Severe folliculitis in my scalp

[bigtronix]

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).

[wishiwasbald]

Your story is my story.  I started out with one cut that got infected.   I was treated with Augmenten sp?    There is still a red spot there but soon thereafter I started getting what I thought was acne but I have never had acne issues so I would just pop it.   Soon it was around my hairline, neck, shoulders, and the back of my legs.  Went to Dr and I had a staph infection and it was colonizing in my nose.   Doxycycline and topical ointment.   Did very little . Went to a dermatologist and he did like a 3 foot circle around me and took a nose culture . Nose was clean and he said red spots would dissapear within a few weeks .  Now about a year later I have been on doxycycline, cephlex and the latest was clindamycin which helped a lot for about 5 days and then seemed to have no effect anymore .  I have two young kids and every day I live in fear I will give this to them.  It is now confined to my scalp exactly as u describe .  I was in the Cayman islands 6 months ago and the salt water had a tremendous effect on it but of course it came back .  I have a great deal of respect now for people with skin disorders . I take bleach baths and use Epson salt.   Antibiotics don't seem to do a thing and Drs won't come close enough to see the issue .

[Sadie1400]

What are you using now to help control it?

[Betttie]

Hello Sadie -- Sorry for delayed response. For some reason this forum will not direct me to the question you asked. Yes, my boyfriend is still cured. We don't know if he had the same infection or something different. It seems probable it was the same, given our proximity. His was treated very quickly with minoccyline, he cut his hair short (brush cut) and used  some of the topical solutions. For him it was sulphur/tea tree oil and a couple of other things. He beat it in a matter of a couple of months. We have no idea why he was cured and not me. We think it might have been the brush cut. Good luck to you :)

[Sadie1400]

Thank you so much for replying. Glad to hear. Thank you for the tips. Much appreciated.

[Anthonyplace]

Hi I have had this problem since I was 15 I'm 60 now never had acne. But on my scalp early treatment was salicylic acid ointment messy and useless my mother used to apply it with cotton buds. After a time I was put on oxytetracycline tablets been taking them for 44 years also use a lotion betamethasone 0.1% scalp application after a hair cut or if I forget to take the tablets. I'm fine it is well controlled if I stop taking the tablets it flares up, start the tablets it goes after about a week had liver test as on medication for so long it was fine
I'm certain diet effects my scalp but never been able to pin it down
Apart from this I am a very fit 60 year old

[nsh687]

Update: I have stopped washing my hair with shampoo, every three days i will rinse with vinegar, it has improved immensely! Down to about 10 percent of what i use to get and i know if i keep it up it will totally go away. First two days are tough, your scalp gets greasy and you break out even more but by the fourth day you will see great results.

[Tigerclaw]

Thanks for the info. It looks like that is how it started. For now the 40 mg of Accutane is working well. My pores have tightened, less outbreaks and I am starting to heal. No complaints thus far. Thanks to all for discussing this in a attempt to find a cure.

[Tigerclaw]

It has come back. Now I am trying to control it with Epidou Forte, doxycycline and clindamycin gel. May have to consider a low dose of Accutane.

[Tigerclaw]

Tried 150 mg of doxycycline, cleared up quite a bit. I am back to using medicated shampoo and clindamycin has well. The doctors want me to take Accutane for a third time, possibly low dose. Wish me luck since this stuff came back with a vengeance.

[Tigerclaw]

I have been under a great amount of stress and that seems to cause the fare ups, but life is full of stress!

[Sadie1400]

Hi Tigerclaw. Have you found anything to help control it?

[nsh687]

Does anyone have a large bump on the back of their heads thats not painful? It seems to grow only when i have an outbreak.

[Dannilko]

hello to you and all of you i think it may be solution?my name is daniel from poland,i have this problem too about 10 yrs now.there r 2 places in world ,one i Georgia one in Poland(wroclaw)where are producing Bakteriofags -please read about them and tell my what u think?u can watch it on youtube .