Scalp Psoriasis
Posted Fri 7 Jun 2024 15.36 by Louisa C
I'm new to he forum but have been looking at all the back posts on scalp psorasis. I have tried Synalar , Calcipitrol shampoo, Dovobet, Cocois regime and Betamethazone application. I have also tried various biological applications and shampoos. (Best so far for calming down the itching has been Biotech Salcura) . OK so my question is, what can I try as a home remedy? As sufferers will know, Dovobet works well but requires hair washing daily, which in itself produces loads of flaking and dryscalp. Cocois ointment, which also entails a regime of applicaion/ wash/shampoo, doesn't seem to have much effect either.I have cut my lovely long hair to within inches in an attempt to try managing the problem and cope with all the washing, but to no avail! What I need is something that will soothe the itching and help with the dry scaly scalp... or am I asking the impossible here? Would welcome any advice. Thank you
Posted Sat 8 Jun 2024 12.33 by OhNo_NotAgain? (edited Sun 9 Jun 2024 09.44 by OhNo_NotAgain?)
When I had really bad scalp psoriais I used Alphosyl shampoo, it was excellent but very sadly that has quite recently been discontinued.
I used to use Selsun (yellow one) very effectively back in the day, but tried again 4 years ago when I had a flare-up and it did nothing, they seem to have reformulated something in it. It was a frequently prescribed treatment back in 1970s, 1980s. and it would tarnish the colour of gold rings if you wore them while washing your hair. But in 2018 when I used it again, it made no difference to my psoriasis or the colour of my rings, suggesting to me that something has changed in the formulation.
Over the years I have used PolyTar shampoo and it works well, but it a little harsher on my hair than the Alphosyl was.
In 2018 I discovered "Alpahcade PSO", it stopped my scalp itching overnight. It was quite expensive from some places (eg Amazon) but I now get it from www.cocooncenter.co.uk/
Good luck.
PS: just to add, Alpahcade is sold as being for "severe dandruff". It was recommended to me for my scalp psoriasis by a pharmacist in Kyiv, Ukraine back in 2018. It worked very well for me, and I still use it.
Posted Sat 8 Jun 2024 13.03 by Louisa C
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I shall certainly give Alphacade a try - anything to stop this unbearable itching and flaking. I tried Polytar Shampoo once but it started to make my scalp feel tight and sore. Thanks again, your relpy is much appreciated
Posted Mon 10 Jun 2024 15.50 by Heather
I've just started using Enstilar Foam for scalp and body psoriasis, I was wondering what is the best shampoo to use with this treatment because it makes the hair really horrible, sticky and greasy.
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Posted Mon 10 Jun 2024 16.32 by Louisa C
Hello Heather. I agree, these applications do leave hair greasy. I was told to use Capasol shampoo with this regime but found my scalp getting quite sore and a bit "over treated" . You could look at the 'scalp psoriasis' downloads on this web-site - they are excellent and very informative.
Posted Thu 20 Jun 2024 14.17 by J. Speed
I am also new to the forum, but am a long-term relatively mild sufferer of psoriasis from the age of 7 or 8 (I am now 75!). I have scalp psoriasis and for many years used Alphosyl Shampoo (and Lotion and Cream) which was excellent, sadly now discontinued "for commercial reasons". For the last 10 years I have been using Neutragena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo (the ordinary one, not the higher strength) and have also found that very good indeed, it keeps the psoriasis under control without any adverse effect on the scalp.
Sadly I now find that that product seems to be in the process of being discontinued be Neutragena (Johnson and Johnson) but I cannot get a clear answer from their consumer support. Very unsatisfactory.
I have joined the forum partly in order to try to get the Psoriasis Association to put pressure on Neutragena to restart production.....
Does anyone have any alternative products that I might try? My internet searches have not found anything very satisfactory.
Posted Fri 21 Jun 2024 16.39 by Simon
I’ve got scalp psoriasis and also on my body.I decided to shave my head to “get at” the psoriasis because I didn’t want to apply dovobet through the hair.I also have quite serious mental health issues and now that I’m shaved I feel I have committed some wicked crime!Has anybody else had a similar experience?
Posted Fri 21 Jun 2024 17.53 by OhNo_NotAgain?
@J.Speed : as mentioned earlier in the thread, I would suggest that you try Polytar shampoo, or Alphacade PSO. When my plaque psoriasis was very bad, I found Polytar effective and ok to use daily.
In more recent years I found the Alphacade very helpful with guttate psoriasis.
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Posted Mon 1 Jul 2024 15.30 by Janet
Hello - I'm a scalp psoriasis suffer too. I've tried many things all of the products listed in fact apart from Alphacade as I only started suffering with this about 8 years ago. I'm 69 now, but nothing really works for me. I have recently read about Healsporin shampoo and conditioner that has very mixed reviews on effectiveness. Has anyone tried this product? It's quite expensive so I thought I'd see if anyone has used it and has had good results. Many thanks. Janet
Posted Mon 1 Jul 2024 18.01 by Louisa C
Hello Janet
At present I'm using Dovobet ointment twice weekly followed by Capasol shampoo. However, I am aware that Dovobet is a steroid application and need to monitor my use of it. It is, however, very good. The Capisol does the job of washing out the greasiness and is soothing - contains coal tar, salicylic acid and coconut oil.
In between I have tried Salcura Biotec shampoo and conditioner. They do calm the itchiness to some degree but nothing seems to clear it up. I avoid the usual off the shelf anti-dandruff shampoos because they irritate my psoriasis and eczema.
My dermatologist told me that I will never get rid of it, so it's a question of trial and error!
Interestingly, I have recently finished a course of steroids for a chest infection ( I have COPD) and for the first time in years, my scalp psoriasis settled down! Sadly back to normal flare-ups now. I'll mention this to the dermatologist when I next see her..... I'll also look into the Alphacade.
Hope you are able to get some relief soon.
Posted Tue 2 Jul 2024 18.36 by Heather
I've been persevering with the enstilar foam, which does clear the flakes but as soon as you stop using it they come straight back. Can't keep using the foam all the time, it's awful stuff. Going to try the capasol shampoo if I can get hold of it.
Posted Wed 3 Jul 2024 10.32 by Bumblebee82
Hi, new to the group, so apologies if this has been mentioned before.
I have scalp psoriasis and having an extremely bad flare up currently, to the point I am scratching till it bleeds :-( and it is quite embarrassing.
I have previously been prescribed Capasal and it has worked to a point, but I have seen people on other sites mention about TGel - anyone have any experiences of this? Or is there any natural remedies for the itching and flaking people have used?
Also do people find certain foods/drinks can effect flare ups? I know everyone is different and not all suggestions may work, but I would love to try anything really.
thanks, :-)
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Posted Thu 4 Jul 2024 17.02 by Louisa C
Haven't tried TGel yet - think the ingredients are much the same as Polytar which made my scalp feel tight and sore. However, my dermatologist has now suggested a regime of Dovabet ointment and Capasal shampoo interspersed with Cocois ointment. The Cocois is quite a pallaver to use but I do find the Dovabet really does calm things down. Dovabet is a steroid preparation, so is only available on prescription and should be used according to instructions to avoid thinning of the skin etc.
I too am interested in a dietry approach if anyone has any experiences to share. Keep well, Louisa
Posted Fri 5 Jul 2024 09.17 by OhNo_NotAgain?
My scalp is calm and flake free currently. 6 years ago when i had a flare up, I found that T-Gel was relatively ineffective. However Polytar did help. I am lucky that for some reason no shampoo or treatment that I have tried over the years has made my scalp sore. Some have not seemed to help my condition and some dried out my hair greatly.
I have never used a steroid on my scalp, but on the rest of my body I also did not observe the dreaded steroid-rebound.
There is a foam preparation Enstilar, which contains the same active ingrdients as Dovobet, and is usually the form that is prescribed for use on the scalp - I am assuming it is easier to apply through the hair than dovobet ointment/gel. I tried to use cocois on my scalp, but living alone I could not easily part my hair and get the cocois on the scalp where I wanted it, most of it ended up on the hair itself.
With regards to diet, I have read many things over the years since my psoriasis first covered my body in 1980. I have seen on here people relate that they have found a dietry soulution such as gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, nightshades-free, alcohol free and propbably other things I cannot recall just now.
Over the years my diet has varied, and in particular I have gone through years of heavy and daily drinking, 6-12 month periods of total abstinence, and periods where I would abstein for a month then drink heavily for a week or two, then drink heavily again . . this was as a resut of my work and life schedules not a deliberate strategy. But in all those years I have never seen any correlatable change in my psoriasis symptoms.
Having said that, to cut certain things out of your diet is something you can try for yourself, it does not cost extra money (such as buying special probiotics might), and as long as you do not adopt extremes, then there are no harmful side-effects and it is well-worth trying.
I would suggest that each change needs to be tried for a reasonable time, I would suggest 1-2 or even 3 months, and not just a couple of weeks.
Good luck!
Posted Fri 5 Jul 2024 16.14 by J. Speed
Since I posted my comments on this thread on 20 June there have been some excellent posts, thank you everyone. My main issue is the recent non-availability of Neutragena T/Gel Therapeutic shampoo in the UK, because I have found it extremely effective in keeping my admittedly mild scalp psoriasis under control for the last 10-12 years.
Some other commentators have found it less effective, It seems that each individual reacts differently to the various products. Coal-tar preparations have always worked well for me, when I I first started to have psoriasis almost 70 years ago the first product I had was a dark brown liquid in a bottle with a dropper stopper. It smelt awfully of coal tar, and it stained everything. My mother spent hours carefully applying it to the individual spots, it had to stay on overnight so I had a special pillowcase which became browner and browner. It was a good job I did not have fair hair! But it worked wery well - until it was discontinued, I think because of the side effects experienced by some people.
So If I am unable to source T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo I will try Polytar.
I also use Enstilum for the few patches I have on my body, it is effective but has to be applied regularly as the squams come back.
By the way, my son who also has psoriasis found a stock of T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo in Waitrose in Berkhamstead the other day. But Amazon still says "No supplies available"......
Posted Fri 5 Jul 2024 17.04 by OhNo_NotAgain?
@J.Speed: I found it easily on Amazon: ASIN: B000LNEB1A , B001E96OWY ,
You can type one of those numbers above into the search bar. or just search for " t-gel therapeutic shampoo "
Posted Tue 9 Jul 2024 14.57 by Louisa C
Hello again.
Having read about the lack of availability of T-Gel shampoo, I was pleased to buy it at my local Boots branch - on offer, too! However, it does sting in places on my scalp but am willing to give it another try. Would love to hear if anyone has any good results with diet/ home remedies.
Posted Tue 16 Jul 2024 13.53 by colleen (edited Wed 25 Sep 2024 20.03 by colleen)
I am 53 this year and have has psoriasis since the age of 4. This was brought on by having a throat infection. I was called names at school
Hi everyone.
I use Capasal but honestly it makes my head itch even more, so I apply Exorex lotion to my scalp but also use head & Shoulders that does stop the itching for a while.
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Posted Tue 16 Jul 2024 16.03 by Louisa C
Hello Colleen. Thank you for your post and for sharing your experiences with Capasol. I really don't think it helped me much either but will look into using Evorex.
At the moment I'm trying T-Gel and Dovabet which, so far, helps to take away the intense itching. The dandruff and flaking, however, is another story!
It's very useful to hear of the different treatment outcomes fromeveryone . I'm still interested to hear of any home remedies that readers may have found useful.
Posted Fri 26 Jul 2024 21.59 by Hernehillbilly
Tar shampoos can irritate the scalp after prolonged use, and I had to give them up for this reason. I use Diprosalic ointment on my scalp overnight a couple of times a week and then wash my hair the next day with with Sea Magik 3 Seaweed shampoo and conditioner. This soothes my scalp and eases the psoriasis itch and soreness. Sea Magik have a great range of products, many of which are good for psoriasis, and it is worth experimenting to find out which suits you. I’m currently loving their Silky Smooth body lotion, which is Dead Sea salt based. It is also worth massaging oil into your scalp from time to time before you wash your hair as this eases psoriasis symptoms. I recommend a mixture of avocado and sesame oil for this.
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