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Severe folliculitis in my scalp

I have had this painful problem for years (9 years and 6 month to be exact). I am 40 years old, male, from Canada. Here's how the problem started. Tiny red bumps and they endup with the white thing on it  on top of the scalp back in around 1999, they got very itchy and they blood and white things will be discharge from the pinples. After a few months, I went to a dermatologist, he prescribed me with antiboitic and shampoo and cream and lotion . i used them for 3 month and after i stoppped few one month after I had them back on my scalp and face.I called my dermotologist booked an apt and i saw him and said i should take accutane 40mg daily and antibiotic for 6 month and keep on using the stieprox shampoo for fungus , so i did that and i my scalp and face they got better , so after 6 month i was done my medication course went back for finale visit and he said that i am done .
after  5  to 6 month after the treatment  same issue is back i went and i saw my family Dr and he said to go back and see my dermotologist so i called book an apt , i went for my apt and same thing he want me to be back on accutane for 4 month this time and the stieprox shampoo and other shampoo brand i can't recall . so i did that and after 3 weeks my scalp face look better and after 4 month everything was cleared  saw my dermotologist and he was satisfied with the result again , so he said to stop treatment and i did.
after 4 to 5 month same issue i endup with than made me think more , went to my family Dr we talked and he recommend to see a another dermotologist than the one  i was seeing so i agree and we went through  that
same treatment for 6 month  and i did it   and after 5 to 6 month same issue i changed over 10 dermotologist  and on off on antibiotic and accutane and shamppo and lotions dalacin ....and till today's day no luck  same issue and all this dermotologist did culture and was negative result and they did alergy test negative tooo, few weeks ago as per oct 24 2009  a saw a new dermotologist she did a culture and the result endup with Citrobacter koseri  in my scalp and she said that the cause was from the antibiotic however i am still taken till now antibiotics , and she want to reffere me to another specialist who deal with the bacteria issue's so now i am waiting for my apt . honestly after all those yrs i had the worse time in my life , and i can't beleive that some dermotologist didnt care less for my situtation , i am loosing sleep and is effecting my daily life  and i am looking for a solution please helppppppp.
PS i did tryed all kind of prescription shampoo ,lotion,cream,antibiotic,accutane ,cureacne , i spend over 12000 dollars and no luck  , and i endup a one  year ago with a damaged lazy  liver i had to stop accutane and take other medication to get my liver back to normal situtation  please helpppppppppppppppppppppp

now i am under antibiotic but however not doing the job at all  and all it's doing is controlling the bumps a little. Like 1 week of the month, I will have 70% clear scalp. The other 3 weeks, I'll have 30-40 spots .
These spots are extremely painful, sometimes I can't sleep right since the scalp pushes against the pillow. I have to wait upto 3 weeks before scalp is somewhat clear so I can get a haircut, even the past few month i don't go to a barber anymore i cut mine with number one hair  cliper  

From all my research, this seems like extreme stubborn case of folliculitis, but I don't even know anymore what to do. Please, anyone out there, help me. I'm willing to pay you if you can help solve this problem


This discussion is related to Severe Scalp Folliculitis (Seen 4 Dermatologist already).
80 Responses
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Avatar universal
You very likely have a Demodex infestation...classic symptoms - 10% Sodium Sulfacetamide/5% Sulfur wash twice a day, plus Bactrim DS 1-2x per day, and oral Ivermectin (based on weight) for three days (4days off, then Ivermectin for three days, repeating cycle for 60 days). Most doctors believe incorrectly that two doses of Ivermectin two weeks apart will kill all Demodex and newly hatced eggs. This would be true ONLY if the patient just contracted Demodex. This rarely occurs as most are misdiagnosed as having dermatitus or other catch-all diagnosis, and months later make the correct call-by then, the egg hatching cycle is daily new hatchlings.
The above would be my starting treatment - it is imperative to treat before long term infestation. You can beat this, but get a doc who will be aggressive in treatment.
Also, if you can afford it, get advanced Lyme testing done - IGeneX is widely considered the best at it - forget base two tests - they miss late stage Lyme more often than not. Good luck!
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Reason for Lyme test is to eliminate of confirm more complex co-infections from Lyme - If positive, seek out and use only a Lyme specialist for treatment lest you get more frustrated with non/wrong responses. I'm being blunt here, but there are 2 schools of thinking on Lyme - classically, treated as recent infection and if not responsive, cast off as an immune system problem. Had a conversation today with microbiologist about this very subject... The Lyme specialty docs represent small percentage of ID docs our there. It's not cheap, but worth every penny if they are good
Also, with no disrepect intended, but home remedies will not beat Demodex...some may help (Borax skin washes for example. Containing boran, it is helpful and should also be liberally used in laundry). Borax washes on skin (dilute in warm water obviously) won't solve the problem, but helps. It IS essentialy in washing linens and clothes (hot water and extra rinse) - change out sheets every night - seal pillows in bed bug resistant cover and then clean pillow case outside that. Vacuum floors and wipe down computer keyboards and mouses, car steering wheel, phone, etc. Throw away brushes if in hair - get cheap ones and keep immaculately clean - then still toss periodically (if in scalp, buy dollar store brushes and toss daily til symptoms go away - worth it)
one more thing - this one is simple to do, but seldom followed - try NOT to touch your face - studies vary, but people touch their faces regularly without thinking about it - it only adds to potential spread of demodex - try to minimize and wash hands as much as needed to reduce potential spread of demodex -
Avatar universal
This condition is baffling. Is there any research being done on it? From my own searching, researchers are just now looking into ways to populate "good" bacteria on those with chronic skin issues. Odd to me that they are just now attempting to do this. Maybe bacteriophage therapy and quarantining yourself as not to be reinfected holds the best promise? I don't know. Mind boggling that this condition is given the, "we aren't sure why" response. I cant help but believe dermatology is more about botox and easy money than trying to make a true difference in chronic suffers' lives. Quite sad.
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1 Comments
So true about dermatologists, they're all about money...
Avatar universal
overnight guys: 1/2 cup conditioner, add in: tsp household bleach, mint oil (for itch) half dropper tea tree oil,
neem powder -- go carefully with the household bleach, obviously. I do this. It makes a huge difference. A bleach bath overnight for your head. And spray in the day with some cedar oil drops in alcohol. Best medication for me: Clindamycin rifampin.
Helpful - 0
4 Comments
Is this still working for you?
It is better than without, for sure. Not completely cured. Also, look into pure gum spirits of turpentine
Thank you for replying. Is your boyfriend still cured?
Do you also suffer from atopic dermatitis/Eczema? I've learned that people with atopic dermatitis are more prone to folliculitis.
Avatar universal
Don't use any antibiotics..Use garlic for best results.

1. Crush/Mixer raw garlic (don't add water)
2. Put the crushed garlic in a cloth and press it for liquid.
3. Apply the garlic liquid extract on scalp and leave it overnight for best results.

I also take Turmeric Circumin extract capsules daily.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Mayb try Using Apple Cider Vinegar on ur scalp. Here they bathe in it deluted..They use it full strength. U cud try deluteing it if necessary.
Avatar universal
Hello,

I also have this horrible condition for two years and feel for you all. I do NOT have a cure but some thoughts for you that may help alleviate symptoms. However, my boyfriend got it from me and IS CURED. What did he do? 4 weeks of minocycline and he buzzed his head. I also made an overnight cover for him, and the ingredients of a smililar cover are below. My biopsy confirmed staph, so -- I don't know exactly what you have. Definitely ask for cultures if you have not done so already. They can do a punch biopsy on your head.

Also, there are reports of people shaving their head bald and using a spray of rubbing alcohol with clindamycin capsules emptied into the alcohol.  

isopropyl alcohol bottle is a 60 ml
Dalacin 150mg
I remember that it was two 150mg capsules per 60 ml bottle of alcohol.

In the meantime, the following may help you to live with this:

Shampoo with Chlorhexidine shampoo 4%. You can get it online as Hibiclens. Shampoo, rinse off, shampoo and leave on for 5 minutes, and not more than 5 minutes, as it can be toxic after 5 mins.

Overnight, I get relief from covering my head with a mixture -- and I have tried several. This is mostly natural antibiotic oils -- such as tea tree. I have done the research on the oils that work best as antibiotics/anti-virals, and anti-fungals. I use all three in the cover. Here are some suggestions: This makes about 6 cups:

Base: pure aloe vera (go to a health food store) 5 cups
sulphur USP (Amazon) 3-4 tsp or
Nustock (Amazon) same amount, this is a strong sulphur product for animals
3 tbsp Neem flakes (Little India or order on Amazon, where it is much more expensive)
Zinc oxide powder (Amazon)
Mint oil A LOT it stops itching and brings down pain, at least for me -- start slow I guess
black drawing salve (Amazon) 2 tbsp
2 tsp lemon juice
5 droppers tea tree oil
2 cap fuls orange oil -- that's the CAP, not a cup!
20 drops of each:
clove oil
eucalyptus oil
10 drops:
geranium oil
tsp powdered vitamin c
4 capsules niacinamide, emptied into the mixture
3 tbsp turmeric
add about 30 - 40 drops of cedar oil at the end, add the orange oil at the end too. What you last add most impacts the smell. DON"T get neem oil, it is truly awful. Get the flakes.

If your doctor or dermatologist will agree to this, ask for extra capsules of minocycline or clindamycin -- I think there are the best -- perhaps flagyl -- and put these in the mixture. Put about 15 to this mixture.

Also, I suggest you check into the demodex angle, especially if you have rosacea. It was verboten in the medical community until about two years ago, however Galderma did a study using ivermectin topical (ivermectin is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug -- you can google it) and had over 90% success rate in curing papulo-pustular rosacea. (You can google that study also.) The drug the released is called Soolantra in the U.S. and Rosiver in Canada. You will need a prescription. I put that in this mixture also, and this has been helpful for me. You could ask for 2 doses of ivermectin oral, however it seems the doctors don't love doing this. I think it is worth a shot to check into scalp demodicosis. Yes, that exists. Here is a warning re: oral ivermectin -- if you DO have demodicosis, the ivermectin may cause a very dramatic die-off, and that may cause MORE bacteria, because they decompose in the skin. So make sure you have medical support if you do this.

I will be praying for us all. This affliction takes quality of life man -- it's so MEAN. And the doctors seem really quite at sea. If anyone actually reads this, best of luck.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth



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Avatar universal
sounds like you may have to talk to your dr about doing an IV antibiotic treatment. my problem started over a year ago when I went to a new hair dresser and I noticed that she was scrubbing my scalp with her fingernails while shampooing my hair and a couple of weeks later I had crusty sores popping up on my scalp and my hair started falling out, well being a woman this had really effected me badly, have lost half of my thick hair now, and went to dr 2x and got on doxycycline for a month and it helped to cut down on my sores on my scalp to about 2 sores in the last 3 months but I have small pimple like ones that come up on my body in other places on my back, shoulders, arms, sides, buttocks but they are also very small and not very many after being on the doxy. I have used all kinds of natural treatments, garlic, Epsom salts and bleach bath soakes, and even sprayed listerine all over my body and on my scalp a couple times a week, and ACV with water and some peroxide, coconut oil and vit e oil and caster oil on scalp, and tee tree oil and oregano oil on the scalp and collidal silver dropped on the scalp and internally, and clyndamician drops on the scalp and antifungal shampoos to no avail but the doxycycline did help take the occurances of the scalp sores down to 1 sore that came up a month ago but my scalp is very sore feeling around the crown area and my hair is still falling out but very little now compared to a brush full everyday, so I am sure this thing has not gone away as my scalp is very sore and I still get some itchy bumps come up on my body hear and there, but a dermatologist told me to wash and shampoo with liquid chlorhexidine antiseptic skin cleanser which I bought at the drug store over the counter and I have very few sores appear on my scalp and body as of this last month of using it but I also used listerine on my body and let it set on there for 10 min before rinsing it off so maybe these two products are helping to keep the sores down, don't know for sure but I do know that when I started using the listerine on my scalp for the sores that's when the sores started healing overnight and was a big help with that but the doxycycline was the last thing I got on that really made a difference but it had side effects and made me feel not so good feeling and my abdomen would start to hurt after being on it for 2 weeks but I took a 2 week break and got back on for another 2 weeks of this medication. I am going to my derm next week and beg him to do an antibiotic sensitivity test to see what antibiotic will kill my infection out. I will also get the neem soap that someone on here said they were using and see if that will help my soreness to go away on my scalp and get rid of the infection, but if it doesn't work I will see if my dr will do the IV antibiotic treatment on me to see if that will do the trick. its probably I'm my blood stream as it may be in yours also.  
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