Panicking - Accutane Hair Thinning - Help!

[Boudicca]

I've got about a week left to go on Accutane. My scalp has been (literally) painfully dry for the duration - I don't think it has produced sebum since April. My hair is quite brittle, especially near the scalp. The only times I have had to wash my hair are when I have been oiling it like crazy at the weekends.

I was looking at my updo this morning and noticed that I have definite thinning at the crown. It's always a bit of a problematic area for me as regards thinning, but it doesn't usually look as bad as this. I was really embarrassed.

Does anyone know what I can do to pamper the hair and stimulate new growth? I'm horrified at the thought of losing more hair. :(

[CrystalStar]

Awww, hang in there, just a week to go! Is it at all possible you could gently massage your scalp without any hairs breaking? If not, try HEAVILY oiling your hair, and I mean heavily and then massaging it for a good 15 minutes, if it doesn't work though and it's snapping hairs I'd suggest stopping. When I suffered hair loss daily scalp massage, vitamins and oils saved my hair, and I'm sure no matter how much you lose it will always look gorgeous to others :)

[Tiina]

Scalp massages stimulate sebum production. I've also heard that indian women oil their hair at the roots and massage while the scalp is slathered in oil. I've never tried it myself but it sounds like it could take care of brittleness near the roots. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can say more. One thing I have definitely noticed to increase my sebum is rinsing with alternately warm and ice cold water at the end of my showering session.

[maskedrose]

I'm sorry you're going through this :( Honestly though, I was on Accutaine on and off for 2 years and it eventually wreaked havoc on my hair. If you can at ALL avoid going back on it, please don't. I also suggest oiling your scalp and doing gentle scalp massages, but be prepared to have dry and brittle hair for awhile after stopping. I've been off it now for over 3 years and I still don't have as healthy of hair as I did before. It is improving, but I shed more now and I get splits, which never used to happen before. Hang in there!!

[Anje]

I don't know if an SMT would help Accutane-induced dryness, but it might be a nice thing to include in the routine, with the oiling and scalp massage. You might also want to look into putting Monistat on your scalp in the thin areas to help speed recovery and regrowth.

[Boudicca]

Thanks so much for all the advice, guys. :)

CrystalStar - I think I'd only risk the massage with lots of oil, and even then - I'm tentative. It's a good idea, though, and one I'll start once the meds finish. I'm sorry to hear that you suffered from hair loss - but glad to hear it's over now :) Which vitamins did you feel helped most?

Tiina - I'll definitely try the hot and cold rinses, I'd never heard of that before. Thanks! :)

maskedrose - I'd be very reluctant to gone on accutane again. I've never taken any medication before which makes it quite so abundantly clear that it is actually poisoning you. I'm sorry to hear that you experienced Accutane problems too, and repeated courses. It is not an easy medication. Your hair looks gorgeous, though, and your avatar 'do is gorgeous.

Anje - I've not tried SMT before, I guess this would be a good time to start! :) I've never heard of Monistat before - I must investigate. Thanks :)

[kritir]

I'm starting a 6 month (low dose) Roaccutane course next week to get rid of the few annoying (painful) cysts I get around the time I get my period. I've had mild/moderate acne for almost 5 years now, and just decided to get rid of it once and for all. My dermatologist says it's a 90% chance this course will knock it out, if not severely reduce the frequency and duration of breakouts.

I'm still SO scared though. So many restrictions, and the fact that it is a chemotherapy drug freaks me out about the side effects. I have had a tetracycline course before this, so the dermatologist says the results will be similar, but the full side effects of ANY medicine are never unknown.

I'm just going to focus on being REALLY healthy.

T-minus 6 months, sigh.

[kritir]

Oh, and I'm sorry about the double post, but I forgot to tell you of my findings as I was googling Accutane hair loss.

From what I've learnt, bombarding everything with moisture includes your scalp and hair. Just moisturise the crap out of it!

It'll take about a month before the Roaccutane is completely out of your system - my dermatologist said it was safe for women to get pregnant a month after their course is completed if they intend on doing so. Your hair should normalise to a degree within this time, but it could take almost a year before it completely normalises and you begin to see pre-tane thickness and volume.

There are a tonne of forums you can go to - certainly helped me with my side effect fear. Kind of :)

[Celticfreefall]

Luckily I didn't have scalp dryness, but Accutane not only changed the color and texture of my hair but also gave me such bad eczema that I had both arms bandaged for two months due to my skin in that area cracking, weeping and bleeding. The worst part about going through the entire ordeal was that it didn't work for my acne in the least. You might want to try applying some Aquaphor or Eucerin (I loved Eucerin during this time) to your scalp there to keep it moisturized. These were dermatologist recommended to me for the severe dry skin I was experiencing.

[christine1989]

I took accutane for overly oily skin and had no problems except the occasional nose bleed. I would say to try castor oil to moisturize- I use it and it gives my scalp and hair tons of shine and locks moisture in for days even through washing.

[Boudicca]

I'm starting a 6 month (low dose) Roaccutane course next week to get rid of the few annoying (painful) cysts I get around the time I get my period. I've had mild/moderate acne for almost 5 years now, and just decided to get rid of it once and for all. My dermatologist says it's a 90% chance this course will knock it out, if not severely reduce the frequency and duration of breakouts.

I'm still SO scared though. So many restrictions, and the fact that it is a chemotherapy drug freaks me out about the side effects. I have had a tetracycline course before this, so the dermatologist says the results will be similar, but the full side effects of ANY medicine are never unknown.

I'm just going to focus on being REALLY healthy.

T-minus 6 months, sigh.

It seems to be a YMMV medication. I had a bad time, my co-wrker only got dry lips. Can I recommend in advance that you use Simple Intensive Lip Balm (it comes in a squeezy tube). Also, the Vaseline Clinical Relief Skin Lotion is good. Get lots of moisturising eyedrops in, too.

I hadn't thought of actually moisturising my scalp. I've been oiling at the weekend - that's the only time I get relief.

Thanks for the info about how long it takes to go out of my system :)


Luckily I didn't have scalp dryness, but Accutane not only changed the color and texture of my hair but also gave me such bad eczema that I had both arms bandaged for two months due to my skin in that area cracking, weeping and bleeding. The worst part about going through the entire ordeal was that it didn't work for my acne in the least. You might want to try applying some Aquaphor or Eucerin (I loved Eucerin during this time) to your scalp there to keep it moisturized. These were dermatologist recommended to me for the severe dry skin I was experiencing.

CelticFreeFall, it totally worsened my sunlight induced hand eczema until it actually blistered. I'm so sorry to hear it didn't work for your acne. I can't get Aquaphor here, but I'll try eczema. TY :)


I took accutane for overly oily skin and had no problems except the occasional nose bleed. I would say to try castor oil to moisturize- I use it and it gives my scalp and hair tons of shine and locks moisture in for days even through washing.

Have you found that the castor oil darkened your hair?

[christine1989]

I have not noticed any darkening however my hair is dark to begin with. I don't use the Jamacian black oil just the regular kind so it is a very light yellow color.

[Boudicca]

Just to update this for anyone in the same situation. Jojoba oil has been absolutely fabulous and has really helped my scalp massively in - like one application. I love it.

[teela1978]

I am of the "I just got dry lips" persuasion in my reaction to Accutane. It really does seem to cause a wide range of responses. Cleared my acne right up.