using hydrocortisone once a day on scalp?
- Thread starter Cassin
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 273
Anyone else on this? Its been 10 days for me so far. Shedding slowed down the 2nd day and since then it has continually dropped. I'd say 75% less shed then I had before.
I'm gonna use 1% everyday for a month. Then jump down to 3 times a week. Inflammation... f*****g a.
Also, I have photos in another thread I've posted. I'll post after pics once I see a drastic enough difference.
Cheers
I'm gonna use 1% everyday for a month. Then jump down to 3 times a week. Inflammation... f*****g a.
Also, I have photos in another thread I've posted. I'll post after pics once I see a drastic enough difference.
Cheers
- Reaction score
- 3,025
You guys might want to look at this thread:
https://www.gourmetstylewellness.com/intera...otemporal-hairline.110099/page-2#post-1583414
https://www.gourmetstylewellness.com/intera...otemporal-hairline.110099/page-2#post-1583414
- Reaction score
- 211
Yup glucocorticoids actually have the potential to increase aromatase expression.
The reason they have these horrible side effects its because aromatase is wayy to highly expressed. In fact aromatase is the reason women have thinner skin.
topical steroids can cause redness. Guess what women tend to have more rosey faces.
They age worse too.
But heres the thing... male pattern baldness its diagnosis is essentially hyperkeratinization why? Cause androgens thicken the skin. They essentially suffocate the follicle caused by excess skin. Basically in theory this should work. U would need to cycle it tho to avoid the side effects
- Reaction score
- 119
It’s works great until you become dependent on it. At first, you will have to up your dosage just to keep your scalp from flaring. Eventually, no dose will be enough and you’ll have to start using a stronger corticosteroid. This cycle continues either until you have exhausted their efficacy or you realize you need to stop. At that point, you will experience a rebound effect that is far, far worse than the reason you used them to begin with.
Sadly, that initial flare up will only be the beginning; Corticosteroid withdrawal is a f*****g nightmare that lasts a minimum of months and takes years for your skin to recover fully.
That being said, corticosteroids are amazingly effective in the short term for limited periods of time and helps clear up inflations within a day or two. It’s a god send if you’ve got recurrent sebhorreic dermatitis but you have to be very cognizant of how often and in what quantity you use them. Should you go beyond 2 weeks or use an excessive amount you are going, you are going to pay a heavy price.
Sadly, that initial flare up will only be the beginning; Corticosteroid withdrawal is a f*****g nightmare that lasts a minimum of months and takes years for your skin to recover fully.
That being said, corticosteroids are amazingly effective in the short term for limited periods of time and helps clear up inflations within a day or two. It’s a god send if you’ve got recurrent sebhorreic dermatitis but you have to be very cognizant of how often and in what quantity you use them. Should you go beyond 2 weeks or use an excessive amount you are going, you are going to pay a heavy price.
Last edited:
- Reaction score
- 211
Most of the documented withdrawal cases are based on oral usage and that’s because they are talking about the adrenal gland needing time to recover.
also tapering usage is an effective way to lower withdrawal symptoms. Assuming one is using finasteride and is using topical corticosteroids like dexa. Theoretically they can up regulate aromatase semi permanently or for long periods of a time.
Today is the first day I applied 1 percent dexa on my scalp. I’ll be doing this daily for 2 weeks and then taper to every 2 days. Then to every 3 days. Then 4. Then 5 and cycle off. For 2 weeks. And repeat if successful.
- Reaction score
- 119
That sounds like a good plan. Going in with eyes open is key. I do hope it works.
I’m not sure where you got that information, but perhaps you were looking specifically at corticosteroid withdrawal, rather than topical corticosteroid withdrawal as they are very different conditions. The good news is that TCW requires a much longer period than that required for CW.
That said the amount used, the potency and location all play a role. Generally applying to thinner skin that is easily penetrated, (your junk and your scalp), substantially escalated the time table.
- Reaction score
- 211
You know your sh*t dude. You def know your sh*t. I hope it works too. Affects of dexa apparently wear off 100 percent after 3 days. But that’s not based on topical 1 percent usage.
I have read a few reports of people regrowing new hair on topical steroids. Personally I am just looking for maintenance. Personally I would think 5 cycles in a year of topical use would be way better than everyday dutasteride. We shall see how things god. Really hope I don’t make things worse
- Reaction score
- 119
I think it’s worth a shot. Fluocinonide is definitely prescribed for people with Alopecia Areata. I’m not sure what the effects are on male pattern baldness though. I’ve been using that particular steroid off and on for years to clear up seborrheic dematitis.
I did try using it for a time on my temples to see if they would do anything and sadly I didn’t, but I have always thought that it might be because I’ve used that one enough that my body is used to it despite the breaks. If that is the case then none of them would be likely to do much for me given that it sits at the top of the potency hierarchy.
I can definitely confirm a taper works should you find yourself in that position. I used this stuff everyday for like 6 weeks only to find that not using it caused a flare up and realize the problem. So I tapered down with initially lower doses of the fluocinonide, then progressively weaker corticosteroids and return to baseline relatively painlessly within a few weeks.
I got lucky as I was at early stage dependence, but was still surprised as it took far less time than I had read, but eventually the truth dawned on me. At that time, I didn’t realize how easily that stuff absorbs into your scalp and used way too much of it, thereby jumpstarting the whole thing.
- Reaction score
- 211
Almost everything I ever tried was on bald spots. I never thought about using topicals on areas where my hair was to see if it at least would thicken my hair. I think a lot of the things that grow hair work differently than those that maintain. Different signals are needed. How long did u use it on your temples? I wonder if u got increased peach fuzz.
- Reaction score
- 119
Well the problem was that the seborrheic dermatitis was bad in that area, so I used it to clear it up and then continued doing it for 3-4 months every other day. They definitely looked better at that point, which I initially thought was due to this, but I later realized that using it every 5 days or so to keep the flare up at bay yielded the same result. So basically I think the hair grew back because I wasn’t scratching the hell out of the irritated area rather than due to the steroid.
Anyway, at this point they’re still where they are because I now use fluocinonide preventatively about once a week. Because of that, I haven’t had any scalp issues in over a year. The reason I’m unsure is that I did the same thing with a patchy area of my beard caused by the same issue, with the same results. The thing is, now Keeping my beard short has eliminated the sebderm problem and patches that I intentionally didn’t use the steroid on grew back just as thick as those where I did. Because of that and my unwillingness to allow my head to flare up to test this theory, I can’t definitely say it’s one thing or the other. Scalp and beard are very different and what works for one may not in the other.
In any case, that’s one reason I’m curious to see if it does something for you. I definitely think you’ll be fine both because you’re going in eyes open and are therefore not going to unintentionally overuse and your rest period is more than adequate to prevent any kind of dependence.
I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience as mine certainly didn’t yield any kind of clarity.
Last edited:
- Reaction score
- 211
Thanks man.
all thats very interesting. I think just like u said beard hair is different. Heck i actually have a solid theory on something. So as men get older they tend to get more body hair and one thing that happens is their serum estrogen goes up. Everyone thinks body hair controlled by androgens only but the truth is u need both but the balance determines growth.
Body hair and beard hair probably already express aromatase if u were to over express it u would lose hair.
its funny cause in aromatase defecient men they have practically no body hair and juvenile hairlines even in their 50s. But in aromatase defecient women they have body hair.
Certain steroids will cause opposite effects in gender due to the different balance ratios in different tissues.
Lets say steroids on the scalp grow hair.
women high aromtase low androgen 4:1 ratio. Probably. This give you thick long hair on the scalp and grows at a good pace.
In men that are young based on biopsy from the back of their head it was probably a ratio of aromtase to androgens. 2:2. This give u thick(relative term) hair not as long anagen but growth was fast.
Just conjecturess. But in the end its clear that skin has been proven to do steroidgenesis and its been proven that the skin and serum hormone levels work together on the hpa acis