Acne.org Products
thank you so much lamar!
i dont know if you know this but i have read somewhere that bilberry extract is also an anti inflammatory and absorbs great with GSE... so im taking that too.
i will take curcumin and try not to worry about it! that seems like the only logical route to take!
i beleive what you say! the lack of knowledge from doctors makes me beleive you even more. its such a complicated process.
i hope your hairloss will stop shortly too, considering how long it has been persisting with you.
Low dose should be safe but I had no luck from it and still experienced side effects. I was on 20 and 30mg for 2 months period and that alone induced AA. Whats wrong with Retin-A-Micro?
The steroid shots are definitely a temporary relief because I find myself getting the itch and burning sensation on my scalp again which is causing an increase of shedding. Im reluctant to get these shots again because of the possibility of osteoporosis and dents as a side effect. I don't why but my hair seems to grow a certain amount of length, and then shed because the majority of the hairs Im shedding are about the same length with just a few longer or shorter.
Favre i have learn't so so much about all aspects of the skin and skin conditions as i have experienced so many different aspects myself, due to tane.
Have you tried home light therapy? they are the only treatment i would currently recommend anyone should try...that and B5 (pantothenic acid)
Hey everyone,
I did a little bit of research on my own and have something interesting to share with the group. Blazed posted an interesting journalistic account of the awful effects of accutane (see [Edited link out]) which claims that among the possible nutritional therapies for accutane victims is the ingestion of vitamin E. The report provides a reference to an article which describes studies of the use of accutane in cancer patients ([Edited link out]). The study does indeed claim that "It has been reported that vitamin E ([alpha]-tocopherol) at 800 IU daily inhibited mucocutaneous side effects during high dose oral isotretinoin therapy in myelodysplastic syndrome (19,20)."
Mucocutaneous side effects (to clarify) are those such as dry lips, skin, nails and dry hair, hair thinning, hair loss, etc. The references in this article are two studies which documented the use of vitamin E in decreasing side effects incurred by accutane. I wasn't able to access these articles because I don't believe my school subscribes to the journals (if anyone can though I would appreciate it if they'd send me copies). The relevant references are:
Besa EC. et al. Treatment with 13-cis-retinoic acid in transfusion-dependent patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and decreased toxicity with addition of alpha-tocopherol. Am J Med 1990; 89:739-47.
Lebwohl M. Clinical pearl: vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol). 800 IU daily, may reduce retinoid toxicity. J Am Acad Dermatol 1999; 41:260.
The journalistic report provided by blazedjin includes a chart which showed that patients being treated with accutane for cancer and who took 800IU of vitamin E had a substantial decrease in toxic side effects. Most notably, whereas 19% of patients in this study experienced hairloss on the accutane, only 2% of those also taking the vitamin E had any hairloss.
Lamar (or anyone else for that matter): have you done any research on vitamin E as a possible treatment for the mechanisms leading to our hairloss?
Also, have any of you tried or are currently taking supplements which include vitamin E? If so, have you noticed any decrease in your hairloss?
I stand corrected... after doing some searches for vitamin E and accutane I found another study contradicting the ones I've already posted.
Kus S, GAn D, DemirAay Z, Sur H. Vitamin E does not reduce the side-effects of isotretinoin in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Int J Dermatol 2005;44(3):248-51. PMID 15807739
So much for that...
max, i am nearing 150 hairs a day for about 3 months now.... it SUCKS!! oh man. it just gets worse too.
the sad thing is my scalp has started to feel really wierd and tingly... wonderful.. i was hoping i had TE..... so i can get over this faster...
jnt,
yeah, that first study would completely transform the analysis that lamar and most of us have made on tane hairloss, though contradiction isnt a bad thing, its just that using vitamin e to curb hairloss doesn't much sense.. fight fire with fire lol. vitamin e is the enemy!!
Oh, does vitamin E cause or exacerbate hairloss? The information I've found seems to suggest that it either has no effect or is beneficial for hairloss. I imagine that overconsumption of the vitamin would be detrimental (just like taking too much vitamin A caused us to lose our hair...) but is there information to suggest that moderate intake of vitamin E (at 400IU or perhaps 800IU) would be problematic?
I took a look at the study which contradicts earlier findings that vitamin e may be helpful in reducing accutane's side effects and am slightly critical of the experimental design just based on the abstract... The study was conducted on 82 accutane patients (41 given vitamin e, 41 in the control group). While the study found no difference between side effects experienced by either groups, I wonder
1) What percentage of the patients in this study actually reported any side effects to begin with and
2) How many reported hairloss
Considering that hairloss is still a relatively rare side effect, I don't think that 82 patients were sufficient for this kind of study... considering that my own dermatologist said she's only seen one other accutane patient experience hairloss and that the range of reported statistics is <1% (very rare) to about 14% I am suspicious as to whether any of the patients in this study experienced hair loss at all. If four people in the treatment group had hair loss and a few more (or less) had hair loss in the control group then random error from an insufficient number of cases is doing the talking here, not the actual effect of the treatment....
As for the other and more common side effects (dry lips, dry skin, lower back pain, etc), these are all side effects of degree and the study doesn't seem to provide an analysis that differentiates the severity of these side effects. In other words, there may not be a statistically significant difference between those reporting dry lips and lower back pain between the control and treatment group but if vitamin e is beneficial for this problem, then those in the study being treated with it may have had less severe dry skin and back pain then those in the control group (which wouldnt be captured in an analysis that only reports side effects in terms of "yes" or "no").
I am really curious to read this study in its entirety, in addition to the two older studies and see if the older ones had a better design, or at least a design which would better indicate how vitamin e might affect hairloss. The study provided by the journalistic account blazed linked us to claims that hairloss in vitamin e treated patients was 2% while it was 15% in those not treated with vitamin e.... I am wondering how big this study was now and how much detail was used in diagnosing side effects.
Again, I have bursted my own bubble haha... found another study which did in fact analyze the occurrence, severity and duration of side effects between those treated with vitamin e supplements and those not... this one used 140 patients too... and basically concluded that vitamin e makes no difference.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1105058...ed_Discovery_RA
So basically that means we have two earlier studies (1990 and 1999) which indicate vitamin e might be helpful and 2 more recent studies (2000 and 2005) whose specific purpose was to answer this question indicate that vitamin e doesn't do anything.
So... I guess we can forget about that idea. Though i'm sure it is still important to get adequate vitamin e intake as it is with all other vitamins and minerals...
Wait everyone stop the presses!!!! I've found the CURE for accutane hairloss!!!
The solution is to rub human feces into your scalp....It's just like growing corn!!!!....you have to fertilize it with shit!! I've been doing this for two months now and my hair is growing like crazy! The only downside is that I usually smell like poop. But that's okay since my hair is totally back now!
.....April fools.....
ha......ha.....ha.....
ha....yeah.....I miss my hair
I must of read the same study on the vitamin E, as i started taking it after a few months on tane as i read that it helps counteract side effects..... Look where i am a year later lol.
Having said that i do know a few people suffering from tane side effects that take vitamin E and claim it helps!!
I am taing all sorts of things at the moment but i must be doing something right as my hair continues to improve even though i still shed in excess, it is very strange....
One thing i can promise you all is that anti inflammatory supplements are key in combating tane side effects.... EVERY single one. There isn't one side effects that isn't related to inflmmation that i can think of, even the dryness is partly down to inflmmation. Depression may not be directly related to inflammation but as you may or may not know, accutane effects the brain in a similar way to alzheimer's. Interestingly enough alzheimer's is also an inflammatory condition.
If you want to take things like evening primrose, starflower(borage) oil, all of these are great.
Some things that claim to be anti inflammatory aren't desired in our case so don't go popping anything that claims to be anti inflammatory.
This is a good article for those who may be suffering from telogen effluvium.
Wait everyone stop the presses!!!! I've found the CURE for accutane hairloss!!!
The solution is to rub human feces into your scalp....It's just like growing corn!!!!....you have to fertilize it with shit!! I've been doing this for two months now and my hair is growing like crazy! The only downside is that I usually smell like poop. But that's okay since my hair is totally back now!
.....April fools.....
ha......ha.....ha.....
ha....yeah.....I miss my hair
hahahahah
i absolutely died when i read this. "its just like growing corn" haha its science man.
jnt,
those are fantastic questions posed! you have the makings of a real theorist!
that first study is clearly flawed as you pointed out. things like degree of severity is monumental when it comes to accutane!
the final conclusion is the most reasonable though, about how simply taking the vitamin in conjuction with others to ensure vitamin stability.
I haven't read the articles, but knowing what i do, i know there is no vitamin that will resolve our hairloss. The closest thing to helping in terms of vitamins and minerals, if i had to pick one would be zinc, both for anti inflammatory and immunomodulating effects.
your push for the "vitamin cure" has decreased substantially hasn't it lamar?
what are your thoughts on your condition?
do you feel like it is going to resolve eventually on its own, and that taking vitamins and topical steriods now will only make it look better in the immediate?
surely anti inflammatories that you were pushing so fervently arent going to much but maybe slow it down, right?
do you think that time is the only true cure?
I just stumbled across this site after seeing it on MSNBC. I wanted to see if there were any opinions on Accutane and hair loss because I certainly have one.
I am 43 and took accutane around 1987. I would say I may have been one of the earlier subscribers to the product. I believe I took it for 6 mos or so and may have been placed on a 2nd cycle. I had cystic acne which subsided greatly due to the accuatne but it has more or lesscontinued up until just about 2 years ago.
The bad news is, I am absolutely convinced accutane contributed significantly to my hair loss. I do not want to alarm anyone and stress I am but one person but my scalp and body hair began thinning within a month of my first cycle. It never stopped. As I said, I am 43 now and bald. I am the youngest of three brothers and both have hair, the oldest full at 50 and the middle one only showing a few signs of receeding. Neither had my acne or my accutane. There is also no male pattern baldness in my family. My father passed with a full head of hair as did my mother's father and her brothers, save one.
This is just my experience but I would advise, strongly advise people concerned about hair loss to get more facts on accutane. I have spoke to several doctors, all of whom said my scalp exhibits the classic signs of male pattern baldness, so that might be good news for present accutane users. For your sake, I hope its true cause there is nothing I can do about it now but I remain convinced otherwise. I noticed the same things I read earlier in the thread, many hairs in shower, pillow and especially alarming in books and pages that I would read. I just would notice hairs everywhere. The texture of my hair also changed and it has never been the same since. That was all back in 87 & 88 and I am now walking around w/ a shaved head which I believe is a side effect of accutane.
Good luck.
I haven't read the articles, but knowing what i do, i know there is no vitamin that will resolve our hairloss. The closest thing to helping in terms of vitamins and minerals, if i had to pick one would be zinc, both for anti inflammatory and immunomodulating effects.your push for the "vitamin cure" has decreased substantially hasn't it lamar?
what are your thoughts on your condition?
do you feel like it is going to resolve eventually on its own, and that taking vitamins and topical steriods now will only make it look better in the immediate?
surely anti inflammatories that you were pushing so fervently arent going to much but maybe slow it down, right?
do you think that time is the only true cure?
I don't remember ever pushing vitamins? Supplements yes, but curcumin resveratrol etc aren't vitamins so my push on those hasn't changed whatsoever, they all help and we are working on finding the right one.
I think the topical steroids help get the condition under control and i will use them and other methods for as long as i need to until i either find something more effective or it resolves on its own yes.
The anti inflammatories are very important and my standpoint on them hasn't changed. I just don't see things like biotin, vitamin C, vitamin E etc doing much for hairloss. Like i said though biotin can help strengthen the hair and there is a place for things such as iron/zinc. But again those aren't vitamins they are minerals.
If by 'vitamin cure' you really ment supplements, then no my standpoint hasn't changed one bit i believe we can find the right thing to help significantly.
I just stumbled across this site after seeing it on MSNBC. I wanted to see if there were any opinions on Accutane and hair loss because I certainly have one.
I am 43 and took accutane around 1987. I would say I may have been one of the earlier subscribers to the product. I believe I took it for 6 mos or so and may have been placed on a 2nd cycle. I had cystic acne which subsided greatly due to the accuatne but it has more or lesscontinued up until just about 2 years ago.
The bad news is, I am absolutely convinced accutane contributed significantly to my hair loss. I do not want to alarm anyone and stress I am but one person but my scalp and body hair began thinning within a month of my first cycle. It never stopped. As I said, I am 43 now and bald. I am the youngest of three brothers and both have hair, the oldest full at 50 and the middle one only showing a few signs of receeding. Neither had my acne or my accutane. There is also no male pattern baldness in my family. My father passed with a full head of hair as did my mother's father and her brothers, save one.
This is just my experience but I would advise, strongly advise people concerned about hair loss to get more facts on accutane. I have spoke to several doctors, all of whom said my scalp exhibits the classic signs of male pattern baldness, so that might be good news for present accutane users. For your sake, I hope its true cause there is nothing I can do about it now but I remain convinced otherwise. I noticed the same things I read earlier in the thread, many hairs in shower, pillow and especially alarming in books and pages that I would read. I just would notice hairs everywhere. The texture of my hair also changed and it has never been the same since. That was all back in 87 & 88 and I am now walking around w/ a shaved head which I believe is a side effect of accutane.
Good luck.
Your story doesn't supprise or shock me, hairloss when significant often starts at the very end or within 2 months after disscontinueing the drug. Did you mean your hairloss started within the first month of treatment or a month of finishing? I also loose body hair, eyelash/eyebrow hair etc.
I do have one question though which would help me greatly, you say yoru hairloss mimics MPB, now one thing i would like to know is how much hair do you have left in the non male pattern baldness regions? is it much thinner than the hair you had before accutane? or would you say what you have left is typical of a male pattern baldness sufferer?
Seocndly do you still shed across you entire body?
How about shedding from eyebrows and lashes?
Also how much itching and burning of the scalp did you/do you get?
Thanks in advance and i'm sorry to hear your still suffering!!
Edit: As i'm sure you know, you don't have male pattern baldness. I know people think i say this with to much confidence, but what you have is a diffuse form of Alopecia areata.
Accutane has the power to alter the immune system significantly, which can cause a number of immune related side effects, this is just one of them.
The reason for the mimic of Male pattern hairloss is simple. Hairs in male pattern regions are far less resistant to inflammation and have less power of regeneration due to higher numbers of androgen receptors.
I just stumbled across this site after seeing it on MSNBC. I wanted to see if there were any opinions on Accutane and hair loss because I certainly have one.
I am 43 and took accutane around 1987. I would say I may have been one of the earlier subscribers to the product. I believe I took it for 6 mos or so and may have been placed on a 2nd cycle. I had cystic acne which subsided greatly due to the accuatne but it has more or lesscontinued up until just about 2 years ago.
The bad news is, I am absolutely convinced accutane contributed significantly to my hair loss. I do not want to alarm anyone and stress I am but one person but my scalp and body hair began thinning within a month of my first cycle. It never stopped. As I said, I am 43 now and bald. I am the youngest of three brothers and both have hair, the oldest full at 50 and the middle one only showing a few signs of receeding. Neither had my acne or my accutane. There is also no male pattern baldness in my family. My father passed with a full head of hair as did my mother's father and her brothers, save one.
This is just my experience but I would advise, strongly advise people concerned about hair loss to get more facts on accutane. I have spoke to several doctors, all of whom said my scalp exhibits the classic signs of male pattern baldness, so that might be good news for present accutane users. For your sake, I hope its true cause there is nothing I can do about it now but I remain convinced otherwise. I noticed the same things I read earlier in the thread, many hairs in shower, pillow and especially alarming in books and pages that I would read. I just would notice hairs everywhere. The texture of my hair also changed and it has never been the same since. That was all back in 87 & 88 and I am now walking around w/ a shaved head which I believe is a side effect of accutane.
Good luck.
Hey, got a couple questions. Did your shedding slow down? If so, do you remember after how long? Also did your hair become dramatically thinner in the first couple years or did it just become gradually thinner over the past 20 years? Also, do you shed short(shorter than the rest of your hair) tapered hairs(spear like tip). If so that would indicate that it is not MPB because a spear like tip indicates a new hair, and hairs are suppose to grow 4-6 years. Thanks for your time.
Also, do you shed short(shorter than the rest of your hair) tapered hairs(spear like tip). If so that would indicate that it is not MPB because a spear like tip indicates a new hair, and hairs are suppose to grow 4-6 years. Thanks for your time.
Hairs can still grow back and shed like that in MPB, they become dormant for about 3-4 months on average, including both telogen and catagen stages of hair growth, but we all know we don't have MPB anyway.
Hey bro lamarr,
I have bought a bottle of grape seed 6000 supplement which contain
Vitis vinifera (grape seed) dry equiv. 6000mg
Vitis vinifera seed ext. Dry conc. Standardised. 50mg
Prov. Approx. Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins. 40mg
[Edited link out]
So is this the right thing?