Side effects of corticosteriod injections>>>Hair loss

My dermatologist has been injecting me with triamcinolone, brand name Kenalog.  He has been doing this for a skin condition on my fingers that has symptoms of hardening and flaking of the skin that is sometimes really painful.  I have been getting severe acne on my back (I am a 32 yr old male) and now have noticed huge amounts of hair loss/thinning.  I have no history of baldness in the family and this concerns me.  Could this be a side affect of the injections?  Of course this raises my anxiety about the problem which probably makes it worse.  If I stop the injections will my hair grow back?

Thank you,
Jeff

By the way, my Dr. says the injections should clear up any acne and that this is not a side affect of the triamcinolone.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Internal steroids can produce acne, but it doesn't seem likely that there would be enough absorption from Kenalog in the skin to do that.  On the other had, I don't know what your doctor means by saying that these injections would help acne, especially severe acne.

"Huge amounts of hair loss" and severe postadolescent acne need to be addressed and treated in their own right.  I would ask your doctor about that, and consider getting another opinion as well.

Dr. Rockoff