Nizoral with Ketoconazole 1% for shed reduction.

[Silverbrumby]

First off has anyone else found success using this shampoo or ingredient?

Second here is my story so far.

It's been almost 5 months now since I switched to a shampoo with ketoconazole 1% to handle my hair shedding issues which have been ongoing for the past 4 years. Here were my issues (I think!)

1. I'm heading into menopause and I think the shedding is the natural shedding/thinning that can occur with less estrogen and more male hormones coming to the fore.

2. Lots of hair on my head but getting thinner and finer.

3. Lots of shedding. 20 to 30 in the morning comb out. 75+ every shower for a total of about 150 to 200 a day. For the past 5 years.

4. I did Rogaine and it was a disaster. The shedding doubled over the two months I tried this experiment. It was awful but the worst thing that happened was the most dreadful under eye bags I've ever had and wrinkles! I read this happens to some people and thankfully I stopped rogaine and the bags and wrinkles went away after a month or two.

5. Ponytail went from 2.75 down to 2.5 after two months on Rogaine. It was so thin and so many long mature hairs fell out.

6. CO washing was a disaster for my shedding. Oiling scalp was a disaster. I also tried tea rinses and sulfar free shampoos but non of that helped with my years of shedding.


I started Nizoral about five/six months ago and after the second wash I had the smallest amount of shedding I have had in some time. Maybe 20 to 30 hairs at shampoo time and only 5 or 10 in the morning comb. I'm hopeful.

Since starting my shed rate has gone up and down but never back to the really high rates of 150+ a day. I'm hopeful. I realize it might just be my hair bouncing back from the rogaine experiment gone wrong.

My ponytail has gone from 2.5 six months ago to 3.2 now. I'm trying not to get attached to that. The ends are still see through at BSL but I think my hair is thicker now about 5 inches out from my head.

In conclusion. I realize for some people, especially people like me who didn't have a lot of hair to start with, I'm a definite ii, that when it comes to aging we might notice thinning more than say a solid iii.

I guess that's it. Sorry for the long post.

p.s. did try, biotin, biosil, vitamins, great diet, iron, had thyroid tested, vit D and most other things said to help hair before this swap to this shampoo.

[Silverbrumby]

opps. this I found online as well

..How Does It Work?

As far as its role in treating and preventing hair loss is concerned, there are a number of theories.

According to the American Hair Loss Association, apart from its anti-fungal properties it also has anti-androgenic effects.

When ingested orally it is known to inhibit the binding of androgens to receptors in the body, which would include the binding of DHT to hair-follicle receptors (see the ‘Hair Loss Explained’ section for the leading causal theory of hair loss). It may have a similar effect when applied topically (to the scalp).
In addition to its anti-androgenic effects, hair loss researchers cite two other potential mechanisms of action: sebum reduction and ant-inflammation.

Nizoral may reduce the activity of the sebaceous glands, thus reducing sebum production. Since sebaceous glands are attached to hair follicles, overactive glands may clog the hair follicles with excess sebum and disrupt the normal process of hair growth.
Ketoconazole is also said to be instrumental in reducing inflammation. People experiencing androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness) also experience varying degrees of inflammation of the scalp caused by bacteria adjoining hair follicles.

Even if inflammation is not causal to pattern baldness, it certainly doesn’t create a conducive environment on the scalp.

[lapushka]

I only have experience with Nizoral for my seborrheic dermatitis, for which it is really successful. I have the 2% variant (in my country (Belgium) that's over the counter).

[duchess67]

I had only used Nizoral 2% (here in Canada it is available over the counter) when my scalp started itching. Itching went away after a couple of washes, since then I never bothered to use it. I had read about Nizoral's effect on reducing hair loss. Your post reminds me that I should use it at least once in 2 weeks.

[renia22]

SilverBrumby-that's fantastic you found something that works for the shedding. I remember in a past thread a while ago, you were talking about struggling through the rogaine & were determined to get through the first few weeks, and that's a shame to hear it just made things worse and didn't help. When I had shedding problems a few years back, I had the same experience with it, as with oilings and co washing....just more shedding :( So glad that after all of that trial & error, you finally found something effective. I tried the nizoral myself with no luck, but eventually found improvement with rosemary EO & aloe, and going back to plain sulfate shampoos.

[Silverbrumby]

Thanks renia, I did give the Rogaine a decent go but it was awful. Thanks lapuska for the encouragement. My big dream is to get to mbl, even if it's only ten hairs! I'll update my signature picture soon. It's thinner than the current picture I'm using which was pre Rogaine.


SilverBrumby-that's fantastic you found something that works for the shedding. I remember in a past thread a while ago, you were talking about struggling through the rogaine & were determined to get through the first few weeks, and that's a shame to hear it just made things worse and didn't help. When I had shedding problems a few years back, I had the same experience with it, as with oilings and co washing....just more shedding :( So glad that after all of that trial & error, you finally found something effective. I tried the nizoral myself with no luck, but eventually found improvement with rosemary EO & aloe, and going back to plain sulfate shampoos.

[Silverbrumby]

I had only used Nizoral 2% (here in Canada it is available over the counter) when my scalp started itching. Itching went away after a couple of washes, since then I never bothered to use it. I had read about Nizoral's effect on reducing hair loss. Your post reminds me that I should use it at least once in 2 weeks.


Duchess, I noticed that my hair falling out happened after my scalp got hot and itchy, inflamed feeling.

[lapushka]

Have you considered that maybe you're suffering from (undiagnosed) seborrheic dermatitis and that that's why it's inflamed and you're shedding so much. I do know that when my SD flares up, I tend to shed more as well.

[Silverbrumby]

...Seborrheic dermatitis*. Seborrheic dermatitis is not an infectious disease, but it can involve infection. Seborrheic dermatitis is first and foremost a skin condition, but it can also involve temporary hair loss if the dermatitis is located on the scalp or other terminal-haired skin areas. The dermatitis presents as scaly, sometimes oily, inflamed skin that can be itchy or even painful to touch. This is an inflammatory condition the cause of which is not well understood, although there does seem to be a genetic component and Caucasians, particularly of Celtic descent, are most susceptible. It seems that the sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicles begin to produce a very rich form of sebum. The sebum contains fewer free fatty acids and squalene but increased amounts of triglycerides and cholesterol. In part, the trigger for may be androgen steroids. Times of hormone fluctuation, such as during puberty, can activate the onset of seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis can also be observed in some new born babies when maternal androgens are passed from the mother to the baby across the placenta. Conditions including Parkinson's disease, head injury, and stroke can also be associated with seborrheic dermatitis, and things like stress and chronic fatigue can make it worse.

The excess, rich sebum production in seborrheic dermatitis can trigger the proliferation of skin flora. Yeast*Pityrosporon ovale*(also called*Malassezia furfur) has been shown to increase in numbers with the intensity of seborrheic dermatitis. This excessive yeast proliferation causes more irritation and inflammation. Although all this inflammation is not specifically directed at the hair follicle, if hair follicles are in the vicinity of the inflammatory cells then they can still be adversely affected. Hair follicles find inflamed skin an unhealthy environment in which to grow. Thus seborrheic dermatitis may non-specifically cause diffuse hair loss. This hair loss should be reversible with reduction of the inflammation intensity. Although seborrheic dermatitis can involve a proliferation of years it is important to point out that seborrheic dermatitis is not infectious, you cannot catch seborrheic dermatitis. Where yeast is involved in seborrheic dermatitis it comes from the affected individual's own skin. We all have yeasts of various types living on our skin, the problem in seborrheic dermatitis is that the yeasts may grow to far greater numbers than normal.

There are several treatments for seborrheic dermatitis. The simplest treatment involves the use of medicated anti-dandruff type shampoos to control the skin proliferation and scaling. Several shampoos might be recommended for alternating use on different days and each with its own particular activity. Shampoos for seborrheic dermatitis may contain sulfur, selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione, tar, salicylic acid, or oil of Cade. These shampoos have been available for many years. More recently Azole based shampoos (Ketoconazole - Nizoral) have been made available over the counter. Other medicated shampoos may contain fluconazole. All can be effective in treating seborrheic dermatitis. Some dermatologists may also prescribe antibiotics to control the skin flora and in doing so indirectly reduce the inflammation. The inflammation may be directly treated using a corticosteroid cream or lotion to control the immune response. Seborrheic dermatitis can be very persistent once it starts so persistence with treatment is required and preventative treatment is useful even when the symptoms are gone.*

I think you are right. No wonder stretching shampoos, sulfates, oiling made it worse. Thanks lapushka.

...




Have you considered that maybe you're suffering from (undiagnosed) seborrheic dermatitis and that that's why it's inflamed and you're shedding so much. I do know that when my SD flares up, I tend to shed more as well.

[DKSABS]

I wonder if this is why my hair is falling out a lot worse than usual. I am getting large bald spots on my head now that are very difficult to try to hide. :(

[Beborani]

Silverbrumby I recall your experiment with minoxidil--I am sorry it didn't work out for you. But I am very surprised that your hair went from 2.5 thickenss to 3.2 inches in six months--it takes about minimim of 6 to 8 inches of growth for hair to reach pony tail and that would mean an inch or more growth a month which surely can't be if you are stalling so much. And that is over 1.5 times gain in hair density which is very impressive any which way because even though I have been having great success with minoxidil my measured thickness and density does not increase that rapidly. Perhaps you were overestimating the hairloss? Anyway good luck with Nizoral--one of its off label use is for hairloss though 3.2 inches is very respectable thickness even if it doesnt grow longer.

Eta: I also wanted to add that measuring ponytails by using measuring tapes is probably not the best way to measure changes in thickness as a lot of our own biases creep in. For example a year ago I measured '3 in' circumference and was happy but more recently when I measured after I know my hair has grown a lot more by all other qualitiative measures such as braid thickness, weight when wet, feel of hair as I style, parting size, my hair thickness measures at 3 inches even now. But now I am careful to compact it and am not afraid of the number on the tape as i used to be so I think I am more 'strict' with myself if that makes sense. This maybe happening to you and many others who report inconsistent measurements.

[Artista]

I only have experience with Nizoral for my seborrheic dermatitis, for which it is really successful. I have the 2% variant (in my country (Belgium) that's over the counter).

It doesn't really make enough difference for me with my SD. Here you have to have an rx to get the 2%. For the shed, it did nothing. Nothing is decreasing it. I have androgenetic hair loss or female patter hair loss for which there is no cure. I'm always looking for how to slow down the inevitable but nothing works so I just look for hair thickeners and cosmetics to hide the horribly thinning areas I have.

[Wosie]

I'm so sorry to hear of your SD problems, Artista. :( :blossom:

---

I'm using Ketoconazol (that's what one of the drugstore dandruff shampoos is called in Sweden) regularly again as my eczema got way worse after a clarifying wash 1-2 months ago. I went to my skin doctor a few days ago and I asked her whether I 'just' had atopic eczema or seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp, and she said it seemed like a mix of the two.

I don't know if I've noticed less shedding with the shampoo, but at least it itches less, and that's really relieving considering how much this darn condition makes it itch up there. D: So I definitely recommend it to people who have itchy and dandruffy/SD:y scalps, but it dries out the hair so oil it up in advance and moisturize it a lot afterwards.

[Silverbrumby]

I think you could be right about the measuring. I re measured and it was 3 today and yesterday. I need to look back over my hair photos but even without the tape measure its getting thicker at the base of the ponytail and about an inch out from there. I think some new hair is there but not all the hair that's grown in can make the ponytail. I have a decent amount of hair on the head but it falls out at 8 to 18 inches in length.





Silverbrumby I recall your experiment with minoxidil--I am sorry it didn't work out for you. But I am very surprised that your hair went from 2.5 thickenss to 3.2 inches in six months--it takes about minimim of 6 to 8 inches of growth for hair to reach pony tail and that would mean an inch or more growth a month which surely can't be if you are stalling so much. And that is over 1.5 times gain in hair density which is very impressive any which way because even though I have been having great success with minoxidil my measured thickness and density does not increase that rapidly. Perhaps you were overestimating the hairloss? Anyway good luck with Nizoral--one of its off label use is for hairloss though 3.2 inches is very respectable thickness even if it doesnt grow longer.

Eta: I also wanted to add that measuring ponytails by using measuring tapes is probably not the best way to measure changes in thickness as a lot of our own biases creep in. For example a year ago I measured '3 in' circumference and was happy but more recently when I measured after I know my hair has grown a lot more by all other qualitiative measures such as braid thickness, weight when wet, feel of hair as I style, parting size, my hair thickness measures at 3 inches even now. But now I am careful to compact it and am not afraid of the number on the tape as i used to be so I think I am more 'strict' with myself if that makes sense. This maybe happening to you and many others who report inconsistent measurements.

[Silverbrumby]

http://www.americanhairloss.org/women_hair_loss/

Artista I feel your pain and its hard to deal with especially seeing the amazing hair on this site.

Here is a link I found with good information on the subject. Very detailed.







It doesn't really make enough difference for me with my SD. Here you have to have an rx to get the 2%. For the shed, it did nothing. Nothing is decreasing it. I have androgenetic hair loss or female patter hair loss for which there is no cure. I'm always looking for how to slow down the inevitable but nothing works so I just look for hair thickeners and cosmetics to hide the horribly thinning areas I have.