"Dry skin" and Pegasys

[pnArt]

Many people here report that Pegasys gives them dry skin. No doubt this is often true because Pegasys has a GIGANTIC range of side-effects.

But I wanted to call attention to something else Pegasys does which could be confused with dry skin. Pegasys is a recombinant alpha interferon (IFN-α) and as such it's an immune-system modulator that cranks up the immune system. Consequently it makes many autoimmune conditions WORSE.

When I started Pegasys for my PCV I noticed a huge increase in dandruff. It was like a blizzard and I had to bin my dark clothing. Many cases of dandruff are really seborrheic dermatitis, AKA seborrhea, which is an autoimmune condition in which our immune systems over-react to naturally occurring dermatologic flora, e.g., fungi that we all have living on our skin. When you see huge flakes of skin floating off you or enveloping your shoulders it's natural to assume your skin is "dry" and start slathering on moisturisers.

But it may sometimes be more effective to recognise it as seborrheic dermatitis and treat it aggressively as such. I've found that a shampoo combining an antifungal, Ketoconazole, with a cortisone to suppress the inflammation works a treat, although it must be religiously used.

BTW Pegasys also aggravates psoriasis and eczema for the same reason. I can't wait for this winter, which is my psoriasis season 8-( .

[JSKly]

I was so pleased to read this message. I have had the scalp problems you describe as well as a curious discoid eczema. I asked the consultant if it could be the Pegasys. He said no because it didn’t start when I started the injections but a year or so after. I suspected Peg was the cause as I have never been given to allergies and I suspected that they could start as Peg got well into the system. Thank you.

[pnArt in reply to JSKly]

Here's a couple of links about alpha/alfa interferons and autoimmunity that may be of interest...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/167...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/197...

...a PubMed search will turn up many more.

I'm new to MPN Voice / Healthunlocked, and I recently asked this question on another thread, but I haven't yet received an answer. What resources exist on HealthUnlocked for sharing scientific documents and information? I find that the regular postings don't format links and other stuff in technical research very well.

[Rachelthepotter in reply to pnArt]

Good question. There isn't any obvious space.

Maz, any chance of asking whoever makes these decisions to have a place on this site where people can put links to research papers/ scientific sites etc? I’d appreciate it too, as I find it hard to keep track of things.

Rachel