Rogaine irritation

[trance9]

I started using Rogaine Foam and Nizoral 1% earlier this year. Everything was going well for the first 4 months or so (no major growth but I could identify some new hairs at least). I don't use any other products.

Then, the Nizoral shortage happened. I stopped using it for a while and my head got very bad - red splotches, crustiness, occasional bleeding in spots. I tried T-Gel and head and shoulders with no luck. Finally I realized I could order Nizoral 2% from the UK which I did. I stopped the Rogaine for about 3 weeks and let me head heal up while using just Nizoral 2%.

Now, I started to use the Rogaine Foam again, and after only a single application, my head was flaking and burning and red again.

Any ideas are much appreciated. Is it possible that there is something in the 1% that soothes that isn't in the 2? Did it just take me a while to show a reaction to the Rogaine to begin with? Or what's going on here?

 

[longhair1983]

I started using Rogaine Foam and Nizoral 1% earlier this year. Everything was going well for the first 4 months or so (no major growth but I could identify some new hairs at least). I don't use any other products.

Then, the Nizoral shortage happened. I stopped using it for a while and my head got very bad - red splotches, crustiness, occasional bleeding in spots. I tried T-Gel and head and shoulders with no luck. Finally I realized I could order Nizoral 2% from the UK which I did. I stopped the Rogaine for about 3 weeks and let me head heal up while using just Nizoral 2%.

Now, I started to use the Rogaine Foam again, and after only a single application, my head was flaking and burning and red again.

Any ideas are much appreciated. Is it possible that there is something in the 1% that soothes that isn't in the 2? Did it just take me a while to show a reaction to the Rogaine to begin with? Or what's going on here?

just a thought, did you use the same type of rogaine. Someone pointed out Rogaine is different from regaine in ingredients.

 

[trance9]

Thanks, but I have only ever used Rogaine branded Foam. Is there another brand that may have a less irritating formulation?

 

[mesentsev]

Itching appeared in 3 months since I started using Rogaine.
Unlike your case, I saw no rush or redness on my scalp and I continue to use it after some adjustments to the regimen.

I knew well that Rogaine inhibits 1,5 DHT esterase and I was not afraid to apply it on my hairs.

I believe I can explain, what happened to you. Rush and redness, in my opinion, was a sign of an immune attack. In the other words, you have antibody to the Rogaine active ingredient. Many people develop them if they have a long time treatment. Perhaps, you overdosed foam sometimes and active ingredient occasionally entered the blood stream. For instance, it could happen through the dermal blood vessels.

The rest seems to be obvious. Your immune system recognized the chemical as a pathogen. In turn, it was presented to the immune cells and some of them began producing the antibody.

If you want to make redness gone, I suggest you to replace Rogaine by another treatment based on a different principle of action. One that you mentioned above seem to me as a good option.

I sincerely wish you luck,
Alex

 

[DoubleL14]

I've been using rogaine foam and generally minoxidil for a couple of years. Hair loss has stabilised and I had some regrowth. Similarly, I am having break outs on my scalp for the past few months and not sure whether it's due to the new minoxidil (DNC spectral) I am using now. I use 2% Nizoral as part of my regime but it doesn't seem to help much. Planning to switch to MinoxidilMax after checking all the positive comments.

 

[trance9]

I've been using rogaine foam and generally minoxidil for a couple of years. Hair loss has stabilised and I had some regrowth. Similarly, I am having break outs on my scalp for the past few months and not sure whether it's due to the new minoxidil (DNC spectral) I am using now. I use 2% Nizoral as part of my regime but it doesn't seem to help much. Planning to switch to MinoxidilMax after checking all the positive comments.

Well it's been a few more weeks and my head seems to be shedding. I'm not one of those people that obsesses over their hair loss - if its gunna happen, it's gunna happen. Still, I would prefer it not and would like to make an attempt to stop it if its reasonable to do so.

Anyway, my point is that it seems like I am a lot thinner now than before I started the rogaine at the beginning of the year. I can't say for sure because I don't pay that much attention to it, but it's definitely thinner than when I was using Rogaine.

I've started something new I found last week called Phytolium 4. I don't know if it's going to grow hair but otherwise it's been pretty painless. No irritation yet, you only use it once every 2 days, on again off again in 3 month cycles. It ends up being more than the Rogaine because it is $50/month and you need 6 months of treatment per year... So $300 a year vs about $180 for the Rogaine Foam. There's not a lot of info out there about it that I have found but the initial user reviews seem to be very positive.

I'm going to try it for 3 months and if I don't see any results I will go back to explore some different brands of Minoxidil. I do know that I'd rather be bald than have a bloody head (Rogaine Foam) or impotent (Propecia).