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| Allergy
to Rogaine after Propecia, Revivogen use |
| Question: |
Hello, Dr. Bernstein,
I spoke with you for a phone consultation about a year ago after a hair
transplant procedure was done on me. The bumps ceased as you said they
would, and most of the shock fallout has reversed. A year after the procedure
I'm pretty much where I started, my widows peak is starting to thin again
as is the left temporal area behind the grafts. I can style around it
for the moment, but my main questions relate to drug therapy. Before
the procedure I was using Rogaine 5% for about 3 months, as directed,
twice a day. I had little irritation to it, occasional itching, but very
tolerable. After the procedure, I was informed via the internet about
horror stories concerning hair transplants and shock fallout. I rushed
to get on Propecia, and have been on it for the last year. I'm unsure
if it is working, but I tried Revivogen in conjunction with the Propecia.
It gave me a bad reaction, my scalp itched intensely, and peeled in long
strips. I called the guys that make Revivogen, they said there were similar
complaints with the formula, and sent me a new batch of gentler formula
without the propylene glycol. I didn't try it, it is still sitting on
the shelf. After the scalp condition subsided, I tried resuming Rogaine
instead. I now have an allergic reaction to Rogaine as well, it causes
intense itching and dandruff. I tried going back to the lower 2%, with
no real difference. I stayed off Rogaine for the next 5 months and still
had bouts of itching and dandruff. To combat the scalp irritation I used
T-gel maximum strength, and I was relatively itch free most of the time.
Scalp flare ups usually accompany acne breakouts. I now use over the
counter 1% Nizoral when it comes. Propecia did give me some extra oily
skin. I have searched but cannot find any scalp irritation as a side
effect of Propecia. I could use Rogaine before I had the hair transplant,
but I started Propecia also at that time, and cannot correlate why Rogaine
gives me such a problem now. Since Propecia may need some assistance
in my case, I tried Rogaine again two days ago, the reaction came later
the next day and the itching started. I have only used medicated shampoos
for the flare ups, but if I got on a rotation, say T-gel, thickening
shampoo, Nizoral, such that each medicated shampoo was used every 3 days
in a cycle, could I effectively use a topical agent? Have you seen any
allergies to topicals after a procedure, or in conjunction with finasteride? |
| Asked
by: |
Scott |
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| Answer: |
All
topical medications can potentially produce allergies in those individuals
who are sensitive. In your case I would simply use finasteride 1mg orally
and discontinue your topical regime. Dr. Bernstein |
| Answered
by: |
Dr.
Robert M. Bernstein, M.D. |
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