Fluocinonide Stopped My Female Hair Loss for a Couple Months

Hi. I am a 32 year old female who has been experiencing hair loss every six months for the last two years. Every time my dermatologist or GP would prescribe Fluocinonide Topical Solution (.05%). The shedding would stop about 2 months later. However, 5 months later the shedding would start up again. I had some blood work done, but they came back normal. Can you tell me what is going on?

Also, can you recommend a hair loss expert/dermatologist in Orange County? I would like some answers.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to answer my questions.

This may be a jaded perspective and opinion, so be forewarned…

Hair loss for women can be a very frustrating condition to treat and diagnose for physicians. Miniaturization studies will show the status of the hair, thinning possibly in some areas. The doctors are under pressure to be proactive and to provide some form of treatment to the distraught patient even if they are not losing hair. If a doctor prescribes a harmless treatment that does not really have any clinical basis or proven results, is the doctor being honest? Treating hair loss with a corticosteroid (anti-inflammatory drug) such as fluocinonide would mean that there may be some inflammatory process going on behind the hair loss, but even without the use of such drug it is more likely the shedding would have stopped in a few months time. Hair loss can be cyclical in women. Oh… and don’t discount the power of the placebo effect.

I would think that if you have some sort of an inflammatory cause of hair loss (that is responding to fluocinonide) you would need a scalp biopsy to make the diagnosis. Any GP or dermatologist would be able to do that. Be forewarned that a biopsy would leave you with a small bald spot.