Treatment for folliculitis

I'm back again and getting tired of seeing dermatologists. The first one said my hair loss was due to stress and the second one said I had chronic telogen effluvium and a bit of folliculitis of the scalp. I went on May 18th and was given stieprox shampoo 1.5% to use three times a week and clobex (clobetasol propionate 0.05%) to use on dry scalp for 15 minutes a day and rinse out.

It is June 20th and the small patch of folliculitis keeps going away and coming back.  Now before I started with this regiment my scalp would feel tingly and sometimes a burning sensation.  It comes and goes and I cannot figure out what triggers it off. The last episode went away for 2 weeks and then came back.

Do you think maybe this is stress and anxiety symptoms over the thinning of my hair and the folliculitis?

Should I go back to the derm. and tell her the drugs she gave me are not working or continue them for another month.  Help!!!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
If you are having these symptoms along with hair loss then telogen effluvium needs to be ruled out. It is nonscarring alopecia characterized by diffuse hair shedding, often with an acute onset. There is a chronic form also which persists for a longer duration and starts with insidious onset. Chronic telogen effluvium is hair shedding lasting longer than 6 months. Treatment consists of medications like Minoxidil, surgical approach(hair transplantation) and improvement in diet.

My sincere advice is to consult a trichologist and get this possibility ruled out. In the meantime take care of your diet and eat a healthy nutritious diet.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.