baby shampoo and started drying my hair on the cold setting. Everything calmed down over time. Mine would get so bad that I would have to apply an icepack to my head. If the air conditioning vent blew on my head and moved my hair it hurt, so I know exactly what you are talking about. I could part my hair against the natural way of it laying without it killing me and even giving me a headache. It will take time for everything to settle down but you have to stop everything. I still even get occasional flare ups but nothing like it was. I hope this helps.
My hair started falling out last oct/10. Hair loss for about 4 months, then the scalp pain. Took antibiotics=yeast infection just before hair loss started. But, I believe now that I’ve changed Doctors, that my extremely painful, burning, tingly scalp and hair loss may be due to the following: Low iron (11) should be around (25), Estrogen dominant, low progesteron. I was on a very restricted diet last 5 months to get rid of a yeast infection that I don’t have! This worsened my mineral deficiences. I must admit that I am very stressed out as well. Because my hormones went out of wack, my autoimmune disorders, Fibromyalgia, sjogrens-(happens with Estro dominance), are much worse. This is directly because my bad doctor did not diagnos me-treated me for 7= months for a yeast infection I don’t have–he caused harm. Now the scalp and hair loss are just an added blow when I’m already on my knees! Ranting-sorry ladies. Here is what this new doc has done:
Clobetasol lot 0.05%, a topical steriod for inflamation for my scalp. I’m on day 5, and have more hair loss, little fine hairs now, read way up above that she also noticed hair loss, but did see results after a while. But that her scalp is more tender, I hope that if the inflamation goes down then the hair loss will subside, I will write back in a week or so just to let you know if there is a benefit to this steriod. Also, I’m on progesteron 100mg as I am tiny. vit d-4000 ui daily, 2 tabs of B complex, Iodine, raw thyroid for hashimoto’s thyroiditis–also due to estrogen dominance, 2 tsp iron daily (will take 6 mo to get iron back to normal) Nizoral shampoo-hate washing my hair-loss is extreme! But all I read is no answers from the doctors-the specialist-why don’t they have answers, does my new doc not know either? She explained that the inflamation causes the hair loss, hormone inbalance, low vitamins ect…I hope that my story may help any lady out there who may have hormone problems, I’m 44. Listen to your body, be diligent, and tough, keep fighting and I’m so greatful to find this supportive site, thanks Ladies
Hello, it’s me again. I just read on a web site called, why does , (bing)
I wrote-(why does my feet, hands and scalp burn), it gave me peoples stories. There is a lady on here that wrote if you have a burning scalp and hair loss, read this. So, this is more or less what she wrote:
She was very persistent w/ her her doctor, her doc initially gave her a thyroid test that came back “normal”. She begged her doc to do more, (they need to listen to us), so the doc did a complete thyroid antibody test for
TSH, T3, T4 and antibody test for Hashimoto’s and graves disease.
This lady’s test came back positive for hashimoto’s thyriod, which causes the burning scalp and hair loss. This lady did have her thyriod removed but it wasn’t cancerous (why then? I don’t understand that part), but she is on meds for no thyroid and is pain free and has no hair loss. She did say that her she hasn’t seen much for new growth however. I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, due to high estrogen/low progesterone. I have read that once the hormones balance out so too will the thyroid symptoms disipate. ( I pray thats right) Low/high cortisol levels can also cause sore scalp it said on the list of symptoms. (nothing about burning and such) So check out these sites (stop the Madness-thyroid), estrogen dominance/ low progesterone symptoms, low cortisol, adrinal exhaustion, Why does, Dr. Lam.com -adrenal fatigue center, biotin, just bing or goggle what you need to check out. Again, this is just my story, I am not a doctor, I just know that I had a terrilbe doctor who left me to get as bad as I am, Do no harm, HA! This site is one of support and ideas, and I am just sharing what I have learned, all the best,
God Bless and keep you all strong. Sheila
Ps the site address: healthboards.com/boards/showthread
My head is so painful & burning to the point I don’t think I can take it much longer. My hair thin down a lot and lost all of it top of the crown of head. I’ve had this for seven months. I also was diagnois with M S. The neurogist told me to go to a dermatogist. I did for the third time. All they do is give you Tropical cream. That don’t work on me. I will not go back to the dermatogist. I feel that it is a flare from M S. But it is new to the medical field. I think since the nerves signals the hair follices when you lose a hair. Isn’t that due to you nerves in head? Please help me. What should I do? Is there anything I can do to keep it from burning?
Shirl, If you dye your hair that may be causing the burning. PPD in hair dye triggers all sorts of sensitivity to products. It took me forever to figure this out because it doesn’t burn while it is on your head. It also can trigger Telogen Efflivium. Also try shampooing with Johnson’s baby shampoo for awhile and I mean for awhile you can dissolve one baby aspirin or low dosage adult aspirin in a tbsp of water in the micro just drop this pill in the water in a glass measuring cup heat for 20 seconds pour into the bottle of baby shampoo and shake. Let is sit over night. This will bring down the alkaline level, then only condition the ends of your hair. Give it a month and definitely quit dying your hair. Give it a break for a few months then if you are desperate foil the color on and leave 1/2″ from the root. I wish you the best and hope this is helpful.
I too started to have hair loss and burning, tingling painful scalp. My doc done hormone tests & they were all normal, she prescribed progesterone anyway because she said it may help with my hairloss. Also I am using a topical that contains 5% minoxidil the doc gave me an rx and I have it made by a compound pharmacy, I have only been using it for approx 3 weeks.
I also purchased tricomin therapy spray and s5 cream (these I read about on a hairloss forum) The spray since my hair is so fine these days leaves my hair greasy but it also relieves the burning and itching sensation so I apply it with a cotton tip rather than spray it directly. I do not know if any of these are going to work for me as 3 weeks is not enough time to tell but I am praying it does
Personally I think my hairloss is from a year of high stress and anxiety but these issues are driving me insane.
Anyway thanks for your posts and I am sorry your having this problem, but I was so relieved I wasnt on my own..
Sorry I should have said I am also using nizoral 2 % every 3 days and Nioxin shampoo / conditioner for thining hair (system 4 for colored hair) and both of these also seem to relieve the awful scalp sensation for a while after washing.
I think anything is worth a try, and I am going at it hard and praying it may help.
Josie, if you color your hair with colored hair dye black/brown, etc… research PPD in hair dye that might be your problem. It causes those sensations and hair loss while it doesn’t burn while on your head you have the reaction a few days later and it only gets worse after repeated use. Check into it. I wish you the best.
Rogaine is no use; it may seem to help at first but you will soon start getting side effect symptoms like heart palpitations. It was not worth it. I stopped and the heart problems slowly diminished.
I also get the scalp pain, at the roots. It comes and goes. Sometimes I find it helps with taking vitamin C. Vit C is suppose to improve blood circulation to and around hair follicles. So it kind of makes sense too….imagine your leg cramping up coz you sat crossing your leg; you’ve cut off all circulation…it feels numb and tingly with pain doesnt it? well i guess same theory applies here….i’m not a fruit person and so i guess a lack of the basic vit C could be a cause…so i’m continually drinking OJ or taking vit C supplements (as it’s time released…vit C is a water soluble so you basically urinate it out throughout the day)…vit C is perfectly safe to take, if taken too much, you just get diarrhoea.
another thing, most of us may be overweight or with thyroid and other illnesses which can contribute to hair loss….other problems can include using SLS shampoos, your body being too acidic, and even CANDIDA! please look up some of these possible causes…most of the foods we eat today although yummy, is quite harsh on our bodies…and as our body ages, our immune system can take a beating with all that accumulated “waste” of process and sugary foods..just like growing a plant, what you feed it is how well it will grow…if you nourish it with the best fertilizers it will grow healthier leaves….
Hi folks same issues here , almost like a bruised feeling on my scalp. i lose hair with white bulbs on them , like lynn at the top of thread
i am trying Amitriptyline (50mg) which may help regenerate nerves, i feel alot of nerves in my scalp which are having a light throb and tingling sensation since i have taken it, i have research online the necessary proteins to help build nerves aswell to speed the process , uridine (molasses), L carnitine and vinegar small amount (acetic acid). along with a strong b vit complex,. high in b12.
I started a couple of weeks ago but my scalp feels good so far, i am still losing hair tho, i did read that any treatment that works will still push half dead hair out your scalp for 1-3 months … even if the treatment is working u can stop losing then
will write back as soon as results fail or succed
pray 🙂
x
I am in my 6th or 7th week of this “burning” sensation with hair loss. I am a hair stylist, with thin ( and now thinner), blonde hair. I have always taking Biotin for my hair, and am continuing it. I had a hysterectomy (partial) 3 years ago, but I feel that cannot be the cause, since I haven’t been losing hair that long. I am 45 years old, and just started an extremely stressful job at the end of April. Yesterday, I colored my roots, ( I use professional color) and washed my hair first with a sulfate free shampoo, then with Nioxin. No burning. I put the Nioxin conditioner in, and I almost screamed it burned so bad. I lost a full, compressed down, small dixie cup of hair. I definitely was close to tears, and am seeing more and more scalp. I have recently (2 weeks ago) added Primrose oil and another supplement for women going through menopause to my diet. I am sometimes depressed, sometimes I have high anxiety. I too, am scared of the hair loss.
I will report back when I see how these additional supplements do, the GNC exert I spoke with said it can take up to three months. It is a relief to know I am not the only one out there, I could not make my friends understand how something as simple as a pillow hurts.
Kelly
Kelly, do youvthink you could be allergic to your hair dye? I have heard of that happening and it can cause the burning and hair loss. Check put some posts on the topic on here
Judy,
I, too, have ice pick pains as well as pain in my jaw coupled with the tender hair follicles..so far, thank goodness, no hair loss. Two doctors have diagnosed this as trigeminal neuralgia. The pain is severe. Just Google “suicide disease” and you come up with trigeminal neuralgia. I see a neurologist on Tuesday.
wiggy here, yes I feel like in another few weeks I will be buying a wig if this does not stop! [ the hair falling out] This is what happened, I was graying, rushed, broke and not feeling well I grabbed a hair color off the store shelf, ran home dumped it on, jumped in shower rinsed color out, I will tell you my horror as I applied conditioner rinse my hair fell FLAT LIMP and pulled my hands out and away with globbs of hair not normal hair loss but globs, I almost fainted jumped out of shower and looked at box it was Clairol the cheapest one on the shelf then I remembered back 10 years ago I promised myself never to use or buy cheap for this happened before 10 years ago but nort as severe!!! after 7 weeks and half my hair gone and relief in site I have Dr appt. and poe’d I didnt save reciept and hair color box and i truly believe this is why fore… I had gorgeous thick healthy hair til that rinse in the shower I cry evey night do not sleep and fearful of when I do have to wear a wig… and the scalp pain !!! even the wind hurts when it blows in my hair and strands just fly out. so sad all the time ..do not use cheap hair dye tell all you know I am walking truth!!!!
I am 46 years old. I have been experiencing hair loss for about 10 years. I first noticed having a painful scalp from time to time before I noticed the actual hair loss. I used to tell people that my hair hurt. It felt like I had been wearing a tight ponytail or hair clip all day. I thought it strange but since it only occurred once in a while I didn’t give it much thought until my hair started to noticeably thin. I had a lot of stress going on in my life, going through a painful divorce and then having a major surgery. The hair would fall out in masses, covering the floor while blow drying. I went to the doctor and was told that my thyroid levels were on the low side but in normal range. She said that it was probably due to stress and that my hair would grow back which it hasn’t. My hair texture changed. It is wiry, coarse, thin and breaking. My bangs are nearly non existent and my hair is terribly thin on the top and sides of my head. I am glad that I found this forum. A lot of the stories here sound so much like my own. It is oddly comforting yet at the same time discouraging because there seems to be a total lack of real cure or answers for the problem. It is devastating to me that I can’t stop this nightmare. Thank you for all of your posts. I desparately hope that I can find a way to accept what I cannot change.
Thank you all for your post. I am 50 years old and have gone through hairloss fazes since my divorce 11 years ago. I started peri menopause at 42 years old and went through, the hot flashes and dizziness with the start of menopause. My hair fell out in clumps. I wore extentions for approximatly two years. They cost a fortune and you have to go to the hairdressers for them to do a clean up every 2 weeks. I ended up with some permanent bald spots where they were placed. I went to the dermotologist who perscribed propecia. The drug slowed the shed down, this drug has side effects in long term use. In addition, it does not help women with hairloss 50 years or older. After I stopped the taking propecia my hair started growing on it’s own. My hair never grew back to the way it was before menopause, but I was happy to have hair. This past month, I have been going through extreme hairloss, everytime I wash my hair. My hands are covered in hair, I end up with clumps in the shower. My floors are loaded with hair in the bathroom and my brushes are full. My 6 year old granddaughter actually cried the other day, “Nana, please get all this hair off of me.” The hairloss is starting all over again. I do think part of this is heridity. My mother is practically bald. I understand her medication is partially to blame but, at age 55 she needed a wig. So, this really scares me. Hairloss for women is so tramatic because, it’s part of being a woman. I think it defines us. Society dictates this. Many bald men are considered sexy today. I have experienced pain in my scalp for the first time today. I googled what causes hair pain or sensation of hair pulling and this and this forum came up. I noticed where the pain and pulling sensation is on my scalp is where I have dime size bald spots. I recently have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I am wondering if this is the cause of the hairloss. My Dr. prescribed an anti-depressant Elavil. I am praying this medication will not cause further hairloss. I read that some antidepressants have hairloss as a side effect. Thank you everyone who has posted. I hope the best for all of us.
Wiggy, There is hope. Your hair will probably shed for 6 months even 9 months and then it should slow down. Start using johnson’s baby shampoo (this will cause your hair to be very dry because baby shampoo is not PH balanced and it has a high alkaline content but it is very gentle on the scalp) and only condition the ends of your hair, and try not to use any hair products even hairspray they all contain irritating ingredients. The PPD in the hair dye has most likely caused you to have a sensitivity to all hair products. Please please please go get Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo and use for a week to see if some of the pain goes away. And whatever you do, do not let the doctor give your cortisone shots in your scalp. It will increase the shedding and will most likely cause the hair to permanently thin in that area. Atrophy can set in where the shot is administered. I have been through what you have been through but I kept using it and have caused a lot of damage. You probably will not suffer long term for one time reaction. Also take clariten or some sort of allergy medicine for a week or 2. Also go to the drug store and get over the counter Cortaid or Cortisone 10, they have one that comes in a liquid form that when you open it, it has a mesh padding that you just sort squeeze and apply to the affect areas. My whole hair line was on fire. Also be very careful when applying your face cream and avoid your forehead and temple area, if it is irritated as this will only exacerbate the irritation . Use the OTC Cortisone for 2 weeks but not more than that. This is something you can do in the meantime to help with the swelling. I wish you the absolute best and hopes for a very good outcome. You are going to be fine, okay. Google “telogen effluvium from PPD in hair dye”. Telogen Effluvium is a temporary hair loss. The best thing you can do is calm down. Stress will only exacerbate and prolong the situation. Get a wig in the meantime if it will make you feel better. Do what you need to do to calm down. Also please don’t take anti depressants…..they too can cause hair loss.
Thank you Wiggy- I’ve stopped vitamins and fish oil and using baby shampoo. Hope this stops the burning- I can live with the itch and hair loss but the burning- even my face and eyes!
The combination of scalp burning and hair loss is probably due to parasites.
Hi. WELL I HOPE THIS CURES YOU LIKE IT HAS CURED ME AFTER SUFFERING FOR OVER TEN LONG YEARS. I have read most of what everyone has wrote on this site and I have suffered all of the scalp symptoms that everyone has suffered from. I have gone to Doctors, Dermatologists and they could not help me. Well I did not give up and I found out I have a Gluten-Allergy. Gluten Allergies can cause hypothyroid in some people so for over ten years I thought it was my thyroid that has caused my scalp inflammation, hair loss,
and so on, but it was the Gluten in foods that was causing all my scalp problems. This is a very common problem and most people dont know they have a Gluten Allergy. Well I have been on a Gluten-Free diet and my scalp inflammation went away after a few days. I also take four drops of Liqui Kelp in a glass of water in the morning which I get from the health food store for my hypothyroid it has worked better for me then my thyroid perscription. I also stopped taking my multivitamins because I did not want to put anything else in my body till I knew that Gluten was my problem. I also started to use Jason brand shampoo from the health food store because it is really good for your hair and scalp, it contains no laureth/lauryl ingredients. There are lots of lists of foods online for for name brand Gluten-Free foods you can get at Walmart or most grocery stores. There are also books you can buy that give lists of Gluten-Free foods. Well good luck to everyone and I hope this can cure your hair and scalp like it has mine.
Hi! I want to ask why when i back comb my fringe that ive put down,i felt pain at the roots of my hair? but,i did not feel pain when i did not put down my fringe…
Just to let everyone know if you try this Gluten-Free diet any little bit of Gluten you consume can trigger a allergy and will cause symptoms to come back. So if you try this make sure there is no type of wheat in what you consume. Gluten is a wheat allergy so make sure you look up on line and find out the different types of ingredients they use that mean Gluten. To be safe at first I would only buy foods that say Gluten-Free on the product to find out if this is what is causing your scalp issues. Any questions I will try to answer them. It has been almost 2 weeks now and I feel great no more scalp issues, now I believe my hair will start to thicken back up from all the hair loss I suffered in the past ten years, but if it don’t, I am so happy to have the problem solved. Please let me know if this works for anyone. Hope you all find relief.
I want to thank Paul. I, too, have scalp pain and hair loss. My scalp burns non-stop. The last few days, I’ve been breaking out in a rash shortly after I take my vitamin supplements. I think Paul has hit the nail on the head (pardon the pun)… my liver is probably in overload from all the supplements that I’m taking in order to try to stop the hair loss. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try going on a Gluten-Free diet. If anyone else has any real solutions, I’d be most grateful. Especially for the hair loss!
After posting above, a friend of mine mentioned that her naturopath said that some people are allergic to cod liver oil. I realized that my hairloss started when I first started taking cod liver oil for hip pain, about 3 years ago. Then I added omega 3/6 and salmon oil. Recently, my own naturopath said I should take flaxseed oil. My scalp pain started some time a year or do ago, but most recently, when I switched from flaxseed capsules to liquid, my scalp started “screaming” with pain and my hair started to come out on handfuls. A dermatologist said I had to use Rogaine/ minoxidil… my scalp pain became excruciating. So I instantly stopped that… and kept taking the supplements, along with D3, etc. then my naturopath suggested I take primrose oil: my scalp started screaming again. I was diligent in taking flaxseed oil. Then I googled “can flaxseed oil cause hairloss” and I tripped on a blog that freaked me out!!
It seems flaxseed oil, cod liver oil, fish oil, even primrose oil causes the follicles to become blocked, resulting in the hair becoming thinner and thinner, trying to squeeze through the blockage! It may all be coincidence, but it sure makes sense to me! So, I’ve gone off ALL supplements, especially the oils. I’ve started using Nizoral shampoo and hoping I can get rid of the sludge that’s probably blocking my hair growth… if not fungus or even parasites. My scalp still hurts, but not as bad as it did. It’s not quite a week since I stopped taking flaxseed oil, but I’m hopeful.
I’m wondering if any of you people, who’ve posted on this site, have been taking flaxseed or cod liver oil?
Thanks!
Irene
My scalp pain seems to have ended. My hairloss is drastically reduced, too. I’m off all supplements for the time being (except magnesium citrate), and am totally convinced that it was the flaxseed oil, cod liver and other fish or omega oils that were causing my problem. I’m now very hopeful that my hair will start growing again.
I was so happy when I came across this discussion. I have had severe scalp pain and hair loss for several years now. I went to the dermatologist and got injections in my scalp that really did help, but I took the injections every 3 weeks for 2 1/2 years, but still had some pain and baldness. I got laid off and ran out of insurance and just wore a wig or a extensions to deal with the hair issue. I did some research on what natural substance that heals the skin and came across MSM as a solution. It contains sulfur. I have been using MSM liquid directly on my scalp and it is working. I also just started using Sulphur 8 hair dressing and conditioner on my scalp and that seems to be working as well. I will update you all on my progress. Try the MSM and sulfur 8 and let us all know if it works for you too. Best wishes to all. I know your pain.
help my hair is falling out in large amounts and I have sores on my head and I was diognosed with fibromyalgia a month ago and the doctor prescribed nearotin and my husband said he thinks that when it started but i,m not sure please help i,m not real sure
Ok so have read through all the comments on here and have found it really reassuring that other people are experiencing the same thing as me. Have suffered with hair loss for the last 12 years ( i am now 29) and heres a few things that i have experienced and a few things that helped. The scalp pain/burning causes extreme hair loss in me when i am over tired, stressed and anxious. Being a nurse working a constant cycle of 13 hour shifts including nights has me constantly over tired and stressed and the hair loss that results is shocking.
Recently i went travelling and due to a couple of luggage incidents i lost all my usual meds (inclusing numerous vitamins/supplements& my precious phillip kingsley hair tonic which contains minoxidal and has been helping my hair look bearable for the last 10 years…so…i had 6 weeks in thailand without my usual meds and i decided to make the most of it without anyway as i had no other choice….well, I had the best time ever and my hair was the best it has ever been- no pain, very minimal loss and no stress. Fast forward a month and i am back to the cold, back to work and back to not sleeping due to the stress. This month my hair has fallen out in handfuls more than ever and hurts like hell..
So…i think the problem is multifaceted…i am exploring all options. I have heard of the role of vitamin D in hair loss and many other vital bodily systems and course i got my fair share of this whilst i was in the sun. So i can only conclude that supplementing with Vitamin D must start to help. I also realise that hair loss is psycho-somatic..when i am stressed my scalp hurts and my hair comes out, but it is a vicious cycle which makes me stress more and in turn lose more hair. I have pcos and low ferritin- 2 more reasons that my hair could be falling out…and am taking iron tablets to help with this, but it is a long and difficult process. i definitely notice that when my ferritin drops below 30 i experience more pain and i remember reading a study on the subject of trychodynia and ferritin, and those with the worst pain/loss had the lowest ferritins. I am trying my hardest to de-stress but seeing my hair come out everyday and feeling the scalp pain that accompanies it is hard. I have tried anti-depressants before but they didnt work for me,instead i try to go to the gym and exercise more as i think releasing feel-good endorphins must help!
I guess in summary the best thing i have found in my experience is purely to be in a sunny climate, relaxing and focusing on enjoying life-not stressing over my hair/scalp, but i realise this is not easy to achieve and am wondering if i will ever feel normal. Taking each day as it comes and trying de-stress activities with a view to emigrating is my current life strategy! wishing you all success with this horrible condition
P.s Thanks to Jean for your comment regarding gluten free diet. I am also embarking on going gf and have found some relief with my scalp and hair pain. However every now and again i slip up and inevitably a few hours/days later my scalp is on fire again and my hair starts falling out like crazy. Just wanted to ask if you know whether dairy is a trigger food as well? I always find eating cheese brings out all my symptoms which is a massive shame as i literally crave cheese on a daily basis. Also find alcohol and sugary snacks make me flare up…and im guessing caffeine too. All the things i love! it really is true though- the diet you eat is reflected in your physical ailments and for me my hair problem is greatly eased when i cut out gluten.i strongly recommend other sufferers try it 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Dawn. Does the MSM help with the hairloss, too, or just with the scalp pain?
Hello, I’m so glad I found this page and know that I am not alone in this agony! For about a year, I have been suffering from excrutiating scalp pain/burning/itching and thinning. It all started when I underwent a procedure which instead of helping me, ended with some complications. Throughout that time I went through major stress/trauma not knowing what was wrong with me and going in and out of the hospital. Before all of that, I always got compliments about my hair. I loved my hair because it was full, bouncy and honestly I just thought it was beautiful. It made me feel sexy and young. I am in my late twentys and this hair issue has really affected me physically as well as psychologically. I have gone to many dermatologists and doctors, endocronologists..you name it..Even out of the state but with the same unclear answer as to why this happen to me. They do say it must of been related to the trauma I experienced. Since I used to have massive amounts of hair, even after the lost of hair I still have hair enough to hide the thinning. I feel some doctors and people do not believe me because I still have good amount of hair but I know my hair very well and when its wet its when I notice the most how much hair I have lost..when run my fingers through my hir I can feel the thinning parts especilly on the top to the mid back of my head. It has made me really sad. I no longer hear compliments about my hair from family and friends..even though they tell me its not that bad…It is to me. I wonder if you ladies, that are going through this, can give me advice on maybe something I can try to aleviate the constant tight feeling/pain and burning..and the hair thinning??? Im really devastated about the hair thinning but what makes it worse is the painm which is the constant reminder of my hair thinning..I obsess to look at it or find ways t make it look fuller and whatnot and my family tells me I am going to make it worse. What can I do?? Doctors do not seem to be concern, but this is not normal? my stress has decreased but everytime I get the scalp pain, I feel my anxiety rising and I believe that makes it even worse? Did you ladies ever get your hair back? can it improve or is this a permanent thing? Thanks for your help! Take care
I also have been dealing with hair loss and scalp pain. But I’m happy to say lots of hair has grown back when I started to figure out the problem. I got absolutely no help from doctors. One friend mentioned that Biotin (a B vitamin) might be helpful. Another told me to massage my scalp daily. Another told me about B&B hair products for thining hair. So I tried all those things. My hair stopped falling out. The pain went away for a time. New hair came in curly. I had been very sick about a year ago. I think, beside the stress, I became malnourished. When I started eating again I focused on a balanced diet (protein, fruits, veggies) and I eliminated dairy. After that I had no hair loss for months and no scalp pain. Now I have what I consider normal hair loss but the pain is back, so I don’t know if I’m in for another bout of loss.
I think the underlying cause for a lot of us is nutrition. An imbalance of some kind. Maybe for me it was B vitamins. Maybe for someone else it is iron, or Vit. D.
When I use up my (expensive) B&B shampoo I plan to go back to the grocery store variety. I plan to give up cafine any day now (because my scalp hurts again). We’ll see what happens.
ATTENTION – LIKE JEAN I THINK MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE DUE TO GLUTEN INTOLERANCE OR THE MORE SEVERE FORM OF THAT, CELIAC DISEASE. I TOO HAVE HAD SYMPTOMS OF HAIR LOSS, FOLICLE PAIN, IRRITATION FOR YEARS. I TAKE ALMOST EVERY DIETARY SUPPLEMENT THERE IS, NO HELP. I WAS FEELING SICK IN OTHER WAYS, DID SOME INVESTIGATION AND CAME UP WITH THE POTENTIAL CAUSE OF GLUTEN INTOLERANCE. I STOPPED EATING WHEAT A FEW DAYS AGO, AND ALREADY FEEL BETTER, AND NO SCALP ISSUES, HAIR IS NOT FALLING OUT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL HAVING SUCH ISSUES INVESTIGATE GLUTEN INTOLERANCE AND TRY A GLUTEN FREE DIET. THERE IS A NEW GENETICALLY MODIFIED FORM OF WHEAT THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS, THAT CONTAINS SUPER GLUTEN AND MANY MORE CASES OF GLUTEN INTOLERANCE ARE OCCURING. THIS IS EVENTUALLY A LIFE-THREATENING DISORDER AND NOT MERELY A HAIR LOSS ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE FOR YOURSELVES ON THE WEB
Where you thinking out all over or just on the top/front of the scalp?
I have had a very tender area on my left side toward the crown area of my head ever since I had shingles in the same area about 5 years ago. I just thought this tender area had something to do with the shingles. My scalp has always looked more red than it should to me. About 6 months ago I noticed hair loss. Especially after I shampoo my hair. I went to the dermatologist and he prescribed Fluocinonide(Lidex) 0.05%. Does anyone know about this medication. I centainly don’t want to do anything to cause more hair loss. I’m really getting worried about the hair loss. Its starting to show in my crown area how thin its getting.
I been dealing with a extremely painful scalp. I can’t touch the right side of my head wash it brush it…nothing! It’s actually only the right side. I had to put one of those hair catchers on the drain for the shower cause I clog it every other day. The right side of my head has become so think all you practically can see is my scalp. The left side look normal. this is embarrassing and frustrating. I work with the public alot and some kinda look at my head funny but are at least nice enough not to say anything. I have to clip it loosely to hide how bad it is. It somewhat gives a semi regular illusion. Has anyone else just had one sided pain and loss? Any advice or anything I can tell the dr’s so I can get the proper help? Please anyone.
Dawn where do you get the MSM liquid and the sulphur 8? I’m willing to try it
Wow the more I read it’s crazy. Dianna my hair texture has also changed its thin and wifey unless I douse it with conditioner to soften it up. But as soon as I wet it again with no conditioner it feels like hay/straw. I can deal with that I just want my hair back with a lot less pain. My thyroid test are fine I did not test positive for celiac disease . All my blood work and scans come back totally normal. This is so frustrating and makes me feel helpless.
To Margaret comment #181 : Be sure you were not mis diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Did your Dr check your vit D level? I had all the symptoms of fibromyalgia and more. Did not want that horrible diagnosis or the meds to go with it. Took an article to my MD about vit D deficiency and fibromyalia. The article recommends testing all fibromyalgia dx patients as the symptoms are identical. Normal vit D level is 30. Symtomatic deficiency is < 21. My level was 10. The worst of my symptoms, bone and muscle pain and horrible fatique were quickly relieved with serious supplimentation. 2 years later, still struggle with some sleep and depression issues. Wish Vit D could have been a cure all but the difference for me was miraculous. Good Luck.
I can’t tell you how stressed I am right now. I have the itching, stinging, hair tugging feeling, and thinning as well. I am 21 and this has been going on since about the end of last year, so probably 6 months. At least that’s when I started noticing how much hair I was losing in the shower. I have always lost a lot, but it’s never been noticeable. I have fine hair, but a lot of it….or I did. 🙁 Shortly after noticing all the hair loss, my head would itch so bad. It would happen in random spots and then sometimes it wouldn’t happen at all. For the past month or two the itching hasn’t been as bad. But I’m getting the pains you all are talking about. And it is clearly in areas where my hair has thinned out. I started losing hair near my part and close to the front of my head first. Then it started happening all along the hairline of my neck, around and behind my ears. Basically it was underneath. But for the past several weeks I’ve noticed it’s spread to the crown of my head, mainly towards the back of the top. My part is spreading down the back of my head and it is clearly balding! It feels like someone is pulling on the tiniest little hairs, when nothing is touching it! And it only feels that way where the hair has gotten sooooo thin. I still have hair on most of my head that looks healthy, but it’s not at all like it used to be. It’s dull and so stringy. It has no life to it at all. My whole life I have had very healthy, shiny hair. I also have never had dandruff and now I do. It’s like a dusty dandruff, very small pieces and at first I thought it was dry scalp, but now I don’t know. I’ve been trying to not wash my hair a lot, like a lot of you, because of how much i lose in the shower, but then it just gets greasy and the dandruff actually gets worse. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m so young and this is just stressing me out even more than I already am.
I know this is a lot to read, but you guys seem very understanding and maybe someone can relate. I just want to include that I have been stressed for over 7 years now. I’ve been in a very unhealthy relationship and I have a four year old. That makes it harder to leave, and I also have no family to turn to for any kind of help. So I started school shortly after I had my son at 18. I’m in nursing school now so I do plan to leave. But I feel like all the stress I’ve been under could definitely have something to do with this. When I say stress I don’t mean just over small things. I have been emotionally abused for 6 straight years, and even though I have gained a lot of strength and confidence in myself, I’m still struggling with depression. And this hair loss thing is not helping. I’m a different person since I noticed it.
I’m praying for all of you and I know what you’re going through. It’s very hard to deal with when even doctors have no help to offer. I wish you all the best of luck and hope you find some kind of answer. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories/experiences with this problem.
I am very sorry to hear about your situation and that you have no one to turn to. I hope that it turns around soon for you. You hair loss may be temporary. I hope that you find peace and that your precious 4 year old lights up your world and gives you the motivation for strength to gain a better life for him or her. Good luck in nursing school.
Thank you, and I hope it is too, but it’s not looking like it. My son is definitely a big motivator for me. I’v always wanted to give him the best. But this has really put a damper on my mood. I’v really been trying hard to not let it get to me. It just keeps getting worse though. Last night I finally just sat down and cried. My husband, the biggest jerk I know, has been being very annoying about my mood. I really didn’t want to share any of it with him, because he has always used my weaknesses to gain confidence in himself. Yes, I know, he’s messed up. But he just kept acting like I had no reason to be sad. And so I told him what was going on and when he acted like it was no big deal I got really mad. I told him there was no way for him to understand how important it was. And all he had to say was that he knows, he doesn’t want a bald wife. How pathetic! So I have pretty much nobody, but my son to keep from losing it. And even he is not able to lift this pain that has come with losing my hair. I guess I will start shopping for wigs. It’s hard, because I’m very inexperienced and don’t know what kind to buy or where to look. But honestly, I’m ready to just put one on so I can quit worrying about that. I’v got enough things to stress me out. Thanks again for caring.
Lauren, I am so sorry your husband is so offensive and indifferent to your pain. Most men don’t get but at the same time they don’t want a bald wife. What they don’t get is that they just need to take our hand and say honey let’s figure this out whether it be treatment to see if that will work or if we have to move into hair replacement. I know your son will not be able to lift this sadness. The 1st year I started losing my hair I can’t even remember. My son went into kindergarten that year and honestly it is a blur to me and he suffered in school because of it. Nothing hurts me more than to know it affected it him like that but I do everything I can now to make sure that child is healthy and doing good in school (I even hired a tutor this year) he is in 1st grade. And he seems to be thriving but I still hold back on what I do because I am so insecure and paralyzed. But I am sooooooooooooooooo much better than when all of this first started. I promise it will get better. And mine got better by just using 2% rogaine at night and only at night. I do however still think yours could be temporary. Do whatever you can to calm down because I promise it will help. I do care so much I hate for someone to feel this helpless pain and care even more when there is a child involved because kids are so innocent and helpless and look to us to take them where they need to be. Anything that affects us affects them. And seeing that in my son killed me. I want the best in life for him in every area. So I thought about it and I can’t control what happens to my hair but I can control how much I help, encourage, push and teach my son. I can give him laughter too. But it takes time to get to a place of acceptance and being able to think level headed when you go through the trauma of losing hair.
I appreciate you caring. I know that I have to be strong for myself, but more importantly for my son. And I’v been doing better the past couple of days. I’v been trying to be positive about it and just thank God that I still have hair, and try not to worry about it falling out. It gets really depressing though, every time I wash my hair. It sucks, but like I said, I’v been trying to just do the best I can to not freak out about it and just blow it off. It’s been hurting for about 3 days now on my crown though. That makes it hard not to think about. It would help if that would stop. But anyways, my son is so smart, happy, funny, and just about perfect. I always try to be happy for him. And honestly, he makes me very happy. Seeing him happy helps me through a lot. The most important thing to me is being a good mother. That’s why I do everything I do. I mean, I have been going through some pretty emotional stuff for a long time now, and I haven’t given up. Because I know what matters, and that’s my baby. I’m going to see a doctor soon about this. And I’m praying for it to be temporary. But if it’s not I’m guna start shopping for a nice wig. I can deal with that. I’v always been the type to deal with things and do something about my problems instead of whining. So I have plans for every outcome. I don’t want to have another thing to worry about. I need my energy to be directed towards my education and my son. And I can’t do that with this occupying every thought in my head. So I really am trying very hard to stay positive and not worry. For my son and myself. Thanks for talking to me. It helps.
This is just awful and I am so sick of it. It’s on again off again. It has stopped while pregnant, it stopped while I did a candida diet, it subsided on it’s own; it started again…wondering if it has something to do with the DHEA I started to take. Not only does mine hurt, but I have “acne like” bumps on my head and little hard skins you can pick off. I don’t eat gluten, in fact I don’t eat many grains. I had to start taking Vit D and DHEA (hair loss happened again I started this). I have done a bowel, liver, kidney and blood cleanse. my thyroid is good and has been stable over the past 6 months – about 2.2. My thoughts do go to hormones because of the bumps on my head (I could say liver too, but who knows). Just when I think it’s all good, BAM. I’ve only been to the dermatologist once and it was pointless. I’m going to try something with the Dr. Christopher’s line of stuff and see if I can’t get some relief. You would think will all of us with this problem, there would be a solution.
Hi.i don’t really know when mine started.maybe 2yrs ago.i have been at the docs,tricologist,derm and all the health stores.the hair shedding and pain is awful as well as being out of pocket for all the wonder things! I’ve bought.i believe it has to be stress.i suppose until we reorganise our lives or at least become a little happier with ourselves will we see a difference.
hey every one.i know exactly what are u going through.3 years ago i started feeling my scalp get so sensitive itchy,could’nt comb my hair ,part my hair. The pain was excruciating. The pillow hurts, touching my head hurts .my hair was thinning,also my eyebrows and my body hair!i freaked out;i got a hair suppliment wich helped me a little (anacaps by ducray).then and this what made hair just fall in clumps:i used a perm (it’s a perm for kids i thaught it would be less harsh;huge mistake).before i went to france to get my scalp and hair checked(as i live in morocco,i guessed they will know better than our derms);they told me the pain was from seborrheic dermatitis.they prescribe some cortisone lotion and a shampoo for dandruff;guess what;it didn’t work but i have to admit that after i applied the lotion i had some relief for a short time.but my hair was still hurting like hell ;it felt heavyyyy and painful.a year after i decided i could’nt live with this pain any longer i cut my hair really short(halle berry short!) and i looked horrible but didn’t mind as i felt my head was kind of lighter.viseted 4 derms before finding some one who didn’t think i was crazy,he gave me plaquenil;he said what i have is trichodynia wich causes the scalp pain sensitivity and is often seen with hair loss patients.he prescribed minoxidil 2 per cents;a hair suppliment;a hair lotion that contained biotin and vitamins and a baby shampoo.i have to say after 3 months of plaquenil at 300 mg,my scalp pain was gone,he reduced the dose to 200 mg for 7 months and since then to 100 mg a day;the problem is that sometimes i feel that pain so i take another tablet(i noticed when i’m stressed i have scalp pain but also in my arms and legs;they hurt when i touch them)and due to plaquenil i have a rare side effect my upper lip is dark i mean i can’t go out without a lip stick people who see me without it tell me what’s wrong with your lip it’s black!;i don’t know what to do ,the doctor told me plaquenil was my only solution and i have to take it for life ,either live with dark lips and painless scalp or live with the pain he told me.i guess the choice is really simple (dark lips of courses)but i’m still hopefull that medecine will find another way to treat this.as i continue to search for other alternative i used every remedy i saw online(or remedies of my grandma and friends) tried all kind of oils(aloe vera,jojoba,argan oil….);supplements(zinc,biotin;selenium,vitamin c,iron,vtamin D….)i’m on a sugar free diet hope it works.keep your faith don’t loose hope.and if u have my symptoms please ask your doctor for plaquenil it gave me my life back and maybe u will have no side effects(dark lips is one of the rarest side effects).and if u have hair loss take hair suppliments and use a gentle shampoo.balanced diet with a lot of vegetables;fish and fruits,drink a lot of water.try to enjoy life (i know u can’t when u have scalp burning,so ask your dr for plaquenil)if u can’t manage stress maybe u should see a doctor who will give u an antidepressant or a medication to relief your stress, but be carful some antidepressant can cause hair loss it’s cited as a side effect.there are some herbs and suppliments that help with anxiety.i hope this will help .my hair loss have stoped but little regrowth ;i’ve moved to minoxidil 5 (3 applications a week at night;the doc said it will help the regrowth,i hope it works)as for my painful scalp it doing wonderful as i continue to hide my dark lips =D.god bless u all.there is solutions just keep on searching and reading more about your condition.sorry for my english i know it’s bad ;).au revoir
Hi people. I have been reading your posts this morning because here I am again, searching for answers. I lost my hair 8 years ago to chemo, then it all grew back thicker than ever, and then had thyroid cancer 3 years ago, had my thyorid removed and on medication and been having hair loss and burning ever since. I am just devistated about this situation. I have constant reminders all over my house, as there is hair everywhere. The whole thing makes me sick. I am so sad all the time. Today my scalp is burning on fire at work and itching and I’m shedding like crazy for the last week. I try to stay strong like nothing is going on, but inside I am dying. I am in deep deep depression about all of this. It has ruined my life. My head is on fire today. Why why why can’t they find a cure for this???? All my blood tests are fine. Why does this have to happen to me??? Thanks for listening. Hugs to every single one of you. So sorry for your pain as well. Linda
Linda- hope you see this. I also had my thyroid removed and have had thyroid cancer and obviously, hair loss. Mine didn’t start until 5 years later, however. I am curious what thyroid medication you take. I take Synthroid. I have heard that your dosage being wrong can really effect your hair. I’m convinced that my dosage is too high though my Dr. (Endo) likes to keep my TSH levels suppressed (low) so that the cancer won’t return, so my TSH is borderline low (just below the low end of normal). Let me know your experience. I know what you mean about the hair. It is all over my house too and I’m so SICK of it!
i have good news every one.i searched for trichodynia treatments online and i found out that doctors prescribe small doses of amitriptyline or doxepine for this condition;so i went to my GP and asked her if i can try this,she agreed and said there’s nothing wrong with trying other treatments.it’s been 16 days since i started amitriptyline from 10 up to 25 mg and i feel amazing no hair pain or burning scalp ;thank god i found this cause it allowed me to stop the plaquenil which was a nightmare (too much side effects)it helped also my anxiety and give me relief from the stress.so there u go. i pray it will continue to work it’s my 16 day under amitriptyline(i take 25 mg a day) and i feel great.just wanted to share this with u cause i know what a painful condition it this.best wishes to all of you.
So glad I found this site. Have burning scalp & hair thinning but I aslo have burning tongue & sometimes lips swell & tingle. My hair texture has changed & seems so limp & wispy. almost feels dead when it is wet. Can’t tolerate a brush on my scalp. I color my own hair with a non permenent color & left it on too long once & my scalp felt a burning sensation. I am 67yrs old & was recently put on hormones for osteoporosis. Last year I was ill & was put on the Zpk antibiotic which I had an allergic reacton to was put on a dif one same reaction finally predisone. Then I got a yeast infection all over body and in throat. Eventually was rushed to emergency and for what was diagnosed as Vertigo(Which I have never had befor or after. I take no other meds but take supplements. I am so frustrated with this burning scalp issue. I also have burning eyes. I feel like stopping all supplements and quitting my hormones & see if it helps but amworried about the osteoporosis. I spend a lot of time on my computer & watching TV. Iam suspect of everything. My hair just touching my face right now is causing itching on my face. Could it be yeast gone wild on my body. I take probiotics. Help!!!
I am so happy to have found this site. I can’t believe how many other people have this problem! I feel connected with you all.
I am 31 y/o, and have massive all over shedding for the last year. The area above the temples seems to be receding a little…the that part was always a little thinner, so it’s hard to say what exactly is going on. I have always shed a lot, but it got really extreme a year ago..and I can’t exactly figure out why. I am freaking out because if it keeps shedding like this, I feel I might need a hair transplant soon. I also just traveled and it started shedding so much more! (increased stress, perhaps?) I also have a painful scalp that is very connected with my anxiety level, which up until a month ago when I started taking herbs, was very high. So, here are the theories:
1) I noticed increased shedding very shortly after I got highlights with bleach. My scalp did burn after the highlights. But I have not gotten highlights in almost a year and I’m still shedding like crazy. I must lose 500 hairs a day. My ponytail (not that I can wear one, too scraggly) is 1/2 the size it was last year. So if it was from irritation, why has it not gotten better?
2) I got holistic healing and radically changed my diet to a “healthier” diet. Still eat organic meats etc. -I’m not vegan. But about 3 months after the healing and diet change, the massive shedding started. The holistic healing made almost every other part of my health better, except for my hair. Also, I did lose weight on the diet, and I was thin to begin with, but I’m not really under weight, and I am get sick less and have more energy then every before. So it’s not that I’m less healthy. How can so many parts of my health get better but the poor hair has to be falling out?!
3) anxiety. But I’ve had anxiety for years. So why would the anxiety all of a sudden make my hair fall out?
Any ideas?
Also, for people with scalp pain and tenderness, go to a myofascial therapist. This is a specialized type of physical therapy. I went for my painful, burning, sensitive scalp. It helped a LOT. It is due to tender, over-activated nerves. Also, try to use something like Rescue Remedy to calm the tension in your body.
I’ve noticed quite a few women say their mom’s also had the tender scalp. My mom too. We could not touch her head when we were kids. Amazing how heredity works….
Much love and luck to you all!
Be Well! 🙂
Update:
Visited a dermatologist who specializes in hair loss today. I feel like I’ve been hit in the face with a bat. Like I said, I’m 31…and I have female pattern baldness, but more around the temple, not the crown. I kept asking him…”are you sure that’s what it is??”. ugh….
I also have Telogen Effluvium. But the FPB is definitely a component. Also, I have pretty sensitive skin, so I am not sure how the rogaine is going to go for me. He also told me to use Nizoral because i have subhorreic dermatitis, Tricomin shampoo (anyone used this??) and gave me a scrip for topical steroids for the dandruff/inflammation on my head. I don’t think I’m going to use the steroids though…can’t they cause hair loss?
ugh….a sad day.
🙁
Wow, never realized how many others were experiencing this problem. My scalp started itching, tingling, like something crawiling on it in 1996. Never noticed hair shedding.
Over the years my painful sensitive scalp I have had since a small child has gotten worse. When I have a flare up I lose alot of hair for a few months and my skin and hair seem more oily. Then gradually the pain subsides. Comes and goes and then finally the hair thinning slows down.
I finally mentioned it to the dermatolgist the other day and he had no answer.
I have been diagnosed as having Primary Sjogrens, Fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Lupus then no Lupus to back to Lupus to now again no Lupus.
I think I will ask my Derm to do a scalp biopsy when I’m having a flare.
I use John Freida products and they really help with the dryness and shine of my hair. I love the leave in conditioner and the hair cream. It’s the only product from cheap to expensive I have tried that has helped keeping my hair look young and thicker. (As I have baby fine hair and very little)
Once I have a biopsy, I will post with the results.
Thank you so much for the information. thought I was nuts with this tingling.Please let me know how your biopsy goes as I will do the same
Play the record again. Repeat…..
I started to notice my scalp feeling really itchy and weird literally right at the beginning of 2011. Did not make much of a big deal about it because I figured it was normal itching because I’d always experienced that from time to time. My younger sister and I used to get a kick out of scratching our heads so much that big pieces of dandruff would form that we could pick out and stare at. (Yes, crazy weird – I know!) So I just did not think much of it until I started to notice that when my hair was down, I could see through it a little. I have ALWAYS had tons of curly hair (I’m mixed race: Hawaiian, Black, Chinese) so if you can imagine that kind of hair type. I only got straightening perms for a small portion of my life, maybe a total of 8 times, because I have always been very active, sweat in my hair and knew from an early age that those chemicals are just not good. So, my m.o. has always been (since high school really) to wash it, condition (comb out in shower), air dry then condition and flat iron twice a month. Always been a relatively healthy eater being that I love veggies, fruits, meat and am naturally averse to candy, processed foods and bread. I love to exercise, do it pretty much 5 days a week. I mean, health issues = what are those? Seriously, I am a very health conscious person. So when I started to notice the scalp feelings and hair thinning I was very worried. But I still did not take it too seriously, figured I would wait until December 2011 when I was scheduled to go in for my annual routine physical. When I told my PCP about my symptoms, she just told me to get Nizoral and it would treat my dandruff, which is what she attributed my symptoms to. So I did get that and still felt like I wanted more of an explanation, so the beginning of 2012 I started a journal and made a more comprehensive plan. I met with a trichologist, naturopathic doctor and a dermatologist to try and piece together what was going on. To be honest, the naturopathic doc has been the most helpful so far, because they take a holistic approach in making sure that your whole body is healthy, essentially working to uncover any underlying medical issues that may be contributing to the hair loss. The trich was very general in her info, and quite frankly she did not tell me more than I could have found out by googling stuff. The derm prescribed me to take a bunch of blood work and labs that I have not yet done (due to cost) but maybe I will in the future. At any rate, I’m 32 female and am still searching for answers. Since Jan 2011 it is now Oct 2012 and I can say that I have not experienced volume regrowth. Patting the top of my head clearly demonstrates to me that my density has not improved, despite how long my hair is and appears to most people. Because I have more hair than the average person to begin with, when I tell my friends that I am losing hair, they ALL think I am crazy. But, that’s because I have more hair than they do to begin with!!!! So frustrating, so I have stopped talking about it to anyone, including my family because even my Mom tells me I am vain for worrying about my hair. I am currently taking on a daily basis: evening primrose oil capsules, fish oil, saw palmetto, vitamin D, vitamin C, thyroid support, B12 complex, 5htp, cortisol, multi-vitamin, ADR. Since I work out 5 days a week, I wash my scalp after every sweaty workout alternating between the folicle clarifying shampoo and nourish growth inducing shampoo that the trich prescribed, plus rinse out conditioning and evening primrose oil on my scalp and jojoba oil and coconut oil on my hair strands. I braid or bun my hair everyday and only flat iron or blow dry for special occasions. I’ve literally been perfecting my routine over the course of 2012, since January when I started. I make a new “hair bag” each time I wash and collect the hairs in there and have been saving those since Jan 2012. I am DETERMINED to find out what the heck is causing this. I have yet to get a scalp biopsy done, but I may do that early 2013. The only few things I can honestly say may be factors, other than hereditery are a few EXTREMELY stressful events since 2008 and consequently me drinking more alcohol ( to the point of blackout in many instances – very bad, I know) and the fact that I smoke marijuana and have since about 2000. So, myriad of things that affect us all, but similar symptoms really, really has me intrigued. Almost makes me want to take a profession in the medical industry because why, why can’t anyone give us an explanation for the soreness, pain, burning and hair loss? We fly to the moon but can’t understand our own bodies….our bodies are a whole ‘nother universe in themselves. I’m determined to find out. I may not post on here again for a while, but I only want to speak once I have discovered some truths. I wish everyone as much peace and happiness as possible, until we know 🙂
One last thing; I have a very stressful job dealing with demanding people everyday – I do notice my scalp tends to start paining when I feel stressed out at work. I usually run to the bathroom and put some water on my head just to cool it off and get relief. Stress related? Maybe. That’s what the trich said it was, but still when I asked her specifically about the pain, she could not give me a clear definitive answer about that. As I sit here in the comfort of my home about to go to sleep, I can say that I don’t feel any scalp pain, but I did a few times earlier in the evening, while at home under no stress. Just so, very, very strange….
My burning scalp and hair loss was from extreme estrogen levels. Either too high or too low. Anything over 25o was bad and anything under 80 was bad. I suffered for over 2 years and no doctor figured it out. Took me several blood tests and going off birth control pills. i hope this helps someone.
Burning, shooting, stabbing, lancing type pain is usually NERVE related. And, yes, this can cause hair loss!!!! I’m dealing with it right now and will let you know if I get a “for sure” answer.
I’ve had it in the past and steroid/lidocaine shots stopped it. But it takes time. Your hair is on a 3 month cycle. What you do today won’t show the results for 3 months, so remember that.
Hugs all around!!!
HI everyone I had posted some time back. Lady with violent scalp pain since 2006
I want to say that my scalp pain begain in 2006 and reached extreme violent raw nerve levels. Suicice like pain! I had lost years of my life due to the pain. I would get pins and needles, burning, stinging, pin pricks, cold bengay sensations you name it. Violent pain that changed my life. And yes the dreaded hairloss. My entire hair texture went from normal to baby fine and I suffer diffuse hairloss all over my entire scalp but perhaps behind the bangs looking worse?
I have baldness on my Dad’s side. I had seen over 8 doctors and nobody could help me. I tried antidepressants, plaquinel, steroid creams and shampoos, dandruff treatment, was on a strong antifungal oral pill, thyroid meds, the pill, lotions and creams and nothing helped. I’d like to add that i have very oily skin.
Two years ago I started to read about Neurogenic inflammation and stress and the connection with insulin resistance and how the drug Actos was helping some with inflammatory scalp disorders. I thought although I am not a diabetic maybe I can give a diabetic drug a try. IActos was to risky so I was not interested in tryin gthat one. I was developing belly fat, my fasting glucose was high normal so I tried Metformin. About one week into the metformin my scalp stared to feel better.
It has been almost two years using Metformin therapy and I can say the violent life altering nerve pain has slowed down. Two more critical things that have kept my scalp pain at bay is b12 and also d3. If I start to back off any of these things it comes back. B12 heals nerves, d3 helps chroic pain and Metformin has the ability to calm the immune response as well as balance the adrenal axis and control insulin levels. My physician has me taking 250mg of met daily and routine blood checks. 250 is a very minimal small dose not adequate for a diabetic.
My hair is still thin and not growing back however the above has given me a normal functioning life VS a life in chronic rip roaring pain. I really hope this helps some out. Google hairloss neurogenic inflammation and insulin levels.
I had a full lawn sized garbage bag of suppliments, hair tonics, RX meds and nothing worked so I can tell you with 100% confidence this has helped me. I am not telling you all to run out and get yourself Metformin but maybe….just maybe this can help someone else. Like Paul said way up there in this long post that he stopped most suppliments and felt better. I feel that less is better and I stick with the Metformin, b12 d3 and not much more.
is there any tireatment for this,i too have same problem .
Its been something of a relief to read this post because my scalp has been burning, painful and itching for a few months now and I put an ice bag on my head to help. Its been wrecking my life and I feel terrible but I will try some of the suggestions raised on here. I thought I was the only person on the planet to feel this way. I don’t want to go out and its an effort to do anything. I also feel it gets worse when I am exposed to any kind of stress. I also notice that if I am absorbed in an activity my mind is off the problem and I feel better – once I notice I feel better, back it comes! I have very fine thin hair and it looks worse lately so I think there is an obvious link. This is depressing. I’m also completely stressed out at the moment and feel pretty depressed. The mind is a powerful thing and can really affect the body. Never mind, onward and upwards I will not let this thing ruin my life and will strive to find an effective remedy. I will report back if I succeed!
I have had hair pain for decades but only recently have been experiencing hair loss. The pain is similar to the pain I get from letting my hair down after keeping it up for a while. I don’t have dandruff or any redness or bumps. My skin is quite sensitive and dry and sometimes hurts, so I figured that maybe it is something the same thing on my scalp. I usually don’t apply conditioner to my scalp because it makes my hair look greasy-dirty. Even though I don’t have a “condition” I started using T-gel shampoo, and an aloe-vera conditioner leaving both on my scalp for a minute or more. It is working for the pain, and I hope it will work for the hair-loss/hair not growing as long.
This is my story which has similarities to so many I have read here. First, I am so glad I found this site – I’m a registered nurse and have googled and researched what I was experiencing to no avail. It wasn’t until I recently noticed my hair thinning that I found you.
I have always had blonde somewhat fine hair, as most blondes do, but I had an abundance of it. It has always been strong, healthy and beautiful. I don’t remember ever experiencing TE after the births of any of my 5 children – if I did I just didn’t notice it perhaps. I do remember when I first experienced this phenomena of the scalp itch/burn/pain though.
When I was married my former husband used to ask me to feel his head because he could feel lumps on his scalp – he used to itch. I didn’t think anything of it until now, because it was while I was married to him that I noticed it for the first time on myself – that was 18 years ago. I would feel a lump and constantly rub/scratch at it, this would be followed by the burning/tight sensation and then it would go away. This was also a very stressful period in my life (by then 4 kids, horrible marriage, financial issues, nursing school) and I found that during times of high stress is when the itch/burn/pain would reoccur.
I also suspected an allergic reaction – it feels like an inflammatory allergic response. I noticed throughout the years use of certain hair products would precede an occurrence. I also suspected a fungal infection – this was during the period I was trying to find the answer to what was causing my symptoms – or SD. But I just couldn’t see anything on my scalp to indicate either, nor did my hair dresser. I also noticed when I had the “itch” that I could feel new hairs growing on my scalp – short pointed hair, at least that’s what it felt like. So I thought maybe I’m just sensitive and can feel hair growing when most people can’t. Climate (I lived in Florida during the majority of this time) seemed to be a factor as well – especially when it was very hot & humid (as Florida is) and my head was sweaty.
Up until now I never experienced any noticeable (even to me) hair loss. I think I shed an average amount – I don’t see gobs in my drain or on my pillow. I have my hair highlighted, usually with bleach and dye (high and low lights), but about a year ago my hairdresser noticed an area of hair about 2″ long on the back of my head that had broken off (or grown in?) so I decided to take a break from the bleach and had the high/lowlights both done with dye instead. At first (around late spring last year) the only thing I noticed was my hair didn’t seem to have the same body and bounce. I did not attribute this to hair loss and changed my hair products to Living Proof Full – shampoo, conditioner, thickening cream. It seemed to weigh my hair down after using it awhile. I also began using organic virgin coconut oil on my hair and scalp weekly – the lauric acid it contains is said to kill bacteria and fungus to facilitate a healthy scalp hair/skin. Then I thought maybe my hair was just too long and the weight was dragging it down – cut off a couple inches in September. When I had my next appointment in December I cut off a few more inches – and my hair dresser made a comment that my hair used to be thicker. That’s when I really noticed my hair was indeed thinner all over – I could see scalp between the hairs and I never could before!
Immediately I began researching hair loss. Like most women my age (I am 51 now) my first thought was hormones. I am post-menopausal and have using bio-identical hormones (estrogen and progesterone, self-prescribed that I get from the UK) since 2008 and I take supplements/vitamins – nothing that I haven’t been taking for years. I do not take any prescription meds. I have an appointment with an Ageology physician, an MD who has a natural and holistic approach to medicine and stress management, to get my hormones, thyroid, etc. checked.
I know that what I noticed happening to my hair in December may have been triggered (in the case of TE if that’s what this is) by something that occurred 3-6 months prior. While I did not have any surgeries, illnesses (that I’m aware of) or trauma, I did have several significant stressors during that time frame, so I’m hopeful this hair loss is a transient and temporary thing. I also had a change in climate, having moved north a year ago.
2 weeks ago I began using Nizoral 2% shampoo twice weekly. I read that it works even better than Rogaine – though some people use both, and I will if this doesn’t resolve. The other days I shampoo (I shampoo about every other day or so) I use Progaine shampoo. Progaine is made by the same folks as Rogaine. While it does NOT promote hair growth it does work wonderfully giving volume and body to the hair you do have. Unlike some of you, the itch/burn is relieved by shampooing for me. I am trying not to use any (or very little) hair products. My blow dryer is set to the lowest heat setting and I only blow it after it has almost completely air dried.
Last night I had my daughter check my scalp. She parted sections of hair with a comb and noted I have some pink patches (not sure what they are) on my scalp and she noticed I have new hairs sprouting all over my head (I am relieved I am not imaging that!), she says the new hairs appear to be the same diameter (or even thicker) than my already grown hair and that the color is the same too! This also makes me hopeful.
My younger sister is just 22 years and she has had excrutiating scalp pain for a past year atleast. She doesnt have any hair loss, too young for that and all her tests CT scans have turned out fine, thankfully. There is no redness, a healthy head of hair but a mystery why she has these headaches. She has shoulder length hair that has been the longest she’s ever had, which she cant tie into a ponytail or even clip part of it because hurts so much. Doctors say its all in her head.
My sister’s condition does’nt reflect in any of the comments above. If anyone has any information that could help direct me, do tell.
I was having a bout with sore hair and thought I would see if others did also.Wow!I bet everyone has the same issue.Wheat allergy.Simple.Don’t eat wheat.Chances are it causes the root pain and headaches dry skin joint pain stuffy nose allergies to everything swollen belly continued exposure will probobly lead to cancer.sorry.
Me too…painful..very sad about losing my hair…use to be so thick n pretty…I’m gonna try nioxin n vitas suggested
Maryann, I have the same problem as you. Very thick hair pre a traumatic event, after than very thin hair on the top and crown of my head. The thin part also hurts, like a sun burn, or the feeling if you let out a too-tight ponytail. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been reading the comments, some say leave out the supplements, some say take them.
I eat mostly wheat free, but you know that oats and rye etc also have gluten. It’s not clear to me if I have to leave that out too.
If I do not take 10,000 IU per day of Vitamin D3, my scalp hurts. I also take 10,000 IU per day of Vitamin A from fish liver oil to balance the Vitamin D3. I have unsuccessfully tried lower doses. I have several auto-immune diseases so I need higher doses of these vitamins in order to compensate for the auto-immune diseases’ drain on my body’s vitamin stores.
Jan, to much Vitamin A can also cause HL.
Diane- Do you still have the SD or did that get better with the shampoo?
I have heard that also about Vit A – also, I learned my multi’s Niacin is in the toxic level! I am 68 and have always had an itchy scalp/ in the last year it has progressed to burning and hair loss- even my face burns. I immediately stopped all vitamins and supplements as many of these cause itching in the body. I use only baby shampoo, Dove and unscented lotions. This is a horrible condition, but we have each other- You’re not alone.
I hate this for everyone. I am 56 and have been experiencing scalp pain, scalp itching, and hair loss for 12 months. I didn’t realize the eye and forehead itching also was part of it till now. No one else in my family is experiencing this. There has to be a Dr. who can diagnois this and provide treatment somewhere in the world. I want to thank everyone for their comments and ideas. If anyone has relief of hair loss and hair regrowth, please please keep us posted. God Bless you.
Bev if you dye your hair black / brown you are allergic to the ppd in hair dye there is no hair dye that doesn’t contain ppd. If u r using please stop take high doses of caldrons benadryl at nite for two weeks start using Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo for 2 weeks and nothing else and see if that helps if so only use baby shampoo until your scalp starts to feel better. The baby shampoo will make your hair feel like crap and I mean crap brittle, hard to style etc but it will so be good for your scalp.
My eight year old daughter has bald spots on her head we found them about two months ago or so now. She has pain and itching. If I even lightly touch the bald spot she about goes through the roof. I have taken her to the dermatologist and they want her to use women’s rogaine and steroid gel. I have read the info on these products and basically if you start there is no getting off. Most things I read said it gets worse then before if you try to stop. So we are going a natural route using homeopathic remedies, essential oils and acupressure. Just read yesterday that the liver function can have something to to with all this. I have read a lot of the posts and feel so bad for and and scared for what my daughter will have to go through. I want to cry every time I touch her head. The doctors act like she is crazy when we tell them about the pain. We will continue trying natural stuff. May God bless you all who are going through this and strengthen you!
Yes. I have a patch just to the left of my crown that is red,
feels swollen to the touch and paiful. The bald patch is as big as my
Thumb nale. I put a drop of teatree oil on and I had releave. But I want to know more about the condition. I am a very healthy mother of a 2 year old.
Hi Ladies. I’ve had this issue for almost 10 years now. One night in June 2004, I had a dream all of my hair fell out. Two months later I experienced a strange pain and a tingling, almost like a scalp “orgasm” and POOF, my crown shed for four months straight… to the point you could see my scalp. I was devastated! Each hair long with a white plug at the end. Though my hair has all grown back, the left crown is thin, and my length has never fully returned. Occasionally my scalp still is tender when I comb so I immediately shampoo…it may not help, but the water feels good. I want my full and glorious hair back:(
Please help my head really hurts. My hair is falling out I have bald patches everywhere. What can I rub in my head for the pain??? Help please. My doc doesn’t believe me when I tell him it hurts!
Sadly i have been in distress too and believe my hair loss might be related to the tetanus shot that i got and noticed i had “fallen hair” constantly on my arms , clothes. My hair has been falling out more than ever since i had that shot. I must have lost 1/3 of my hair. After a shower its a horror to see the amount of strands that come out of my head. I read that the mercury causes it.. so THE BEST THING I BELIEVE IS TO DETOX THE BODY FIRST and BUILD THE BLOODSTREAM using VITRATOX PRODUCTS~ there is a COLON/ LIVER/GALLBLADDER 8 DAY CLEANSE this is what i am going to do Check out WATERSOFLIFECLEANSING.COM speak to Jeannie BUT ALSO i read a report from a military personnel that lost hair due to vaccines and had test study with multiple people, ALL HAIR LOSS GREW BACK with zinc gluconate 60mg daily and alpha lipoic acid 200mg daily and ( it said)vitamin supplementation.(which i guess that means a multi vitamin?) And important to note that the report said.. with just the vitamin supplementation alone, hair did not grow back.
Wow just started reading all these comments after trying to do my 7 years old hair this morning and it ending is absolute meltdown and screaming as usual. She went to school with messy hair ( she has really curly hair. that turns to dreadlocks) I can relate to most of these comments. I have had a painful scalp since I was a child. My head is painful and sensitive I can’t strand for it to be brushed or for it to be touched and it’s the same for my child. It is itchy, thinning badly, red scalp, sunburns easily, is dry, brittle, breaks easy, I often get dandruff, I sweat badly from my head, I get yellow build up gunky paste which can bleed when scratched, I have cysts on my head the size of marbles which I have had cut out, my hair gets oily easily, my head feel hot alot of the time, the list goes on…and on, it’s embarassing and soul destroying. Drs and specialists seem to know nothing. The thing is the pain and hair loss are the last of my problems. I believe it is just another symptom of the widespread systemic autoimmune conditions that seems to be presenting themselves in many different ways. I have fibriomialigia and possible lupus and syrjions, vaulvidinia. depression, anxiety, celliac’s, IBS , TMJ, lymphodemia, sleep aponea, type 2 diabeties, etc and symptoms and conditions keep developing at an alarming rate. I’m only 32 and i feel and look like i’m 70. I feel it’s has a strong genetic link as my mother has all the same problems and I can see that my daughter is developing some similar symptoms as well. It’s scary. I’ve been searching for info and I am finding it hard to get real help. What
I’ve discovered so far is that it’s related to a DNA gene defect that makes us suspetiable to our body not being to be able to break down protein and rid our body of toxins and cellular debris which then distribute and settle throughout our body which then cause our immune response to go haywire that then leads constant inflammation that slowly break down our body because were trying to rid all the oxidative stress out of the body but not being able tooeffectivly. This is why stress, illness and trauma medications, diet, sun exposure, environment, exercise etc. all make it worse and why we go through flares. We don’t have the emzymes to make our body (cells) work properly and is a complicated process of chain reactions. I don’t know all the answers I need to look into this more I’m going to get DNA testing done to see what my genetic personality is and I need to find a really good Dr that actually want to find out why things are going wrong instead of treating just the symptoms. I just wanted to share my story and to say to people don’t give up hope and don’t stop searching for answers.
Hello admin!
I have this on and off follicle pain for like a year now. It hurts terribly even without touching them… Just before the pain starts i have severe hair fall as well . My hair have thinned down to 1/4 of what I had once! :-(.
I am having this third episode right now and it’s unbearable!
I am only 24 and don’t want to go bald ! And this pain , is killing !!
I used a lemon verbena soap on my hair out of the blue one day to try to strip and overabundance of conditioner build up. I’d noticed it was feeling “sticky” the last couple washes, and it was the only thing I had in the shower that might get it “clean”. I’d also put a menthol wash on my hair in the last few weeks because it felt cooling in the shower.
I think putting new substances on my hair was the culprit. I read on article that hit home for me. You can “dry out” your hair follicles. I have no redness, no swelling, no scalp irritation, no redness, no rash. YET, the burning, itching, relentless pain is there. My lymph nodes on one side of my face are huge, one the size of a big marble (the knocker marble). I’m on antibiotics to try to get that to reduce. I also had some deep cyst acne flame in the last week or two. I’m not unusually stressed, in fact, things have gone well. We are facing storm after storm this winter, which have everyone here on edge. But, it’s nothing unusual.
I’ve tried to wash with baby shampoo to avoid chemicals. I’ve tried a deep conditioner (Aussie, though I doubt I’ll use it again due to the coconut in it seeming to irritate my senses, in my mind or not, who knows.) I got rid of the soap, lemons have caused my hands to break out with dish soaps in the past, but this lemon verbena over two years has never bothered the rest of my skin. Now, even my eyebrows itch.
I wonder if it had to do with extremely high heat because of the hard winter…our skin is more dry, more prone to irritation.
I tried a warm olive oil with 3 drops of peppermint oil (menthol is dirived from peppermint! news to me). I daubed it on the affected area, then wrapped my head in a damp towel warmed in the drier. It was very soothing and worked for a few hours.
I’m also on prednisone to try to help with itching. I can tell when it wears off, and when the antihistimine (generic Claritin) wears off.
I’ve been taking two kids Flinstone gummie or an adult women’s multivitamin gummy…neither are new to me.
I’m willing to try cutting it or adding zinc if that’s an issue for others. I probably have some fish oil around her to add. I’m just afraid to do anything, but it will lead you to try anything. Sorry a new comment on an old post, but I’m still reading and thank you all for sharing your experiences.
I am so glad I am not the only one going through this, thought I would never wish this upon anyone in the first place. I am only 27 and realized I was actually losing hair a couple years back. It has progressively gotten worse. I have no history of baldness or thinning hair in my family so it’s strange and not to mention makes you feel like you are the “odd sheep” of the family.
I have been through a lot in the past 2 years, I had an emergency caesarian. A week after, my grandmother passed away. A year after I broke my ankle and had to get surgery, that was stressful I never felt such a horrid pain in my life.
For the past couple years I started to feel sensitivity on my scalp more and more each day that passed. It’s always speratic. One day it will pop up on the left side, right side, or even the top of my head. The other day I mentioned to my BF that my head felt like it was on fire and even asked him if it actually was! He looked at me like I was crazy. I seriously hope this is not a permanent thing. I hope my hair is just in it’s resting stage and will grow back in a matter of time. I am sure it’s not just a temporary situation so, I am easing myself little by little to getting used to the idea of wearing a wig. I keep telling myself I can probably have the looks I never had and have always wanted like being a Platinum Blonde, or get a wig that has Luscious voluminous curls (Something I could have never pulled off).
Miserable. I’ve been seriously losing my hair now for 3+years (at least that’s when I’ve finally noticed). It’s always been fine and on the thin side but curly which helps with fullness. About a year ago the shed starting happening like mad and the sensation of burning/itching/tingling along with it.(scalp looked normal during this time) When this sensation came on I could count on a heavy shed to follow and it never disappointed me. I am down to hair that is no longer wearable on it’s own and I am mortified. I had a scalp biopsy around the same time of the hair sensation and it came back as TE. However, the Dr noted that the TE could be a precursor to androgenetic alopecia. I hung on to the TE diagnosis hoping and praying like crazy that the episode would stop and my hair would come back. The scalp sensation finally stopped but the shed continues with no new growth. I’ve tried everything it seems. vitamins, shampoos, holistic medicine, eating clean, hormone replacement etc. etc. etc. Nothing has made a difference. As far as wearing hair, well that is a story unto itself and unfortunately, that too has been an ongoing challenge. I am thankful for this site as it seems it is the only thing keeping me going.
Thought I was the only one who suffered these symptoms. I have all of them the itching, burning, pain and hair loss. I first started experiencing this 14 months ago and have been searching for answers ever since. Never before had these problems, not even with high stress. Never been the one for hair products such hairspray, mouse, maybe a hair dye once or twice a year. Wasn’t on any medications but only for Gerd. This has puzzled me to no end trying to figure out what happened. I’ve tried different shampoos and conditioners to multivitamins to biotin. The only relief I have found as for the burning and itching is the Nizoral shampoo. It has slowed down the hair loss but I am still losing it. I have no fungus, dandruff or any appearance of anything on my head only that it looks pink in color. Been to 2 different Dr.’s and like everyone else, brushed off as stress or there’s nothing. Haven’t even bothered with a specialists yet because my Dr. tells me there’s probably nothing they can do. Pretty much it’s my age and stress. I’m on here again looking for answers and praying that somethings gives quick because I don’t know how much more I can take. I have become majorly depressed and am now on anxiety medication. I can relate to all you on here and I cry when I read these. Hope there is an answer for us soon and I pray that we find it soon.
My scalp is so sore right now and when I rub or massage the area, I feel nauseous and almost feel like vomiting. This condition has been going on for more than 1 year now. Been to two doctors who cannot find anything wrong on the scalp and says it could be stress or fungus due to chemicals in hair products. The pain usually hoes away after a few days, it’s a constant pain and very sore to the touch. Where the pain is, my hair gad broken off completely. It has grown much in a year and the regrowth is very coarse and tight. Every where else in my head, the hair is brittle, splits and breaks. I welcome any recommendations.
Dear Fellow Hair Loss Sufferers,
I’m 31. Fit. Healthy. Every blood test has been done and I do not have any deficiencies. Within a month I have lost 75% of a 6X4 inch section on the top of my scalp and have other tiny patches scattered about. Originally I thought it was AA but its spreading so rapidly and it itches. The patches are smooth red and painful. I don’t think thats what it is and steroids seem to make it worse. There are no flakes, boils, rash like qualities. Just red/pink. It makes me sad that I can’t seem to do anything to make things better. I just pray that it is temporary…
Hello everyone. I have been dealing with the same issue and I found out that it is a scalp fungus, much like a yeast infection, and the only thing I found to help is monostat maximum strength an sulfur 8 mixed together equale parts. It stopped all the pain, itching, burning and inflammation but the hair didnt grow back. Then I was told to use Lavender oil and Teetree oil and finally I had my miracle. No more symptoms and my hair is growing back like crazy…please try this and finally get the relief you all been waiting for.
Its me again, just wanted to add that, just like a yeast infection if you scratch it will get worse and will spread on your scalp. But just like a yeast infection monostat max will kill the infection and the suffer 8 helps to simulate your pours…if you don’t like the smell of the sulfur 8 then just use the monostat. You will get the same results, the after the pain, itching and swelling is gone then use the lavender oil and teatree oil. This will penetrate to the papula and stimulate new hair growth…and yes I am a stylist and this really worked. Good luck to you all.
I have severe burning on my scalp constantly mainly around the hairline and the very top of my head.This started 9 months ago when I had a colour remover treatment. My hair looks fried and can not even be styled. I am totally and utterly beside myself so so stressed it is crazy. I know this is probably adding to the pain. My hair seems to be growing through damaged!! please help
I have just recently noticed on my head a bald spot bout the size of a half dollar. Im not fond about it. I do stress xtra more over my bills on the verge of being terminated. And I know that spot wasnt there saturday night. Im so afraid and dont know what to do. And im unemployed. So that dont make it anybetter. I do get some tingling and pain around the spot. But if a woman dont stress, no one will.
Im always depressed and I alw a ys stay in side where im isolated and away from everyone and problems. But whenever I get one thing straight, another utility company terminates something else. And I have 4 children.
Had my hair cut in Florida and hairdresser recommended coconut oil – said 1 tsp per day had worked wonders for her. Have been using it for a week but no improvement yet. Will try the lavender oil and teatree oil!
Underarm hair has stopped growing too – has anyone else noticed this?
I was also having major scalp pain and I kept thinking it was some type of infection in my scalp, so I’ve been using Keto Shampoo (just a 2 or 3 drops in my shampoo) Neutrogena T-sal Shampoo and I’ve been apply miconazol nitrate twice a day. It’s been 2 weeks since I started with the miconazol nitrate and I’m noticing less shedding and my scalp does not feel as painful. There are still a few sensitive spots but nothing like it was this time last year. I’m hoping this is the answer. I’m 50 years and post menopausal, so I have a strange feeling that I need to build up my immune system. I’ve decided to go gluten-free and sugar free (sugar feeds yeast and fungus) and I try not to eat any GMO or pre-package foods. I will try to come back and update in 6 months to let you guys know if I’m seeing any regrowth. I know as long as the pain is there my regrowth will be stalled.
hey girls, im right there with you!!!
scalp burning and crazy hair just falling like crazy… Im about to complete 2 years on the burning painful horrible hair loss.
Im ANA positive, some autoimmune going on on my bowel, thyroid, skin, and obviously on my scalp and hair…
Its really a never ending circle of problems. Something (maybe yeast, maybe lyme, maybe an allergy) starting histamines, triggering a lot of substance P, creating a lot of inflammation everywhere, therefore releasing more substance P, that triggers more inflammation, and more immune response… never ends.
I started 3 days ago on Doxepin 25mg at night. The idea of the antidepressants is to suppress all this chain of reactions, suppress inflammation, and histamines and substance P..
Im afraid that it may cause hair loss aswell, but its a small dose, lets hope for the best.
Besides, if I dont do something about it and my hair keeps falling like that, i will be bald by the end of the year….
there is a lot of old posts here, has anybody had any improvement?? any solutions??
kiss kiss
Don’t take antidepressants….
FOUND A SOLUTION!
I have had intense itching and burning on just the top of my head during the winter for several years now. It always starts when the weather gets cold and improves when it warms again. I do not have hair loss. I tried scalpicin and it did give me some relief but was extremely expensive to use as often as I needed it.
I bought hydrocortisone cream which is inexpensive, put the cream directly on my head and got some relief. I decided to make my own “scalpicin” by putting the hydrocortisone cream in a scalpicin bottle and adding water. I don’t really measure, just squirt some of the cream in and then add water and shake. I put this on at bedtime and it helps tremendously.
I read somewhere that shampoo and conditioner with Tea Tree Oil would help and gave it a try. It did help but took a while to have any effect.
Now I use the hydrocortisone cream mixed with water when the itching and burning is really bad. When it is fairly well controlled, I use a conditioner with Tea Tree Oil mixed with water. In both cases I just place the tip of the bottle against my scalp and squeeze, moving the tip of the bottle around and feeling the coolness of the liquid on the top of my head. I then rub it in gently and I am generous with the liquid! I put a towel on my pillow and sleep with the stuff on my head. I put something on my head most nights during the winter and am pretty much burning and itch free during the day.
Hope this helps someone!
Ive read all these comments and have experienced a lot of the same things as some of you hair loss, sensitivity, odor, I know it has something to do with hormones, ive been to doctors, who have gotten me addicted to anti depressants that have not worked, put me on birth control which has also not worked, ive gained weight am still having the same issues with my hair and am now addicted to lexapro, my advice is just battle thru it, dont take any of these wack ass drugs because they dont help they only cause u worse problems, I wish I could go back to the day I went to the doctor and told him I had a hair problem now I have to go to the doctor and tell him I have a hair problem, a weight problem and an antidepressants drug problem.
I am losing all my hair since more than 2 year day after day. Now, my scalp is burning like crazy… it is really painful. So, I think there is a relation between hair loss and burning scalp. Unfortunately for me, I don’t know what to do to stop my hair from falling… I mean A LOT, day after day… I used to have so much hair I mean, tons of hair and my guess is, I have lost 90% of what I had. Nobody here can’t help me (dermatologist)
I THINK I FOUND A SOLUTION…..
I found your website a few months ago when I couldn’t stand how my scalp felt. It has been so itchy and sore for years. My husband even said it looked sunburnt and I rarely am in the sun. It told him it feels sunburnt too. I have been loosing my hair on my crown so badly and it was getting so thin that my husband could even see the redness on my scalp without even touching my head.
SOLUTION: I read that sometimes hair loss is caused by a parasite that gets into the hair follicle and that Tea Tree Oil can help. I have been using Derma E brand VERY CLEAR PROBLEM SKIN MOISTERIZER. It has Tea Tree Oil in it and it is Paraben Free. I had to thin it with a little Distilled Water in order to make it a little thinner because it is a thick cream.
I noticed after using this only a few days, my scalp felt better. I put this on only before bed (even thought I probably should morning and night). I’ve been putting the cream on for a month now and my hair loss has definelty slowed and my itchiness is gone. My husband said the scalp looks a normal color now too.
My head was so sensitive and painful to even lay it on a pillow. My temples hurt also. Turns out I had a rare disease call Giant Cell or cranial arteritis which is deadly if not treated with prednisome! It also can cause blindness in your eyes. It affects the veins /arteries to your head and eyes and causes them to close off which in turn can make you have mini strokes from lack of oxygen. It makes your scalp hurt also!! have a doctor check your eyes and do a sedimentt blood test. Have them check for the disease. If you don’t you will probably die as it is not something that will go on it’s own. It is very rare likeI said and almost all doctors will not even think of it when you complain of scalp pain. Yo may also have jaw pain when eating or pain near your ears.(not always).
Read about Giant Cell here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranial_arteritis
I am 67 yrs. old and an have the same problem with scalp pain and hair loss. it started about 8 months ago, went to dr. did blood work, went to a dermetologist ,she said looks like you have a lot of hair ,not to worry, she was no help at all. I also have lost 1/2 of my hair. It is a very depressing thing to go through. I have read all the post above. I think the gluten- free thing might be the answer. I hope one of us sufferer will find a solution to this crazy problem….
I have had scalp pain for at least 25 years (age 70 now) and didn’t even think about it going in to baldness until it did. About 5 years ago my scalp became very. very inflamed and later I began getting random scabbing. At this point I have a grooved scar from my forehead to my crown where hair follicles are missing. I have been to 5 dermatologists with absolutely no results despite cream and injections. Two have taken a chunk of scalp for tests but got no definitive answers. I have also gone to two naturopaths who also tried their best but were not successful in facilitating scalp healing.
Although it is too late to save some areas of my hair, I have been able to slow the progression using an elimination diet (Paleo AIP). No new lesions developed and my scalp healed up 70-80%. I tried adding back eliminated foods and it really flared up again. I then got the 99-food test, eliminated those specific foods, and again got about 70% healing but wasn’t quite there. Quite by happenstance, I tried an intensive (9x in 12 days) regimen of acupuncture for allergies a few weeks ago. About 3 days after the last treatment, I was surprised to find my scalp suddenly healed to the 90% level. My scab that resulted from the dermatologist’s test sample that has been there 11-12 months has healed for the first time and is not redeveloping.
My message is first to consider that the cause may be some type of allergy / food sensitivity. Secondly, there may be an alternative health care method that your body will respond to better than the traditional ones.
My scalp is hot but it doesn’t hurt when I touch it though. Can you suggest a reason for my conditions? My hair line is receding. I’m just 17 , it’s really depressing and embarrassing. 🙁
Hi i also have had a painful scalp it a burning sensation and almost like somthings crawling in my hair and i have to itch to the point i have sores on my head i have an appointment wi the doc nxt week and hope he will help as its embaressing and veri sore. Has anyone found anything that helps? ????
First of all, the pain is not psychosomatic, that is a term used by doctors to keep from saying, “I don’t know what your condition is and I can’t help you.” He/ She is “practicing medicine” and since I have had alopecia for over 30 years, I can say this with complete understanding of what is happening to these respondents. Been there, done that. More importantly, the pain that occurs with alopecia areata, universalis and totalis, may be different than the pain from other hair loss conditions, more or less intense. There is nothing that, to date, can be done for the hair loss itself. Massaging the scalp, acupuncture, chiropractic medicine has given many people relief from this pain, but may not help with the hair loss. Vitamin B complex, and B12 in particular in the sublingual form may regrow hair since the follicle is not dead. It will slow down the hair loss, but will not stop the condition itself. The Sublingual form allows the vitamins to be taken into the bloodstream versus the gut where it may be destroyed by stomach acid before it has a chance to act. I have regrown an entire head of hair this way, but I still get spots of hair loss. I hope this will help some of you with this condition as there may never be a cure. Please do not over medicate on the vitamins, have patience as it does take time to regrow hair and since it grows in 3 layers you will typically regrow one layer at a time. The other benefits you will see are that nails grow much stronger, and faster and your skin will heal faster after a cut/ burn etc. Something else that I have found to be helpful to regrowth is to eat less fatty protein (meat) and eat more legumes in place of the meat. It is much easier for the body to absorb protein w/o fat in it and legumes bind the bile used to break down foods, bile that would otherwise be taken back by the liver to be recycled in the same way an automobile uses old oil. Legumes are the fiber that we all hear we should be eating, but no one ever tells you they are the best fiber for cleansing the body. Whether or not there is a connection to hair regrowth is not proven, but healthy eating habits contribute to better health overall.
Hi, I have been to the site before and read the comments a year ago. I am back because at some point i got the burning under control and now it is back. I am a 52 year old, black woman, natural hair. I am a paleo eater (no processed food. I eat meat, vegetables and fruit; no soda, very little sugar, no junk food, no bread, no grains). Supplements that i take daily are: Vitamin d3 – 10k iu, magnesium – 500mg(plus some extra in a spray because my body eats it up), dessicated thyroid 720mg, naicin 500 mg, valerian root ( as needed), Omega 3 1290mg.I think for different people there are different triggers. My triggers are:
Stress, types of food, hair dye or chemicals.
On Stress – this creeps up on some of us and we don’t realize we are stressed. I went to protective styles for my hair last year: wig (braids underneath, not too tight), sewn in weave (again, not to tight and not loads of hair), and for a while, no hair dye. But in the last few months, job fears, deaths in the family, taking care of or worrying about elderly parents and grown up kids, takes its toll. Began drinking more wine (bad on liver and kidneys; check you alcohol ladies).
Types of food – I was already on a paleo lifestyle for the last three years, but got increasingly lazy about stuff infiltrating my food. May have weakened my immune system. Eat clean and give your liver, pancreas, and kidneys an opportunity to recover. Today I am making cilantro tea. From cilantro greens. It is a natural detoxifier. Try to get as many greens in your system as possible. (smoothies or teas with Kale, cilantro, collards, parsley, spinach, etc.) Broccoli too. Steamed if it is too strong for a smoothie. Find out which foods cause or contribute to inflammation and eliminate them. Probably a lot of your favorites.
Hair chemicals – i forgot about how sensitive my scalp was to chemicals and wanted my edges to be ‘not gray’ for hair peeking out from under my weave/wigs and got my hair dyed. Then got my braids and sew in done. Aggravated the already sensitive scalp even more. So today the pledge of ‘nothing not natural on my scalp’ takes precedence over my vanity. This is a hard pill because my grey isn’t pretty and salt and pepper like my mom’s.
Once I realized what was happening with the burning scalp and hair loss, i went into action. I added the valerian root capsules 450mg(valium is made from this plant, but you can get it at the health food store for about $10) at bedtime. This allowed me to sleep because it naturally calms nerve endings. I added it to my morning and afternoon, too. This allowed my mind to ‘calm down’ to break the stress cycle about once again having scalp burning and losing my hair. It calms my nerve endings a lot and I can operate in my life. I think that if the nerve endings are calm and not in pain, then perhaps we keep our hands out of our head and not scratch or tug or pull hair that is already loosened. It is a different feeling than taking an aleve or advil.
I removed my sew-in and my braids. I didn’t wash my hair when i took it down. Hair and scalp were tender. I did gently comb through the hair to take out hair that had already fallen in the braids. I oiled my scalp with castor oil, and placed the hair in two strand twists all over my head. That was almost 3 weeks ago. I have left it alone, as the cycle was already started and there was nothing I could do about it. I went back to my wig. Today I am going to wash my hair, condition it with apple cider vinegar and water, and perhaps leave in coconut or castor oil. I will then put it back into two strand twists over my head and wear my wig. Purchase a good wig that flatters and accentuates your face and features. It will do wonders for your self image and self esteem. Also, when I take my hair braids down after wearing the wig for about a month, I naturally expect hair fall because when the hair is ‘up’ it doesn’t have any where to go. So psychologically this doesn’t stress me as much as combing my hair everyday or every other day and seeing hair fall. I pray that this was helpful to someone today. Daina
Hi I just read some other parts of the site and realized some additional things. I am 52. I took birth control in my twenties but it always made me feel ‘odd’. Stayed on it about six to eight years? Had two babies, five years apart. Went on the sponge. Two marriages by 30. Divorced by 33. Devastated. Spent 7 years celebate. Hair was gorgeous. It was never thick nor long but during this time it was very healthy and shiny. Got married at 40, and no sponge available. Went on NUVARING. During that first year and a half of the new marriage with a big blended family, my hair broke in half right at the top and crown, like someone took a hatchet to my hair.
I was so very tired and depressed about my hair and health. Was told thyroid numbers were ‘good’, but realized that couldn’t be right. The standards for thyroid function had changed. And I had brain fog and weight gain. I mean huge. Doc put me on synthroid, and that sucked. Asked for dessicated thyroid, but no one prescribed it anymore. Left worrying about my hair and started worrying about my endocrine system and why the components weren’t working.
So went down another rabbit hole to figure out my hormones and endo system. Still didn’t connect the problems to hormones and birth control and endocrine systems. For 10-12 years I have been modulating and changing my care of my body, but am realizing that my body health is a moving target as my hormonal needs change. All the women in my family have female baldness directly on the pate and temples. Most all have had hysterectomies, ovaries removed and such. My aunt and I are the only ones that have gone or are going through true menopause with parts intact. I have no roadmap. I can only try to write down what I have learned in order to pass it on to my girls. Thanks to all of you for telling your birth control story. I feel like suing somebody.
Eventually I did find dessicated thyroid, which I order online. That did help regulate my endocrine system. My system was estrogen heavy, and for a while I did use progesterone cream. I found out that my hair relaxer used phytoestrogens so I cut that out and went natural. Will only do a flat iron or hot comb and only occasionally. Mostly wigs and sew in pieces. I have hair all over my head. I experienced ‘dread shed’ perhaps 3 major times in my life. I have done the ‘big chop’ to start over fresh about 5 times in my 52 years. Be kind to yourselves. It is a long life for most of us. And we are constantly lied to about product safety. Insulted by docs who are either delusional in their lack of knowledge or who are co-conspirators with the drug companies. They are goliath. But WE ARE DAVID. If it isn’t natural we probably shouldn’t be using it.
I have been dealing with painful, swollen scalp for years. Finally this year I just stopped trying to save my hair. I cut it very low, but the pain and swelling remains. I am very thin on top and try not to brush my hair much. I also at times have to take pain meds just to wash it. I went a dermatologist a few years ago who gave me injections in my scalp and let me tell you I only had 1 visit. I could not take the pain she caused. She gave me this long name for what I have and stated “You are lucky, most people with this condition, their scalp opens up and sore occur.” Needless to say, it gave me know pain relief” Still searching for the diagnose and the cure…
OMG…I think the Tea Tree Oil is the answer!!I have been using Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Essential Oil for a week now, and my head and scalp pain is gone. And I also started taking “IT WORKS” hair skin nails supplement so the hair loss has slowed almost stopped. So things are looking up! Give this a try and see if you get the same results. Good luck to all of you.
I am new here but not alone. I read the posts and seems doctor’s are useless for this.
It is ruining my life. Thick wavy hair my whole life and no family history of loss.
I do have low tsh but endocrinologist does not prescribe anything.
I’m so to the point with scalp pain and burning and hay texture to baby fine
Thinning. I lost 80% of my hair and still shedding. I got teatree oil from here, but don’t feel optimistic.
Good luck to all. I wish I could stop this.
Hi, I got burning head sensation around 6 months ago after a botched bleach highlights job. It was awful,skin was red and irritated. Then I went on a binge of alternative treatments, like olive oil, coconut oil, and everything made it even worse. I reacted negatively to the oils. I started doing research until I, to my shock and horror, read a medical study that used olive oil as growth medium for malassezia furfur, a fungal species that lives on the scalp. So off I went to an infectious disease doc, who then jointly with a derm, treated me empirically for scalp fungal infection with itraconazole pulse therapy. The redness and inflammation was gone, but i still had some residual pain and hair shedding. I also developped small bumps all over the head which were diagnosed as folliculitis. I was put on 2 weeks of doxy between the itraconazole pulses and the folliculitis was/is gone. Then i travelled to europe where it was wonter and my condition went away completely. Returned back to hot and humid climate after 2 weeks and it returned. Having another 2 week pulse now and if condition doesnt clear completely, the meds will be switched as i only got partial cure and it can be expected that the meds dont have high enough efficacy. By the way,I read here that someone’s doctor confirmed fungal infection with a wood’s lamp but didnt treat? The fingus that can be seen by woods lamp examinatin is M. canis and is the guilty party for tinea capitis! Tinea capitis can btw not be cured by topical application only and requires oral medication
I’ve had gradual thinning overall but mostly along my part & crown but lately my bangs have thinned tremendously & I’ve had a frequent burning in the exact areas where my hair has thinned, no where else. I recently started viviscal 2-3 months ago & feel as though I’m noticing an increase in shedding. Anyone else noticing anything similar? Good luck to all of you.
Hi everyone, I finally found the reason for myself! I am histamine intolerant and I think that when histamine is getting too much in the body it piles up under the scalp too..I had severe scalp pain, burn with hairloss and yesterday I boiled one onion (not too long, 1-2 min) in 250ml water and drank it as tea…I always do this to get the quercetin against my histamine intolerance, and see what? I wake up today and no scalp pain whatsoever!! And my shedding almost stopped too!! I also have quercetine tablets but they never seem to help like onion tea…And a daily intake of VitC 1000mg seems to help me too but recently I forgot to take it so that explains everything…Histamine is everywhere so google it and check if you think that you might have it too…
Hi everyone, I’ve had burning scalp for 15 years. I’n not going to bore you with the details, but will tell you what I have found that could be the cause of my painful scalp and what works. I have hashimotos thyroiditis. Burning scalp syndrome goes hand in had with it. When my thyroid is leveled, usually the painful scalp with disappear along with the hairloss, but not always. You have to tweak your thyroid levels until they are optimal. My TSH is below 1 always. There is a huge connection between low progesterone and high estrogen. All of you need to get your hormones checked, as whenever I have that situation going on, my hair sheds too with painful scalp. Always use brand name hormones, never generic and make sure they are bioidentical. If you raise your progesterone, it is a good idea to lower your estrogen at the same time. If your insurance won’t cover brand name, fight for it. If you use birth control pills use an anti androgen pill. Google them up. The two supplements I SWEAR by are Biosil liquid (not the pills)and Great Lakes Collagen powder (green can). I take 3 tablespoons daily in any liquid of the Great Lakes. It is gelatin, like the old jello you used to eat. Helps you sleep too if taken in chamomile tea at night. I wouldn’t have hair without these supplements.
Sorry about the typos. I was in a hurry to go on a hike!
Lately, everytime I wash my hair, few hours later the top-back part of my scalp gets oily. And once I touch that part my fingers would give a sour odor. I tried taking a picture of it and could not find any red rashes. But my scalp used to ache after combing my hair. Oh and I shed a lot after my hair wash. I was getting worried so I googled similar cases online. I leave in Kenya so I do not have access to many products ( sulfate) as suggested by some.
So I tried Tea tree oil, left it for an hour. Then I washed my hair with shampoo, followed by antibacterial handsoap (Dettol) as suggested by some in other websites. Shampooed again, conditioned, followed by herbal essence light reflective intensive mask (green) as someone suggest citric flavor to remove the smell.
After my hair wash I put serum as that smells great too. I air dried my hair as someone mentioned hair dryer makes scalp humidy. And voila! The smell was gone and my scalp no longer feels oily. I hope this is not temporarily. I will repeat this process again for my next hair wash.
It does make me wonder what triggered the oily scalp for me. The only thing I remember doing lately was go for a protein hair treatment 2months back. Wonder if that triggered my oily scalp??
I think I have found the reason behind scalp pain/ burning. I recently went to a TCM specialist and she said that I had heat in my body and needed to cut down on meat, coffee, alcohol, fried and long cooked meals, ginger, cinnamon etc., basically foods that create heat in the body. And I am so grateful that this burning sensation and pain on my scalp has stopped. I hope this helps anyone. I am also doing acupuncture along with chinese herbal medicine.
Hi everyone. I posted on this site a while ago, as I’ve been dealing with telogen effluvium and weird scalp sensations for over 7 months now. I am convinced at this point that the sensory nerves in my scalp suffered some type of damage resulting in pain, burning, itching and tingling sensations on my scalp with no visible damage to my skin. These strange feelings started at the same time that the TE thinning did- 3 days after I applied a semi-permanent dye. I was diagnosed with “parasthesias of the scalp” and given a dice pin prescription. I don’t understand the correlation between the two exactly, but I’m positive that there is one. I stopped taking doxepin as I couldn’t deal with the side effects (weight gain, grogginess, etc). I got a recommendation on another forum that taking a lecithin supplement could help the nerves to heal. I have been taking natural sunflower lecithin (I prefer not to use soy) for about 2-3 weeks and I can say that it is helping. I also take benfotiamine and alpha lipoid acid for the pain as needed. All of these are known to help with nerce disorders. I haven’t seen any change in the amount of hair I’m losing but im trying to remain positive that there is an end and that it is near. Another tip I keep hearing is to eat healthy. I look at it like this- you’re going to eat anyway, the least you can do is make sure that you eat your veggies and fruits, lean meats , nuts , seeds and seriously moderate sugars, caffeine and other harmful things.
Hope this helps someone. I will post back to update as I can.
hi guys came across this site last night During my worst period of itchy and tingling scalp ..I’ve had this for months with lots of shedding ..so much so I have very thin and brittle hair ..Drs not interested one even saying to me at least you have hair… Anyhow I got out of bed at 3am and had nizoral 2%so here’s what I did put nizoral on massaged into scalp left for 5 mins..then washed my hair with pine tarsal shampoo..then rinsed with white vinegar diluted 1/2 cup to 2 cups of water …..head still stinging and itchy …redness on scalp ….took 10 mgs of phenergan and eventually fell to sleep.This morning hardly any itch and hair feels good so have repeated the process… will keep you updated
PLEASE TRY ZINC!!
I’ve suffered off and on with different types of alopecia(hair loss). Lately topamax has been the rx culprit in depleting my zinc levels and significantly reducing my hair volume. Also creating a burning scalp. Zinc supplements literally stopped the hair loss in its tracks. Try a zinc assay test (look it up its fun and cheap buy on amazon). You can see if you are low. I can pretty much guarantee you are. What do you have to lose $10.00? Also avoid any vitamin A products produced from animals such as fish, beta carotene is fine. This is what I learned from years of suffering hope it helps!
WOW!!!! I’m blown away by how many people are dealing with this issue!
And I’m soo glad I found this website as I’ve been dealing with hair loss for 30 years now . Started when I was 29, now 59. I love reading all your testomonials. I’ve been to numerous Dr.s and holistic practices.
I’ve been a Hairdresser for 44 yrs now and still very active. It all started at a time in my life that I was partying quite a bit after work staying up late ,sometimes staying up all nite and going straight to work. (I know ,scarey!) also going thru a lot of stress. My hair came out in clumps! So I went to the best highly recommend holistic Dr in the state and Straightened out my act! Also met the man of my dreams and soul mate who I’m still married to 30 yrs later. Did tons of blood work, stool, urine and hair analysis sent off to a lab that specialized in hairloss. Came back as highest level of “Adrenal Burnout”. Everything was out of whack . He put me on all kinds of vitamins and minerals and I eventually became toxic. Obviously still dealing with this issue on and off ? I agree with a lot of you that Dr.s and Derms are clueless to these symptoms. I’ve seen numerous Physicians from Gynocologist, Dermotology ,Nutricianist, Endocrinologist, and Kinesiologist. The 4 Kinesiologist I’ve seen has the best results in detoxing ,and all over health healing. I refuse to use Monoxidil or Rogaine or any other Meds as it is only a temporary fix and does raises blood pressures and causes headaches. And as soon as you stop using it, the hair will fall out again! My story is very similar to May in that when I got pregnant with my son , in the 3rd month ALL MY HAIR CAME BACK FAST AND LONGER THEN IVE EVER HAD IT! When I told my Gynocologist ,he said so get pregnant again. REALLY??? Then several month later till now, falling out in clumps. Although I do not have flaking, sebborea, oiliness or bald spots, I do have tightness, pain ,sunburn feel,tingling, crawling and very sensitive scalp mostly in crown and right side of the head. My Adrenals are soo bad that when I think of something stressful while I’m in bed sleeping or during the day, I feel that heat starts in the pit of my stomach and goes up to the scalp several times a day, I know I’m gonna lose my hair . The burning and pain started about 2 yrs ago. I really think the culprit here is STRESS!!! Although I do. Think that fungus, autoimmune, poor circulation, food allergies, mites ,Yeast, sulfates, gluten, dehydration, Lupus, Lyme, and liver all have a roll in this matter. I know that losing 100 hairs a day is normal, but I lose 500 to 1000 or more a day. I keep my hair cut shoulder length as to keep it as looking somewhat healthy looking cause I do so many styles with it. My hair is naturally curley, and shiney so dr.s and friends also think I’m nuts. I’ve done, scalp biopsy, I’ve have done Bio-identical treatments ( implants, ouch!) that was great for my sex life (but did Nothing for my hair) for 6 months, then started having bleeding and other issues ,so I stop that. I do ionic foot baths occasionally at home which helps with cleansing toxins out since I’m around them all day and Ozone Therapy. I try to do organic everything including my shampoos and hair color. The best on the professional market. I’ve also been told by blood type that I don’t have enuf enzymes to brake down my food to process the right nutrition so I have to take Enzymes before eating and probiotics do wonders. The book ” Eat Right 4 your Type” (meaning the 4 blood types) might help some of you. Difficult to stay with because it’s expensive and hard to find some of the products. Another Kiniesiologist recommended Myomin which balances Hormones, Thyroid, and Adrenals, D3 and lots of water for dehydration. I find that when I stick to taking Myomin, D3, iron, Biotin 5-10,000 mg zinc ,Remedy and do B12 shots it helps. Also a hair vitamin that I carry and a lot of my client take is called Hair Gain for Women (for men also)really help me! It kills the DHT, which stops the BAD protein from killing the root of your hair. I am however going to look into suggestion posted here like Ovation Therapy, Monastat and Metformin. It’s true nothing is noticeable till 3 months time cycle. I’m sorry for ranting but I’ve so glad I found this website as I’ve been looking for answers for 30 yrs. it’s not till I looked up Scalp Pain that I found all this hair loss stories. DR.S NEED TO RESEARCH THIS ISSUE. I know everyone has different symptoms ,but I hope I helped in some way. We all need to find solutions. Thank You all for listening .
Ladies, I don’t participate in a lot of blogs or forums, but I want to share something and make a comment as I am a sufferer too. There is an article in this weeks Women’s World magazine about the benefits of “Biotin”. It appears that anxiety is the common denominator to our problem. I am 53 years old and this problem started years ago, so don’t be misled by age. I truly believe it is a nerve problem. Seek to repair your inside (anxiety, diet, depression), anything that may be stressing you to the point of hair loss. My problem is sporadic as well. But of the most part, I have been able to get relief as well by using Monistat 7 with a carrier oil; search YouTube. I don’t know how safe it is, as I have noticed that it causes head aches if to much is used; however, my thought is, how dangerous could it be if it’s safe enough for the Cookie? I don’t use it long term and use a little with Vitamin E oil, coconut, almond, etc. Whatever I have available. Caucasian women may have a more difficult time as oils weigh on the hair. Orgin doesn’t matter as far as the outcome. Maybe used lightly won’t make the hair heavy and oily. For those that chemically treat the hair, the hair that grows out of the affected areas is more vulnerable, easier to break. So, best wishes and hopefull I have shared something that may help someone.
This is the first time I have happened across this website. I was feeling quite sorry for myselt today. I have been losing my hair for years. It has been a slow and painful adventure seeing my thick luxuriours locks turn into coarse listless straggles. I’m so insecure and I have done all the blood tests and seen all the doctors and spent thousands of dollars trying to get my hair back. I’m beginning to lose hope and am in a deep mourning for my old head of hair. Logically I know that you don’t need a full head of hair to live a happy healthy life but i am just so inseucre right now. I wanted to add that I have suffered with the burning, itching, tingling, fire, numbness in my scalp. No painkiller I have ever tried eases my pain. I have spent days in bed crying from the pain being so debilitating that I just could not igore it. Not doctor ever offered me any remedy that worked for me. Recently I was speaking to my hairdresser and she suffers from the same pain. we talked about it and she shared with me that her neurologist said it it stress, anviety within the body and it needs a way to come out if we happen to supress it emotionally. she recommended I take a Xanax (I haven’t used one in over two years as I hate medicine) and I have to say it is the only thing that stops the pain. I now have to find a more holistic way to deat with my anxiety and I feel less fearful knowing there really isn’t something so wrong with me. I need to relax and meditate or something of the sort. wish me luck. I hope this helps someone else.
My scalp often pains but when I message my scalp it feels that it has cured,after sometimes it happens again.I’m losing my hair. Has their any solution ?
My scalp is so sensitive at times and for the past year or even more I have had more shedding than normal. Can somebody please tell me what is normal when it comes to shedding? I could count to 50 hairs sometimes 100 a day. Some days 10 some nothing and then back to shedding. I can see my hair getting thin and I am desperate. The dr send me for blood tests that I will do on Monday. Mean while can somebody tell me what is normal when it comes to hair shedding?
Has anyone taken the supplement called “Viviscal” ? I’ve taken it for a few years now and it has worked for me. It’s a little pricey, though. Usually every October I go through a shed, but this year I’m really noticing an abundance of my hair everywhere! I’m 61 & take HBP & low thyroid meds.
Also probiotics for digestive & colon issues.
Oh my gosh!! There are people like myself. I know each of you have felt the same but it’s like others have said, no one understands unless they have this problem. I didn’t read each comment but I read so many that it’s obvious we all have the same issues and it seems that anxiety does seem to play a part in the problems we have. It’s so embarrassing to fix meals or treats for someone else and being worried if you’ve accidentally gotten a hair in the food you prepared. I take every measure possible to avoid it and yet it still seems to happen. I dread washing my hair because I know I’m going to get upset afterwards. And then start to curse the doctors for not listening to me and even being upset with the hubby for not showing more concern (think he’s really tired of my complaints, he just shaves his head bald!). I’ve started collecting my hair in the drain and saving it in a plastic ziplock bag. I’m almost 50 and I take a large quantity of medications due to a failed back surgery that’s left me disabled. My hair has been falling out badly for 3½ years now and I remember the day my beautician mentioned my scalp being so red (just don’t remember when that was). And the past year is when I started having the “pony tail syndrome”. I’m so glad that I found out there was such a thing! Oh how my hair/head hurts at times and only time seems to be the relief for me. I did come to a conclusion as to what might be causing MY hair loss. At about the same time I noticed my hair falling out so badly was not long after I had my hysterectomy. And I remember the nurse telling me at the 4 week (it whatever it was) check up that if I had any libido issues to let her know and they could give me a testosterone injection (my husband had already been diagnosed with low T). I did not have a full hysterectomy, I till have my ovaries. Well, honestly… Yes I should have gone in but with my back pain issues and all the meds I currently take my libido isn’t, well… It isn’t :/ ANYWAYS…. with the hair loss, a constant vit D deficiency, low libido, constant fatigue (the list goes on) my Dr checked my testosterone. Yes, women can have low T as well, altho our levels are much lower than a mans they are needed as it helps with our estrogen/progesterone levels. A woman’s is suppose to be around 100 and mine was basically none existing at a “3”! SO… It is my hopes that resolving the low T level I have and continuing on the meds I take for depression and anxiety hopefully (fingers crossed) this will resolve my issues. It may take 2-3 months before I see a difference but I WILL (unlike Claire or whatever her name was that ” had the answer ” and then never shared. I understand completely how important this is to everyone and would love to offer any help possible (otherwise I wouldn’t have written this looong comment, Lol). Please everyone continue to share your experiences. Good luck to all!
About 5 years ago the middle of my head started burning out of the blue, whilst I was in training at a new job. It felt as if someone was outing a lit cigarette in my head. My friend had to leave the room with me as I panicked in pain. We tried to ease the burning with cold water. A few months later that same area just went bald. It has remained bald till this day and still sore to touch. The skin feel weird to touch like an Iron burn. The doctor is as confused as I am. I am not stressed and I don’t indulge in any vitamins. the rest of my hair grows around this area but this area seems to have been mysterious damaged out of the blue.
I have another appointment next week with the doctor as I have started to push for answers, it’s getting annoying, I like having my own hair out and have to keep resulting to extensions or wigs due to this one spot.
Ok so hi I have a question.
Does wearing a braid cause hair loss ?
So I’m a 13 year old female and have had my hair in a braid since like i was maybe 5 or maybe even younger. And when I was at the theatre yesterday I realized that when I ran my hair through my scalp it kind or hurt. It didn’t hurt like ‘ oww it burns ‘ but there was a little pain. And I was wondering if it had anything to do or could lead to hair loss. I am very scared. The reason that I wear my hair in a braid all the time is because I have a hair combo of curly and frizzy. It’s not extremely frizzy but there is some frizz. I have my hair up in a braid ALL of the time. And I mean ALL I have it in a braid when I go to school when I’m at basketball practice and even when I sleep. I’ve gotten used to it. But if you think that it may result in any hair damage or even hair loss, plz show me some tips and tricks on how to care for my hair. And plz if you have any other hair styles, plz share.
It is both validating and sad to read each of your stories. Of course, I too suffer from a burning scalp and thinning hair which started 7 yrs ago after an allergic reaction to hair dye. Since then, my hair texture has changed to fluffy/frizzy and is very fine. I do not have balding areas yet, but know they are coming. After reading all of your posts, it is evident to me that we are all searching for solutions not only for the symptoms, but for the anxiety. I cannot take it anymore…at times my sadness is debilitating. What I really need is a good wig, so I can stop obsessing over my appearance and just live my life! Can anyone recommend a realistic hairpiece?
I have just read all the posts and like so many sites it makes my future look grim. No one seems to have found any thing that works and doctors are not helpful. If anyone has something positive to add …like ” my hair has grown back” that would be great. Surely there is a solution out there …we send men into space for Gods sake.
Hi all
Really releived when discovered I am not alone in this…
I am a doctor and really don’t know the reason we have this ugly sensation.
At first thought it’s a tension headache…
But did not respond to drugs I tried..
I am trying to treat myself with drugs…
So far I did not knew how to manage this condition!!!!!!!
I am taking lyrica 150 a
It helps little…
I ll find the appropriate treatment and I post it here once I found the appropriate treatment
I posted last year. Pain has gotten a little better, but it’s still there. It’s more noticeable when I do a lot of manipulation to my hair. I now feel it is some kind of inflammatory reaction, to what – that is the million dollar question. I have done food elimination as well as no gluten and still no logical answers. So since my hair has been thinning out really bad over the past 4 years with the on set of menopause I decided to just keep all chemicals off my scalp. I use organic shampoo and conditioners and I no longer dye my hair. It has been a full year chemical free.
I’m seeing small amounts of regrowth but the hardest hit areas (upper temple area and front hair line) has not been coming in that much, I see new small thin hairs coming in constantly, just waiting for them to grow longer and thicker. My hair is still kinda thin in certain areas to go without some type of weave or wig. Since the weave process seem to be more hard on my hair follicles I wear a wig. Once I made the decision to wear a wig I stop worrying and fretting about my own hair. I’m just leaving it alone and see what happens. I take 10,000 mg of biotin every day and that has helped with the shedding and now I’m also taking a supplemental vitamin designed for hair health.
As I mentioned before I use no products with synthetic chemicals on my scalp. I have learned through youtube tutorials how to make my own custom human hair wig and I’ve gotten so good at, people are fooled and think it’s my real hair. I braid my own hair in cornrows (I’m African American) and I use a wig cape that fits my head perfectly so the wig looks more realistic and less wiggy.
By making my own custom wigs, I can tailor the whole process, select the hair texture that look most realistic and is similar to my own bio hair and style it like I use to style my own hair. Meanwhile my hair is not getting abused with heat, styling, dye or any kind of manipulation. It is safely under my wig cap in the day being left alone to try and grow back. At night I remove the wig, massage my scalp with Rosemary, Cedarwood and lavendar essential oil and sleep in a satin bonnet.
Wearing the wig has given me my sanity back, I’m not worrying every second of the day about the state of my hair. I have gotten so many compliment on my wigs and so many people are fooled and think it’s my bio hair. Since I don’t worry as much I think the stress is easing up and helping provide some hair growth.
I suffered a trauma two months ago. Almost all of my hair on the right side fell out. Now, the itching it’s making me miserable. Am I losing the rest of my hair now, or is it itching because new hair growth? So worried!
Hey there
I have a very similar question. Some areas of my scalp gets super sensitive at times and it even hurts if i touch my hair. I always oil and massage my scalp a night before washing my hair and thats when my it starts to hurt. By the time I go to bed my scalp hurts even when it touches the pillow. The next day it slightly gets better and disappears
I havent seen a doctor yet..
Please help! Thanks.
Oh My!! I have just learned a lot. I have been told so many times, your age, your age, your age. Just gonna have to get use to it my Doc says, she says your hair and scalp look fine. No one knows your body like you do. I have been loosing hair for about 5yrs, my sheds are pretty regular, but I have all of this new whispy growth on the nap of my neck, top of my head and the forehead. Yesterday after a big shed, my scalp hurt about a palm size right at the top of my head towards the back. I have had this several times, but since I wear my hair in a messy bun 99% of the time, I just thought I had it too tight. My hair has been done all this week, yesterday was a windy day and each time I went to brush the hair back with my hands it felt like I was being drug cave man style…lol
Back in July I started taking a herbal by Standard Process called Immuplex, after the 1st my sheds were few and far between, my nails were growing like crazy, my skin texture looked brighter and felt softer. At the same time I started taking the Immuplex I started taking a Probiotic for other issue’s I was having. So when I took the 3mo supply of Immuplex in October, I thought, I should have only started one at a time, because I didn’t know which was working???? Well in the last month my sheds have been everyday and the scalp pain now I can relate to the sheds with what I have learned here. I’m still taking my Probiotic, its working great and now I have just started re-taking the Immuplex. Hopefully I will have a positive update soon. I do know that rinsing my hair with 50/50 white dist. vinegar/water does help soothe my scalp, I have been doing that once a week for 50yrs. Was told that helps re-set PH balance. So happy to have found this.
I saw the dermatologist today. After 2.5 years of supposed lingering nerve pain from shingles all over my head, thetc doctor said I think you have Alopecia! I had been researching and thought the same. They have ordered a biopsy. In my reading they said no tests or lab work would be required for the diagnosis. Is this true? Am I going to have an unnecessary procedure? I have lost 9/10th so of my hair thickness and even the wind blowing my hair hurts. Do they really need to do a biopsy to determine which type of Alopecia it is?
Thanks
The tingling and pain sensation has come back and I am hoping not to get hair loss, which occurred 3 years ago when I was under unusually high stress. At that time, as some have written, the hair kept falling off during showers or in bed, as well as noticeable clumps on the couch. It ended up being a pure bald spot the size of a quarter (alopecia). It seems after this episode is when I started experiencing the tingling and pain (all on the right side of my head only). I was pain free for a couple of years, but in the last few months, I am experiencing the pain again. Massaging the area gives me some relief. It comes and goes. I was fearing that it may be a tumor or something in the brain, until I came across this blog. Good to know I can share your experiences with mine.
I DO BELIEVE I FOUND A RECIPE HAS HELPED MY HAIR LOSS AND PAIN IMMENSLY. I have been near devestatied with my significant, just about noticeable hair loss. I have been suffering with a hot, red scalp accompanied by the hair loss. my hair constantly felt as though it were being lightly tugged on. I addition, my cowlicks were going crazy in all different directions and very painful to the touch and brush. First i noticed the thinning about 6 months ago, but it seemed to be getting worse with the onset of all the other symptoms i mentioned. Let me say that I have long thick curly brown hair with a little bit of natural coarseness. I went to 2 Dermatologist, one prescribed me betamethasone a corticosteroid and the second, a series of shampoos, none of which worked but actually seem to worsen the problem. As I searched the internet, frantic for a cure, I came across a series of different oils that are supposed to be soothing to the scalp and promoted hair growth. For the last 3 weeks, i have been mixing two tablespoons of pure coconut oil with about a dozen drops of rosemary oil and another dozen drops of vitamin E oil. I warm it slightly enough to thin the coconut oil. I’ve been massaging this all over my scalp for 5 nights per week for 3 weeks now as i mentioned And sleep with it on all night. I could not believe that by day 3, the hotness and pain had just about disappeared! My cowlicks are also cooperating much more and i am beginning to see baby hairs where it was thinning! For months i have been taking 5000 mcg of biotin but just added 400 iu of vitamin E daily. For now, i also do not pull my hair back or put it up. Lastly, i purchased Shea Moisture natural shampoo and conditioner. You should be able to find all of these items at your local health food store or Vitamin Shoppe such as GNC. I am committed to this 5 nights a week despite the fact that it does take me about 30 to 4o minutes. i plan to continue this for months. The fact that my hair no longer hurts or feels as tugged on, is enough for me to know that there is definitely some major Improvement happening here. So, if your hair is just beginning to thin, this may just work for you. i am not a doctor, just a desperate 45 year old woman. I wish all of you out there the best of luck and hope you find whatever works for you and your hair!
Like Jenni mentioned, i started experiencing intense pain and a tugging sensation plus red scaly patches over my scalp. the most apparent symptom was my hair loss and the condition of the hair…. very thin blond hair shedding everywhere on my dark tops. I stopped coloring and highlighting (It think I had developed an allergy to chemicals and it triggered it). dermatologist diagnosed a “dermatitis” duh! and prescribed steroid shampoo and lotion. they helped with the pain but not the shedding and the skin irritation. One day i saw the Shea Moisture Black Soap shampoo and conditioner in my local pharmacy…I started using it exclusively (no more steroid shampoo and lotion). after 3 weeks the skin lesions were all gone and the pain too. shedding stopped after about 2 months. now we are 2 years down the road. hair grew back some but at least the loss seems to have stopped. I have no pain and no other symptoms. I have tried to venture into other natural shampoos but I have had to go back and again to this specific shampoo because I can feel tingling sensation after one or 2 washes. Hang in there every one! My hair is still thin but now looks healthy and has a little volume. I make the most of it.
Mah hairs are frequently falling and when i simply touch mah hair it cause me so much pain , as you said this is trichodynia disease then what is the treatment for it???? Plz Help
Glad to find this. My hair started falling out 3 months ago. My scalp burns and is red. Like many others I always had thick hair before. I have started taking aspirin twice a day and Ibuprofen twice a day to try to control the pain and inflammation. I have RA and wonder if my immune system is attacking my scalp and will ask my Dr. about it on my next visit, but I can tell that this is not alopecia areota. When I can I rub a little olive oil on the sore areas of my scalp and it does give me some relief.
Hi!After reading the posts ,I feel that my problem is not very unique.I too suffer from increasing baldness on the top front portion of my head accompanied by a burning sensation,particularly when I come under sunlight or when I comb my hair.this has left me very anxious leading to further thinning of my hair.
Hi… I first read all your comento about 2 months ago..my hair had been falling out for about 6 weeks. So desperate to find a remedy as my hair had been falling out something terrible and with such annoying pain on top of my scalp, like someone was continuously pulling at it… I wanted to cry.. It’s terrible..I think I stayed up hours searching for any clues or solutions in all your letters… It made me feel so sad to hear your stories and find no real answers… I read from somebody that maybe it was too many vitamins .. Because believe me, I was takeing everything that I thought could help my hair stop falling and stop the horrible pain that was making me even more stressed than I already was( multi vitamins, Biotin,Collegen ,flax seed,spirulina.. And Moringa )… So I totally detoxed on everything for two months and nothing..so now I was at 4 months of pain and hair loose.. My hair getting so thin,I felt like my old grandma.oh and the grey roots weren’t helping because I definitely stopped all chemical processes ..
I am so sure that this hair problem is totally related to stress…or at least mine is.. Times have been rather tough lately(47 years old).. And I appear to not handle situations very well according to my hairloss.. Bummer about that too..It occurred to me one day, as I do believe in a lot of natural medicine… If I was going to have acupuncture for other issues.. (Normally muscle related) , why not see if through the needles I could stop what was going on with my hair… I have had four sessions and I don’t know if this is the reason that my hair is not falling out anymore… But it has stopped…the needles seem to have worked..I imagine they stimulate the blood . The gentleman that helps me is from Thailand , a real authentic person…very humble but loves what he does…Just wanted to let you know what has happened to me…believe me ,I tried everything beforehand…very expensive hair loss serums from Europe(which I really couldn’t afford)… Scalp irrigation shampoos. 3 months of a hair vitamin supplement from Switzerland …. Everything that I could get my hands on… This is my story. I hope you all have found your own remedies ….. Good luck to you all. Love ,light and happiness.. Cheers
I have that intense pain on my scalp and have more than 100 strands of hair loss a day. Someone told me to take biotin for hair growth. Before my hair was growing but the even the newly grown hair was falling too. I even tried to use those uoghurts or eggs remedies but nothing happens. If i feel the pain on any side of my scalp the next day i will see my scalp. No more hair. I had visited dermatologist but nothing happened too. Gosh im so afraid i will totally bald in due time. Please share if you had found any remedy on this problem.
I had a very painful ,burning ,sore scalp for almost 5 years.
I tried everything.
antibiotics ,creams, even Listerine.
recently, like 5 days ago i tried salt with lemon juice a tablespoon of fine salt mixed with juice of half a fresh lemon juice.
Mix into a paste.
apply it directly to scalp and leave it in. I usually it on for 20nminuites and rinse off with plain water.
i have done this for 3 days now and it is 75% better.
Will keep you posted.
I cannot tell you how happy I am that I found your posts! I started feeling the tingling sensation and noticed hair loss about 5 months ago. I spoke with my doctor but she had no clue what would be causing it. Over the last 5 months I have experienced pain and my hair loss is even worse. I never wear my hair in a pony tail and stopped coloring/highlighting my hair over a year ago. My doctor ran a series of tests and even alluded to the fact that I may be depressed but I assured her that I am not depressed and will not take any anti-depressants. All of my blood tests came back normal (thank goodness) but left us with no explanation for my hair loss or pain. I am going to try some of the remedies that you listed! Thank you so much! I was beginning to think I was the only one experiencing this.
I have been losing my hair across the middle parting for about 3 years now, this was all triggered when I changed my pill (on the advice of the doctor due to turning 40)I didn’t get on with the new pill she gave as it gave me huge hormonal changes, mood swings, depression, weight gain etc, I then tried another which had the same issues, this is when I started to really notice the hair loss. I looked back on pictures and see that the hair loss really began as soon as I stopped taking the first pill. I ended up stopping taking the pill all together as I thought they were making the problem worse, then the hair really fell out! Spoke to the doctor who confirmed that stopping or changing the pill can cause significant hair loss, due to hormonal fluctuations happening. I was mortified, now she won’t put me back onto my original pill, due to my age, yet they can’t find any other reasons for my hair loss, had blood tests etc. I get all the symptoms, scalp pain, scalp sores, weeping blisters. I am embarrassed and cry when I see my self with balding areas, that are now getting wider, so even now swapping the parting over from one side to the other, I still have large areas of scalp visible. I have to fill in the scalp as best I can using powder products for hair loss, but feel I can’t go on with this problem anymore, but the doctor doesn’t really see it as a real issue as it’s not life threatening, I am so at the end of my tether with it all 🙁 All confidence has gone now.
Hello,
I’ve been experiencing the same symptoms too but never got it checked out. I’m currently 19 years old and was born with thin hair– I never had that much hair to begin with. I’ve been shedding like crazy since I’ve been stressed out and was depressed. Plus, it’s been about 6 months since I last dyed my hair. The most visible balding others can see is my crown. I noticed my hair line has slowly been receding.
Should I go see a dermatologist or a doctor? If I should see any of them, can someone recommend me to a place somewhere in Portland, Oregon?
So many people posting here have described exactly the symptoms I’ve experienced for the last 5 years or so…terrible “burning” sensation in my scalp, which now has spread down my forehead & sometimes feels like it’s reaching to my eyelids, reddish-pink scalp, and severe hair loss. I’ve been to two different dermatologists and also discussed the problem with my regular physician, had two biopsies done on my scalp by two different dermatologists, with no answers, other than “alopecia” (balding). Finally, the last derm doc had me have an x-ray of my cervical spine (neck area) and it showed that my discs are degenerating, which can apparently cause referred pain to my scalp. I’m not buying it, because it wouldn’t cause my scalp to look “inflamed red” all the time, nor would it cause the balding. SOMETHING is going on…and with so many people obviously suffering in the same way, WHY can’t the doctors figure out what is causing the symptoms and cure it? I guarantee that if any of my doctors (all women) were experiencing these problems themselves, they’d be pushing for research to be done and finding answers and solutions. I’m 61 years old, but always had super thick hair…until this began. Now, I’m almost to the point of having to buy a wig, which makes me one very sad lady.
Hello
I’m experiencing the almost same symptoms I’m 20 year old
I have pain in my hair follicle
Even when I touch my head I feel pain and my hair are falling like a crazy when I touch my hair they come in my hands with their follicles
Now I can see visible patches(baldness) on my head
I went to dermatologist he gave me minoxidil but its making sever these symptoms instead of treating them so I stoped using medicine
I’m a student and I’m really worried about it please give me good advice what should I do ?
Oh my.. I just randomly googled my symptom and up popped this page. I’ve spent the last 2 hours trawling through the previous posts with relief that I am not the only one going through this. I am not a freak!
I’ve experienced this three times in the last 6 years.
The first when I broke up with a long term boyfriend.
The second when I moved across the country away from my close knit family.
The last time only started last month, and unlike the previous two times there has not been a significant emotional event occurring at the time, but it has been stressful at work.
Clearly this is triggered by my emotional state, so aside from being happy all the time, which would be ideal, is there anything I can do to avoid being medicated and bald?
Many thanks,
Lex
rs ago (60 yrs old at this time) a friend mentioned that my scalp hair looked thin. I brushed it off because I had just had my haircut – new style. Then a year ago my husband asks me if I noticed that my scalp hair was thinning – especially on the crown. Oh boy – I then took it seriously – yes, it was thinning. Then I started noticing that my hair was falling out, but no new hair coming in. I’ve always used natural products – so I felt that wasn’t the problem.
So while researching hair loss, I decided to start using natural hair products for hair re-growth (no real changes). I also decided to try Country Life Maxi-Hair supplements and the results were beautiful long nails – no new hair growth, but the hair I have is growing more than an inch per month.
I’ve been taking the same supplements for the past 3 years, so ruled those out. But for whatever reason my scalp was really burning last night so I decided to rub an Ayurvedic Health Hair Oil into my hair. It relieved it, but today the burning returned. So today I decided to research scalp issues related to the burning sensation and came across a website “Trends & Life” which talked about “burning scalp syndrome ((Trichodynia)”. Then I started looking for articles regarding burning scalp – and WOW, found this website.
Also I started taking Armour Thyroid about 7 years ago and didn’t notice any issues. But due to a problem with manufacturing I had to switch to Nature Throid (which I’ve been taking for about 3 1/2 years – so now I’m looking into this as a possible problem with the beginning of my hair loss. My understanding is that when the scalp hair falls out this is when the sensitivity appears.
Thank you all for sharing your story……Many Thanks, Kriz
My hair has been falling out for 1.5 years now. Every day when I brush it, or just touch it, it falls out at the roots. My scalp has become extremely dry and itchy almost all of the time, my hair has becomebrittle, and nothing I put on it topically helps at all. I have tried putting oil on at night, and my scalp is still dry in the morning with greasy hair!
I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, but can’t get any doctor to prescribe meds as my numbers are “within range.”
I take multivitamins along with Iron and other supplements but it’s done no good.
I have no idea what to do. I’ve been to dermatologists and thryoid doctors, who have no answers for me!
So frustrated!
I forgot to mention that my scalp is red, irritated, and tingles, and/or hurts when I even so gently brush it! I see others are experiencing the same problems. I’ve tried to eat much better than I used to, but again, nothing is helping.
I have had success!!!! ?I got rid of the burning and had hair growth back plus peach fuzz on my face that I never had. I took ferrous sulfate 325mg 2x a day for over six months. My iron level were fine but my ferritin (iron storage) was low. My dermatologist said it needed to be over 100 to grow hair and mine was 15. I also took biotin5000 mcg, vitamin b complex, vitamin d and ate and drank healthy. I tried apple cider vinegar rinses a couple of times and egg yolks a couple of times. You know how desperate you get. I think it was mostly the ferritin levels and vitamins which I stopped taking a year ago and now I am having another flare up. Head is burning and hair is dropping. Time to suck it up and take all my pills. PS if your doctor prescribes the iron it’s cheeper than over the counter. There are many different types of iron only get the one above. I went To the dr. Every couple of months to get my ferritin levels checked. Good luck to you and to me. ?? be patient and persistent.
I have had a the burning pain in my scalp for 6 years. I also get itchy lumps that scab over. Its always in the same place. My hair has thinned quite considerably too. In the beginning it was so bad that I had to put an ice pack on my head to get relief. Various tests, including nerve tests, CT scan and MRI have come up with nothing. I’m going to try Tori s plan of attack and see if that helps. Its frustrating that doctors cant seem to help with this problem. I thought I was the only one suffering. I’m so glad to have found this site.
Thanks everyone for sharing all this. I started severe scalp burning after my roots were done and in the Florida sun 2 years ago. I returned from Florida and 3/4 of my hair fell out. The severe burning lasted 8 months with severe hair loss. Fast forward 2 years later, it’s extremely thin and burning / sensation comes and goes. Lost of hair loss in crown area as well. I think the only thing that reduced the burning was aloe vera gel from the plant itself. I stopped that after feeling relief, but the pain has returned 9 months later, so I’m going back to that. My dermatologist also suggested like Tori above to increase your iron levels, ferrous sulfate 325 mg. 2x a day which I have started. I also use a shampoo by Phylo for aging women, not sure if that is helping but it feels better than anything else when I shampoo. I have also used to control the extreme thin fly aways after shampoo JoJobo oil , just 1/2 of a dime run in your hands and put on hair half way down… just to control the hair ( no conditioners because that flattens the hair ). It’s been a 2 years struggle with depression, anxiety, and stress as everyone has stated above. If anyone else has solutions, please share. I also use Naturtint now once every 5 weeks. No PPD and No ammonia.
Hello. I’m 33 and started having hair loss after the flu and extremely stressful serious events earlier this year. My hair loss/shedding/ diffuse thinning started in May and I’ve gone through about 3 sheds since then. I was told I had telogen effluvium. I had all of my lab test done and all came back normal. I’ve been taking iron for many years and it’s at 88 right now, and just started viviscal yesterday so I’ll keep you posted on that. I used to have extremely thick dark hair and now it’s wispy and I seem more gray regrowrh now too. I have some regrowth on my front hairline that looks like bangs now and some regrowth throughout my scalp too. But I’ve lost 2/3 of my hair already and the texture has changed so much that it stil feels extremely thin and different. Has anyone else experienced this? Obviously this has caused so much depression, anxiety and stress that I’m trying to manage now so it won’t get worse.
I’ve also have the pain intensive itching etc. it started after I had a very bad case of gastritis, severe pain in stomach, nausea, lightheaded,was gray in color. Doing scans they found a fibroid mass in my uterus. From the end of April I was ill, started losing hair after itching started in crown forward. That was about end of June. Then started losing hair plus I pulled some thinking ingrown hair caused the pain and I do get relief if I identify the individual hair that hurts the most, like a big needle going into my head but it’s only replaced by another hair. I wake up at night itching. I had total hysterectomy end of Aug. (I was already post menopausal & on hormone therapy). I went to a dermatologist have had biopsy with results being Alopecia Areata with some scaring but dr says it doesn’t explain the pain and itching. I’m getting the cortisone shots in my head, give some relief for 2 days and the sever itching returns. I have some hair regrow this only yo lose more around it and I think I’ve lost some of the regrow things. I know some of those stubbles hurt and itch bad. I’m reading the Keto Zone and gluten free and everything that turns to sugar being so bad for us and it sounds like these things could be causing my severe stomach pain/gastritis. Check out the book. I’m going to start this diet to see if it helps at all. Waiting for payday the 1st so I can go to the natural store to buy some items. It’s going to be a radical change in my diet but I really believe this could be the problem. I’ll let you know how I’m doing end of Jan 2018 or sooner if it starts helping with pain and itching! I’m keeping fingers crossed.
Wow!! Glad I found answers finally,been going through scalp pain for the past one year and hair loss on same region ,though noticed the hair loss 5days ago. Never been to the hospital, googled and read about stress induced scalp pain so I didn’t bother much as I have been through stress lately. I think I will need to see a dermatologist/ endocrinologist soon just to rule out other underlying causes because I got palpitations and some symptoms of thyroid disease.
I’ve just come across your lovely website. I was diagnosed with AU 4 years ago (having lost all my hair on my head/body over the course of 10 days – I then lost my nails). However, today just like 4 years ago (the weekend before I lost my hair) my scalp is burning REALLY bad and I’m not sure if there’s anything I can take to make it go away or at least lessen? Ive taken ibuprofen but its not helping! arghh! x
Hello Everyone,
I have also had success!!!!! Claritin/Benadryl any type of allergy medicine reduces my inflammation and pain significantly.
The burning was excruciating. I am perimenopause and 52 years old. About half of the hair fell out of the crown of my head in about two weeks. I even had a first-degree burn mark on the nape of my neck. I also went through a very stressful event that I believe switched the whole thing on. I read that I could be deficient in lithium orotate, a trace mineral we need for our bodies. You DO NOT want the lithium carbonate.
It said cortisone gets trapped under my scalp which causes the extreme burning. I ordered some lithium orotate and plan to try it out. I think of the burning like hot flashes. Our brain is getting a signal hormonally that is shouldn’t, activating too much cortisol. It’s not that we are crazy, but our hormones are not firing correctly.
I am getting a complete blood work done Monday so two weeks from there I hope to learn more about why my scalp burns. I’ve read everything from iron to thyroid to adrenal glands. In reality, I think I’m way out of balance hormonally but I did recently get a tetnas shot and I took Accutane in my 20’s. I am also on bio-identical progesterone in the pill form. I took birth control most of my adult life. Please post if the allergy meds works for you!
Tori, I am so excited you have found an answer. Now that you mention the ferritin and iron, it makes perfect sense. I know a hairdresser who says if they don’t take biotin their hair all falls out, so i know that is also a benefit. I will definitely ask my doctor about the iron/ferritin, as I know that if you self medicate iron you can cause a serious health problem. I nearly did that in the past. Be careful with iron. Thank you so very much for your post. I have hope this will stop my issues for good. I have had this condition for at least 15 years on and off. Hair always grew back before but this round is much worse and I have been very concerned. I am in my early 60s so maybe my iron stores are much lower now. I will have to get it checked. Again, thank you!
My hair has been falling out for 2.5 years now. Every day when I brush it, or just touch it, it falls out at the roots. My scalp has become extremely dry and itchy almost all of the time, my hair has become brittle, and nothing I put on it topically helps at all. I have tried putting oil on at night, and my scalp is still dry in the morning with greasy hair!
I take multivitamins along with Iron and other supplements but it’s done no good.
I have no idea what to do. I’ve been to dermatologists and doctors, who have no answers for me! The dermatologist gave clindamycin and it help for a while the it came back worst than before.
I forgot to mention that my scalp is red, irritated, and tingles, and/or hurts when I even so gently brush it! I see others are experiencing the same problems. I’ve tried to eat much better than I used to, but again, nothing is helping.
Hi Again,
Here’s my update. My blood results showed me as slightly anemic and my ferritin level at 36. I started taking ferritin three times a day and the burning stopped in three days. I also read that being deficient in B vitamins can cause burning, so I take a B complex too.
I went to a naturopathic doctor. She did not know why my scalp was burning. She said that ferritin needs to be at 50 for hair growth. I have seen as high as 70 on other websites. My hair is growing back. Mostly in the back, slower in the front.
I’m hoping that as my ferritin increases, the itching will stop altogether. Right now I feel an occasional sensation that can be rubbed away. I have stopped taking the Claritin and Benadryl completely.
Hopefully, I am on the way to full recovery. I really feel for the women that dealt with this for years. Hopefully, this forum will keep others from having to suffer for such a long time.
Tip: You can get your own labs done online. Places like labsmd.com will take your order, you go to a lab (like Lab Corp) to have your blood drawn, and they email the results to you.
Sounds like frontal fibrosing alopecia. This is an auto-immune disease where t-cells are attacking the hair follicle. Not sure what cause a flare. Could very well be gluten and stress. I get a series of injections along the front of my hairline (this has side-effects which should reverse over time), a steroid topical , proscar (5mg per day), and minoxidil. This combo calms the pain and burning, stops the hair loss, and stimulates hair growth.
I’m going to try the gluten-free solution. I think if I can stop the flame I am better off
Guys I am facing this issue from the last 3 years, My age 27, all doc fail to understand my issue. Whenever I visit to doc they take as skin issue however it’s not skin issue. This is TRICHODYNIA. If anyone can advise me medicine of TRICHODYNIA.
Hi All,
My story; I usually wash my hair with natural shampoos twice a week, sometimes once when I can get away it. I had been driving around Europe in February, washing my hair once a week but on the journey back to the U.K. I eked it out for 10 days. I noticed my scalp started to itch mildly but didn’t worry too much as it can itch a little when it needs a wash after a week. The itching became more intense, after washing the itch was still there. I noticed more hair coming out than usual and washed it again a couple of days later. A lot of hair came out and the itching became unbearable.
I panicked, not ever having had anything like it before. I bought Eucerin shampoo from Boots that didn’t do anything, then Nizoral from the chemist which was also ineffective and irritating and then in another chemist they recommended a shampoo called Moo Goo. By that time I was freaking out as so much hair was coming out and not just when I washed it. My scalp began to get sore with the burning sensation and the itchiness was unbearable so I took ceterizine antihistamines which took the edge off.
I made an appointment with an expensive dermatologist. He couldn’t see much; mild scalp inflammation with some small flakes. He diagnosed me with telogen effluvium (can be caused by stress, hormones – I’m 44), told me to rub olive oil into my scalp and to get a shampoo called Free & Clear (non-medicated) to alternate with my usual shampoo and add a bit of Nizoral. He gave me a prescription for another antihistamine called Atarax but they do have strong drowsy effects, good if you have trouble sleeping at night however. He also suggested that I have my blood tested for ferritin, iron, thyroid levels etc.
I applied the olive oil and my scalp went berserk! It actually made it worse. I didn’t follow the rest of his protocol & made an appointment to see a trichologist and an appointment with my GP for a blood test. All the while I was losing a ton of hair, I have long, fine hair and was getting depressed about having to get it cut shorter but gradually began to accept it.
The trichologist diagnosed seborrheic dermatitis, I had developed itchy lumps on my scalp since my appointment with the dermatologist. She also thought stress may have had a part to play and it’s true I was feeling stressed physically and emotionally before the symptoms appeared. Unfortunately, the things she gave me to treat it made my hair fall out even more! They may have treated the scalp somewhat however, just really irritated it at the same time it I think, I don’t really know. My bloods came back with a ferritin of 22, much too low. I was told optimum levels for hair health are above 80 but I also had low zinc which I read can make the hair fall as well. My iron levels were average at 12.4
So, maybe I have a few conditions going on at the same time. After 3 months it’s beginning to improve. I’ve had an iron infusion for the ferritin (you won’t get this on the NHS) as I have digestive issues & cannot tolerate any form of iron supplements but also ferritin levels can take some time to increase to optimum levels. I was told I should see less hair fall within the next 3 months and new growth by about 6 months. I’m taking zinc every day too & alternating mild shampoos (daily at first then every other day) one of which is the Moo Goo which does seem to help my scalp although it can strip the hair so a good pre/conditioner is essential.
Mediation/guided visualisation for relaxation helped in my worse moments, stress is known to exacerbate symptoms.
Fingers crossed it will keep improving and I wish all you ladies here the best of luck.
Hello everyone. Where to start….
My hair has always been fine, but pretty. About a year ago tried PRP this injections to thicken my hair. I had 3 treatments. The first 2 went great. The last one has changed my life, not in a good way. I’m absolutely devastated. I developed a painful, burning at my crown area and left side. I have no idea what went wrong. Maybe she hit a nerve? I was hoping it would go away. It kinda got better until I tried castor oil, coconut oil etc. I had major shedding. Now my hair looked worse before I started AND I had burning & pain.
I kinda recovered from that. My hair was thin. A little balding at the crown. Still had the burning. I read about rosemary oil being as good as Rogaine. Stupid me, puts a few drops on my fingers and rub it through my hair not my scalp.
Woke up in terrible pan, thanks to the rosemary oil. So I tried castor & coconut oil to make it feel better. Major shedding again… Now I’m in trouble…. practically in tears. My hair hurts & it’s thin. REALLY thin. I’m looking for a wig shop. I can’t take it anymore. I hope they have a medical cap that I can tolerate. I bought a bunch of scarfs, slouchy beanies.
I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything. Whatever I try makes it worse. And this is all because of that 3rd treatment of PRP. I can’t even do a hair transplant now because of the pain and burning. I’m going to try topical neurontin for the pain. I just started using ice packs. I guess cancer patients use them. It makes my scalp feel better.
My scalp biopsy showed 33% female balding and 2 other things which would get better.
Blood tests show nothing, my biotin was a little high. My iron wa within range, but could be higher for hair growth. I’ve tried all the products known, viviscal professional, DHT blockers, Nutrafol, fish oils. I’m eating all of the right foods.
I do have a root canal which I swear is infected, although it doesn’t show up,on the X-ray. I’m wondering if this is part of the problem. It got bad around my third treatment. I’ve read it’s possibke that a bad root canal can cause scalp & burning issues. My tooth is on the left side & the pain is right in line with the tooth. Ugh…..
Anyway, what I wrote helps anyone. I vacuume everyday, so I know if the hair on the floor is new. My hair falls out all the time. So, so sad.
I’m buying a wig if I can tolerate it. I feel like shaving all my hair off, so I won’t see the hair falling, and also, it will give my scalp a rest from brushing. I just can’t believe I’m going through this. Sorry for the long post. I do hope it helps someone.
Wow. I feel so much better to know I am not alone. Thank you to all the women who have posted your process. It helps me greatly! I too have been loosing my hair. This is the 3rd time. This time the burning is so much worse and the pain is so bad I can not touch the top of my head. Forget combing and brushing. I go to the doctors next week. Thanks to all you women I now have something she can check for. For right now Benadryl is the only thing that helps. Keep posting you updates. I will post my too! Thank you!
I have been shedding hair for almost 3 years now. I am 58, post menopausal. It seemed to correlate with 2 things: I contracted herpes, and was EXTREMELY stressed from learning this! I also had just had my hair colored.
Not sure if those events had anything to do with it, but I also learned I have Hashimoto’s. I’ve been on T3 for a while, and it hasn’t seemed to help much.
I do take a lot of supplements and wondering if I am taking TOO MANY?
ARRRRRRR! SO FRUSTRATED AND STRESSED FROM LOSING MY HAIR!!!
SandraBee,
My friend back in Boston had Hashimoto’s and she had the same hair loss issue. She went to an integrated practitioner and has completely changed her diet. She says that her hair loss and Hashimoto is in remission.
I remember she told me she’s given up all grains, all nightshades etc. Not sure what else.. but I know she brings her food with her whenever we meet and it is very healthy stuff 🙂 Hope that helps!! Sorry about Herpes 🙁
Hi everyone,
First off, I want to send everyone a big hug and good energy as I totally understand the nightmare you are enduring. My story starts like this: I already have nerve pain, I have had it for 8 years and it is called vulvodynia. About a month ago I decided to dye my hair, its been a stressful time and I wanted to cheer myself up. I would regret this decision. It was a clairol black hair dye. It stung the shit out of my hair and I rinsed it after 10 mins. Within a few days I knew something was off. Like I mentioned before I already have nerve pain so i KNOW what it feels like (burning, prickling, stabbing, itching). My hair was sheddig like crazy and itching like crazy. I said, alright time to get you off my head, dye! So I bleached my hair. 2 weeks after dying it. I have never in my life has a reaction to dye or bleach. What Ive experienced in the last week or so scares me. I have been to ER and derm. They see nothing wrong and chalk it up to allergic dermatitis. Its not. Theres nothing there. Ive gone to my DR and just asked to be put back on amitriptyline and lyrica. Its been like a week. We’ll see how this goes. If I had to dr house this I would say: stress + PPD from dye + hormonal issues (endometriosis) = TE and nerve pain/sensitivity. I am convinced this is nerve pain. Will keep you posted. Good luck everyone I wish healing and health to all. God bless xo
Oh Lord, hello ya’ll!
It took me a while to read through all of this…here’s my story…
I lost some weight over the summer in a rather short period of time and had no idea that could cause hair loss! Stupid me! So that period of malnutrition caused a TE event 4 months later. My hair started falling out 3 weeks ago, with white bulbs at the end and by the handfuls.
I corrected the nutrition issue, or so I think, going to DR. tomorrow to get blood work done, to know for sure.
When it first started, I totally panicked. read everything about hair loss out there and self diagnosed the TE. When the hair loss became severe, the scalp pain started and I think it’s the empty follicles that create that sensation. I bought Nioxin and it made the scalp itch, burning really bad. So i only used it twice. also hair loss like crazy right after wash. TONS.
I read onion juice will help, so I am using that once or twice a day. It actually does help, just don’t get it in your eyes. It’s also supposed to help re-grow due to high sulfur content. fingers crossed.
Tonight I will try a mix of coconut oil, castor oil, tea tree, rosemary and lavender oil and see if that helps. Castor oil is also supposed to help re-grow…
It’s been a short time of hair loss compared to some on here who have it for years. I already lost so much hair on top of my head, you can see the scalp. How do people have this for years and still have hair?
I am thinking to cut it off, but then I won’t notice what works to make it stop. So frustrated. I am pretty sure it’s TE and supposed to grow back in 3-6 months and i sure hope that’s so. I just turned 40 and i don’t want to be/stay bald.
I will continue to use the onion juice and oils and see if that helps.
Has anyone actually gone bald? Or just thin?
Has anyone with TE fully recovered?
Thanks all!!
I think you are most likely allergic to a product you are using. I have never really had my hair fall out until this past two months. I didn’t know it but I believe I was allergic to Argon oil, which is a product I bought from the dollar store. It smelled great and it worked for a couple of weeks, then my hair started falling out. My scalp went dry, and then red bumps came up because my skin was inflamed. I still didn’t understand. I thought it was because I’d had a perm after taking my hair down a month prior. My scalp had an allergic reaction to a perm I put in my hair. Anyway, I thought this was the cause because I started loosing hair. I thought I had alopecia or something. I went to the doctor. He said he didn’t know why my hair was falling out. I went home, dumped the Argon oil, atleast most of it. I kept a little in the jar and mixed it with cocoanut oil. Although I mixed it, it still didn’t stop itching but it wasn’t burning my scalp anymore and the soft spots I developed were gone. I finally got rid of the whole jar because my scalp was itching too much. I switched to Olive oil which I used years ago but stopped because it seemed too light for my hair a year ago when I applied it. The olive oil has actually helped my scalp tremendously. It still itches a little bit but it’s not red. NO BUMPS and the severe dryness is starting to clear. Anyway, your body has ways of telling you it’s not agreeing with something you are doing. Mine did. Now that I went back to my original oil I believe my scalp will be fine and my hair will grow back.
Ruth you sound like you had an allergy to something. maybe no products until your scalp heals. What if you put nothing on it because it seems to irritate you with trying, or you can try olive oil. Maybe it will help. Just don’t put much. If your head starts itching, just rub it gently.
Same for you Jay, try using nothing. Maybe your scalp is just irritated from everything. I usually wash my hair if it itch. You also may have an infection. Olive oil is really good for stuff like that. Just don’t use too much.
I’m writing down my experience hoping it will give some inside for someone else. For me, my hairloss, frontal and diffuse are definitely caused by hormonal imbalances. Also painful burning sensation on my head and forehead. Hair and skin are also very dry. Hair itself is very thin and brittle. It’s comes and goes on same days of my menstrual cycle. I have been on different kinds of BCP’s. BCP’s which are only weak androgenic (like Femodeen) gave me more hairloss and burning pain then more androgenic BCP’s like Microgynon. My bloodvalues for testosterone: Free testosterone: not calculable ( meaning non-existend ) Total testosterone: below lowest value. SHBG: > 200 nmol/L ( meaning through the roof) DHEA: normal.
As testosterone isn’t the culprit…whats happening? As testosterone is the precursor for estrogen and estrogen is also very low…estrogen deficiency? Or is it possible that as testosterone becomes to low our bodies will make more DHT to compensate? Just a theory I’ve read somewhere which sounds kinda plausible. DHT also,supposedly, inhibits aromatase and it’s an antagonist of estrogen receptor. It also decreases secretion of gonadotropins ( decreases production of testosterone and androstenedione). I still don’t know what’s causing my hairloss but I’m sure it’s not testosterone. I really, really wished it wasn’t so complicated!
Hello all. I have – had – thick curly hair. I can’t remember which came first, the scalp pain or the extraordinary hair loss. I can feel what would be the suture lines of my skull. I noticed changes in my skull, more bumps. I have gotten a vertical ridge on my brow. A neurologist thought that the fat in those areas has been depleted. I had severe pain when washing my hair. It felt like nails raking across an open wound. I have had palmfuls of hair loss for 4 months. I estimate that I have lost 40-50% of my hair. A endocrinologist told me at least I have thick hair and that it was age related. I want to slap her still. My cortisol levels have been checked for Cushings Syndrome. All results are normal. I have high ferritin and high C-Reactive Protein levels. I go back to the neurologist in ten days. I hope to get some answers. I miss my thick, coarse, curly hair.
The only thing that stops the burning pain for me is pouring some Listerine on my scalp. I stops the burning immediately.
Hello everyone!
Have you noticed whether this type of sensation occurs during PMS? I am wondering whether this type of reaction could be hormone-related, not in the sense that hormonal levels are not optimal but in the sense that it may be due to a hypersensitivity to progesterone (a sort of allergy). This hypersensitivity is called “Autoimmune progesterone dermatitis (APD)”. I am actually trying to figure out whether this is my case and, with the help of God, I will be able to do the proper tests in order to confirm or not the presence of this disease. I am a cancer biology researcher and I am researching about possible reasons for my tremendous hair fall since 2016.
Sorry for English mistakes, English is not my first language.
Hi, I have been having scalp burning sensation for over 4 years on the right side of my scalp and it has become worse and spread on the scalp. It hurts a lot I don’t feel stressed it feels like my hair follicles on one side are inflamed. Is it possible? I have no symptom only small almost inviolable red rashes sometimes where it hurts the most. And my hair has started shredding like crazy this last months I think it’s TE.
What do I have pls help me
Try Benadryl for scalp pain and redness. It really works!
I take one tablet before bed and surprise – no more pain and redness.
I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a few months ago, but before my dx, I have suffered with a painful, red, painful to the touch scalp. Parting my hair, combing it, putting a pair of sunglasses on my scalp hurts so, so much. I’ve been suffering with this issue for over 20 years. I am an almost 41 y/o woman. Any recommendations on wigs? Thank you
I have had this since 2018. I believe it was from dying my hair constantly because after awhile I used to get a burning sensation when I dyed my hair. I think this was then exasperated by an oil mixture I put on my hair since then I have experience burning on and off since 2018 however now my hair is thinning.
The doctors did a biopsy and said no scarring and stayed I have female pattern boldness however I refused to accept this as the hair thinning has only occurred when the scalp pain is. I have had blood work done and I’m trying to see if CBD with high level of thc will help plus change my diet. I will not lose my hair and wants the inflammation is dealt with I know my hair grow back ut western doctors don’t aim to look at the root cause they aim to just treat the symptoms.