for those with scalp p

[BlueMaple]

what have u tried?

Any good home Remedies? I remember before i was diagnosed with p i would rub lotion on to my head (hair) for relief. It helped somewhat but didn't do my hair any good.

please any suggestions would be great as i am having a flare up that hurts, bleeds, and is crusting fast. What would you do for relief. I've heard vineger and olive oil - just so unsure.

My derm appt isn't until friday :-(

thanks so much

[jameymac]

hi maple,i have that too and i use alphosil lotion(coal tar) when mine gets bad.don't think you can still get it on the market.funny eh?something works then they take it away.olive oil is good too because instead of a bunch of little flakes you get 1 big one to peel off.way better then having a snowstorm in your hair.this spring i was in a study group for dovobet and vitamin d annolog.it was a lotion/ointment for scalp p. it worked well,but moved away so couldn't continue the study.too bad cuz i was getting clear.even used it on my body and can still see the clearing within my spots after 6 months of not usiing it.the future of suffering with this diesease doesn't seem so long term.well lets hope not and also hope the pharm. companies don't make us dependant on them.a cure forever not a couple weeks.hope this helps,jamey.

[Ang]

I've p for 10 years and pa for 4 years. But it seemed like some of the worst was when it was in my scalp.

You can conquer this. Be persistent and patient. It will come.

Angela

[MikeK]

what have u tried?

Any good home Remedies? I remember before i was diagnosed with p i would rub lotion on to my head (hair) for relief. It helped somewhat but didn't do my hair any good.

please any suggestions would be great as i am having a flare up that hurts, bleeds, and is crusting fast. What would you do for relief. I've heard vineger and olive oil - just so unsure.

My derm appt isn't until friday :-(

thanks so much
Hi BlueMaple,

Welcome to the Board! :cool: Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear that your having problems with scalp psoriasis. :(

Here's a couple of quick suggestions (in no particular order): Put some mineral oil on your scalp. Cover it with a shower cap and leave it on for a couple of hours. You can do the same thing with olive oil. You can also call your drug store and see how long you will have to wait for a special order of an over the counter product called Baker's P&S Oil. Baker's P&S Oil is mineral oil based. You have to leave it on your scalp -- covered by a shower cap -- for a coule of hours. I've never been able to find a website for Baker's P&S oil, so I'm going to give you a link to a site that sells it online. I've never ordered anything from them, so I have no idea how reliable they are. I'm giving you the link because their description of Baker's P&S Oil is a good one. Here's the link: http://www.dermadoctor.com/product.asp?WID=%7B29749BC7%2D0B35%2D4715%2D88BC%2 D8D2746DB41D0%7D&productid=206. Most people who use any of these methods leave the treatment on overnight. It's a good idea to wear old night clothes and to cover you pillowcase with a towel. At least one person who sometimes posts here, uses a metal flea comb to remove the scales from his scalp. Here's a link to the thread where he discusses it: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3492. You can also try using a shampoo with either coal tar or salicylic acid in it. Coal tar has been used to treat psoriasis for many, many years. (Coal tar products may not be available if you live in California.) Salicylic acid is one of the few doctor approved methods for removing scales. Examples of a coal tar based shampoo would be MG217 (www.mg217.com) or Neutrogena T-Gel (http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_62.asp). MG217 also makes a salicylic acid shampoo. (Here in New Jersey, the salicylic acid version of MG217 shampoo seems to be available by special order only.) Some other examples of salicylic acid shampoos are Neutrogena T/Sal (http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_65.asp) or Dermarest (www.dermarest.com). Using a shampoo with tea tree oil in it can be very soothing. Paul Mitchell makes a tea tree shampoo that a lot of people use. I was told that I could only find Paul Mitchell products at a beauty supply store, but I was able to find it a New York area chain type drug store. It's very expensive, but I was able to find a cheaper tea tree shampoo by reading just about every bottle of shampoo in the store. Here's a link to some additional information about Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo: http://www.paulmitchell.com/site/subpage.asp?section=2,10,32,80. Julia (screen name: austinfish) who sometimes posts on the Parents and Caregivers' Board, recommended Nature's Gate shampoo and conditioner made with tea tree oil, calendula, aloe vera and Vitamin E that I sometimes use. I like it a lot. I found it at my local health food store. Here's a link to the thread where Julia discusses it: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9219. As I mentioned in my response to Julia, I was able to find several stores in my area, that carry Nature's Gate products by going to their website and using the find "find a retailer feature". (It's searchable by zip code.) Here's a link: http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/naturesgate/findastore.d2w/report.
Here's some prescription suggestions (again in no particular order) that you can discuss with your derm on Friday: Capex shampoo (www.capexshampoo.com); Olux foam (www.olux.com) or its milder cousin Luxiq foam (www.luxiq.com). Both medications burn for several very long minutes when you first put them on. Olux has a very strong steroid in it (clobetasol propionate) so it should only be used for two weeks max followed by a break of at least a couple of weeks. Derma-Smooth/FS is similar to Baker's P&S oil in that you put in on your scalp and leave it on for at least a couple of hours. (Again, you should wear old clothes and cover your pillow with an old towel if you leave it on overnight. Derma-Smooth/FS has a mild steroid in it. It's peanut oil based so it cannot so you can't use it if you have a peanut allergy. Here's a link to some additional information: http://www.hillderm.com/questions/questions.htm.I'm sorry that this turned into such a novel. You're probably suffering from information overload. :rolleyes: I hope that it helps in some small way. Good luck. Feel better. Keep us posted. Let us know if you have any other questions and please don't be a stranger.

Mike

[BlueMaple]

Thank you for that detailed information ---- i am checking it all out now. THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!!

[MikeK]

hi maple,i have that too and i use alphosil lotion(coal tar) when mine gets bad.don't think you can still get it on the market.funny eh?something works then they take it away.olive oil is good too because instead of a bunch of little flakes you get 1 big one to peel off.way better then having a snowstorm in your hair.this spring i was in a study group for dovobet and vitamin d annolog.it was a lotion/ointment for scalp p. it worked well,but moved away so couldn't continue the study.too bad cuz i was getting clear.even used it on my body and can still see the clearing within my spots after 6 months of not usiing it.the future of suffering with this diesease doesn't seem so long term.well lets hope not and also hope the pharm. companies don't make us dependant on them.a cure forever not a couple weeks.hope this helps,jamey.Hi Jamey,

I don't think that we've met, so let me take this opportunity to welcome you to the Board! :cool: Nice to meet you. You've come to a very special place. A lot of nice and helpful people post here. More important, it's great to finally be able to ask questions, vent, exchange info or even share some laughs with people who truly understand.

Please don't be a stranger.

Mike

[BlueMaple]

i am hearing alot about steroid...

Are they safe?

what are the risks?

I think, though not 100% sure...my derm uses them as an injection into the spots on my scalp. Last time a large spot which he injected cleared only in the center where he acutally injected it. Around the injected side was worse than ever. Just wondering if clearing up a lesion makes it worse in other areas.

thanks!

[Kimbercat]

Hi and welcome BlueMaple. :)

Scalp p is my most stubborn spot too, so I know how you feel. :( Mike gave you a lot of great suggestions. As far as cortisone injections into the lesions, I've had it done a couple of times, and got no relief at all from it. It does work for some people, but in my opinion, things like Derma-Smoothe or Baker's P&S Oil work better. Good luck, and I hope you find something that helps.

[BlueMaple]

I plan to take all these suggestions to my derm on friday. I am going to try something other than steriods. They are kind of freaking me out. i am searching the web now for more information.

Also, every one thank you so much for the warm welcome -- it's good to know i'm not alone.

[MikeK]

i am hearing alot about steroid...

Are they safe?

what are the risks?There's good news and bad news about steroids. First, the good news. If they're used correctly they can be a very effective weapon in the war against psoriasis. Now the bad news. There are some potentially serious side effects associated with them and they can cause problems if they're abused.

Topical steroids (i.e., ointments, creams, or foams) are grouped -- by strength -- into 7 different groups or classes. Each class is assigned a number. The lower the number the stronger the steroid. Here's a link to a thread that includes a post by yours truly that has a copy of the NPF's steroid classification chart in it: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6255. Most derms limit the use of the stronger Class 1 or Class 2 steroids to either two weeks max or to the weekend only. That's to prevent problems such as skin thinning.

My derm was so concerned about skin thinning that she had me come in every six weeks for a check-up when I was using a Class 1 steroid (Ultravate) on the weekends to treat the psoriasis on my ankles. At first I was annoyed, because she normally has me come in every six months unless there is a problem. About six months later, she asked me to stop using the Ultravate because she said that she saw signs of skin thinning. I still use Ultavate (only on the weekends) to treat the psoriasis on my hands.

In my previous post, I suggested that you might want to ask your derm for an Rx for some Olux foam. I mentioned that Olux has clobetasol propionate. Clobetasol propionate is one of the strongest steroids that's available to us. It comes in several different formulations including a foam (Olux), a liquid scalp solution, and an ointment. I sometimes use Olux foam and I've also used the ointment form of clobetasol propionate. I never use clobetasol propionate for longer then two weeks at a time and then only if things are really bad. I try to mimimize the potential risks by using clobetasol propionate only on the weekends for three or four weeks in a row. Here's a link to some additional information about Tremovate which is one of the brand names associated with clobetasol propionate http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/rxdrugprofiles/drugs/tem1431.shtml.

Your psoriasis can actually get worse if you suddenly stop one of the stronger steroids after using them for an extended period of time. That's called a rebound flare.

There are also oral steroids (pills) such as prednisone. Pednisone has to be used with extreme caution because there are some potentially serious side effects associated with it. Suddenly stopping prednisone can result in a rebound flare. The risk of a rebound flare from prednisone is reduced if you gradually reduce the dosage. Here's a link to some additional information about prednisone: http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/rxdrugprofiles/drugs/pre1121.shtml.

Some derms treat psoriasis by using steroid injections. I'm not very familiar with this type of treatment. I'm not a doctor, but my guess is that the potential side effects would be similar to prednisone's potential side effects. A friend of mine experienced a rebound flare when he got a steriod injection.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[2sense]

There are also oral steroids (pills) such as prednisone. Pednisone has to be used with extreme caution because there are some potentially serious side effects associated with it. Suddenly stopping prednisone can result in a rebound flare. The risk of a rebound flare from prednisone is reduced if you gradually reduce the dosage. Here's a link to some additional information about prednisone: http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/rxdrugprofiles/drugs/pre1121.shtml.



Mike


i would like to add here that your chance of Flare up is not ONLY determined on if you stop suddenly, and many Derms think and have known for many years that prednisone is a VERY VERY dangerous drug to use for P., as in many many people, when it is stopped, tapered or not, you will have a flare, and in my experience.. it will possibly be the worst flare you have ever had in your life, and give you new kinds of P like Pustular..

I urge anyone who's doc puts them on Prednisone for P only, to ask about other options.

[Photochick66]

For me..the only thing that works and clears mine to having only like one..is Dermasmooth...i LOVE it. when i have a little left i might use a little luxiq or t-gel / t-sal to give it a lil push. thats wat i use...i hope u find somthing soon!
x0x
Nemo

[jennab711]

2sense-----------i sooooooooooooooooooooooo agree with you. Never had pustular until prednisone. My life has not been the same since.........