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I have Lichen Planopilaris

Posted by shooter @shooter, Mar 25, 2016

I have Lichen Planopilaris. Could the use of Red Lead Paint, Zinc Chromate and Acetone cause this issue of Lichen Planopilaris? I was in the US Coast Guard and these toxic metals were chemicals were used on the bottoms of boats and marker Buoys.

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mannism | @mannism | Jul 8, 2025
In reply to @808style "Hi @maralina - you want to avoid anything that will irritate or inflame your scalp. I..." + (show)
Profile picture for 808style @808style

Hi @maralina - you want to avoid anything that will irritate or inflame your scalp. I was diagnosed with LPP back in October, 2023. I have had two rounds of cortisone shots in my scalp, use a red light dome cap 2x a week, gone on a low histamine diet, started acupuncture once a week, use minoxidil 5% liquid once a day and a steroid liquid 2x a day. I have quite a bit of new hair coming in and my doctor is very pleased with my progress. The low histamine diet has helped significantly with reducing the inflammation and itching. I did notice a new patch of scaling on a front section of my scalp...which is very frustrating. I may go back to the doctor to ask them to give me a low dose steroid shot in that spot to try and get it to stop. Other than that, I don't have any other solution. I am going to try tai chi soon to see if that helps with stress. At the end of June I have my first appt with the hair loss clinic at Stanford. Hoping they can provide me with other effective options to stop the progression.
Hope this information helps.

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I have tried some of these same things. Did insurance cover the steroid injections? A hair loss doctor at Duke suggested it but the dermatologist never mentioned it. I don't have scaling or much but some itching on the scalp, which I have endured for nearly 20 years.

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808style | @808style | Apr 12 11:05pm
In reply to @mkwitry "I have Lichen Planus and Lichen Planopilaris. I was diagnosed six months ago. I also have..." + (show)
Profile picture for mkwitry @mkwitry

I have Lichen Planus and Lichen Planopilaris. I was diagnosed six months ago.
I also have a relatively rare form of lymphoma but the two are not connected.
I use a temporary hair dye and my doctor says it is safe, but I still have concerns and I have considered going grey if it helps the LPP subside.
I wondered about the plaquenil? Have any of you had success with it?
I know that the hair loss is permanent - has anyone had any success with OTC shampoos for hair loss like ROUTINE?
Thanks for the responses.

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@mkwitry I am sorry to hear that you have joined the LPP club. I have been dealing with the hair los.s since 2024. I am a patient at Stanford in N. California and see a doctor that specializes in hair loss dermatology. There are several things that can activate LPP. I have been told there is a genetic component to it and that would make sense because my 88 year aunts (twins) have both come down with it. I also believe my father had it in his later years.

As for what has helped. I started with steroid shots right away when I was diagnosed to calm my scalp down. But that can take a toll on your scalp after a while and I don't like putting steroids in my body. They now have me on minoxidil pills, finasteride, hydrocloroquin, minoxidil liquid drops, and steroid drops when I get a really active spot. Additionally, I get acupuncture once a week in my scalp and PRP shots in my scalp every four months. PRP is when they draw your blood put it in a machine to pull out the plasma and then they shoot the plasma in the wounded area. I have had the procedure done on my arthritic knee and it has been very helpful. I tried it on my scalp and it has been very help to calm my scalp down. The last time I had the procedure, the doctor put the PRP shots around my hair line and it really helped to calm my scalp and calmed down my chronic hives that were flaring up on my face and neck. Supposedly PRP works on approximately 25% of the people who try it. My doctor was quite surprised it worked on my. I had been asking my doctors for over a year if I could try it and they all tried to dissuade me from doing it because it is not covered by insurance. I told them that it worked really well on my knee and I wanted to try it. Finally, I tried it and after 4 rounds of shots, they are amazed at how much it has helped my scalp.

I think everyone needs to find their own path and there is not one fix that will work for everyone. I did stop coloring my hair. I also know that my skin allergies started right away after I had a hair straightening treatment (Copola). That coupled with the passing of my mother and my father-in-law within six weeks from each other was incredibly stressful.

The bottom line is listen to your body and prioritize your health. I hope some of this information has been helpful.

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808style | @808style | Apr 12 11:06pm
In reply to @mannism "I have tried some of these same things. Did insurance cover the steroid injections? A hair..." + (show)
Profile picture for mannism @mannism

I have tried some of these same things. Did insurance cover the steroid injections? A hair loss doctor at Duke suggested it but the dermatologist never mentioned it. I don't have scaling or much but some itching on the scalp, which I have endured for nearly 20 years.

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@mannism My insurance company covered my steroid shots. Insurance companies will not cover PRP shots.

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808style | @808style | Apr 12 11:08pm
In reply to @maralina "I was just diagnosed with LPP is using hair dye a problem? Thanks" + (show)
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I was just diagnosed with LPP is using hair dye a problem? Thanks

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@maralina Stop coloring your hair. It is incredibly damaging to our scalps.

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