What to expect from steroid injection for central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia

A clinician places a corticosteroid into selected areas of the scalp rather than giving it throughout the body. The aim is to quiet inflammation around vulnerable follicles, which may help slow further scarring when disease is active. The scalp is examined first, and the injection pattern depends on tenderness, redness, scaling, hair loss activity, and the clinician’s assessment.

You may feel brief pinching or pressure at each site. Temporary soreness, swelling, or small raised spots can occur. Repeated visits may be considered when inflammation remains active; the timing and dose are individualized because steroid exposure can thin skin or leave a lighter patch.

Tell the clinician about previous steroid reactions, scalp infections, medicines, and any areas that healed poorly. Arrive with the scalp clean unless you were given different instructions. Afterward, avoid rubbing or scratching the treated spots and follow the clinic’s directions about washing, hair products, and anti-inflammatory treatment.

Track changes with consistent scalp photographs and report increasing tenderness, burning, or new smooth areas. Injections address inflammation, not lost follicles, so your plan may also include gentle hair care and treatment for ongoing disease.

Contact the treating clinic if pain, warmth, swelling, drainage, crusting, or redness is increasing instead of settling. Prompt assessment is also appropriate if you develop fever, rapidly expanding scalp changes, marked skin thinning, or a new depression at an injection site. Sudden widespread symptoms or breathing difficulty need urgent medical attention.

Ask which scalp findings suggest active inflammation, what improvement can realistically be assessed, how many areas will be treated, and how side effects will be monitored. Ask whether you need a broader treatment plan to protect remaining follicles.