scalp excercises = hair growth?!

[mothernature]

can anyone tell me where I can learn about how to do scalp excercises?

How effective are they for hair loss? I heard they stimulate hair growth by increasing blood flow to the area however im a bit concerned doesn't more blood mean = more DHT to the area as well?

Any info/videos on how to do the excercises?
Is it really beneficial? Discuss..

 

[hairhoper]

I don't think there's any proof either way.

I sometimes give myself a gentle scalp massage in the shower, the same as an expensive hairdresser will give you here in the UK. Dig your fingertips in and push towards the centre of your scalp. Figure it can't hurt.

Some people do that contracting/relaxing exercise, can't remember the guy who's pioneering it, but I can't do it. (Search for a user called 'SE Freak' on this forum, he does it).

 

[mothernature]

LOL is it something to do with this??

http://www.hairloss-reversible.com/my_approach.htm

But it says i have to pay for his e book/video or whatever.. i just want to know what excercises to do

 

[hairhoper]

Yeh it's that guy but I don't see why you'd have to pay for anything, he explains it enough on that page anyway.

 

[s.a.f]

Explain to me how scalp massages would make hair follicles less susceptable to DHT?
If any since its your blood supply that delivers the DHT to your follicles it would make the condition worse! :thumbdown2:

 

[elliotramsey]

To be fair, Tom Hagerty says he doesn't have any concrete reasons why his SE works. But he has his hair, and he provides all of his information for free, so theres no reason why he would be lying

 

[freakout]

They say conversion of T to DHT works 'within' the follicle or local level. In that case, it doesn't matter where it comes from

You might as well "exercise" it even if the scalp has no muscles. :woot: Follicles do need blood supply.

But frankly, I think in some men, there could be other causes which is why finasteride is not effective for all and only slows down in quite a number.

 

[balder]

Flexing the occipitofrontalis epicranius musculature might allow for a weak minoxidil effect by temporarily opening potassium channels during the muscle contraction phase.

I have been at it for six weeks now, no new hair yet :dunno:

But my scalp feels healthy, which might be a good thing if a cure is discovered sometime in the near future :woot:

 

[RP3X]

I was trying this few months ago and while it also made my hairs and scalp a little better I just gave up... it would require some serious dedication to do it daily or consistantly.

But also the thought comes to mind with people without hair loss... I doubt the 20 stone oversized 35 year old bloke who has pizza for breakfast and proberly no sex and doesnt do any excercize in the world let alone fronal scalp massages still ends up having a full head of hair....

Hair loss is still the worlds greatest mystery, hence the reason I couldnt be bothered with these scalp sessions.

 

[elliotramsey]

@ Balder. 6 weeks is only a little over a month. Def not enough time to see ANY effectiveness. I've been doing it for about 9 months, and now might just be starting to feel the benefits.

 

[balder]

A person might need to become a serious scalp flexing athlete in order to see some genuine hair regrowth from the scalp exercise :hairy:

VEGF from some old articles:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10924077

Exercise adaptation attenuates VEGF gene expression in human skeletal muscle.

[...]

These data support the concept that VEGF is involved in exercise-induced skeletal muscle angiogenesis and appears to be subject to a negative feedback mechanism as exercise adaptations occur.

http://www.gourmetstylewellness.com/hair-loss-n ... cle106.php

"So by modulating VEGF, we can directly influence the size of the hair," Detmar said. They are now working on a way to get VEGF into the scalp in a cream or ointment. "The question now is can we, by this method, improve hair growth in humans?" he said. "Applying it to humans will be the big challenge."

 

[brightside]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8470 ... sq-content

Comment by 'bluenote'

I started to get thinning hair at the age of twenty one, but met a woman who suggested gentle massage twice a day just for five minutes. I'm now a hundred and twenty but still possess a fine head of hair. The massage bit is quite true. And my hair is fine.

 

[balder]

Here is another exercise :dunno:

http://www.hairloss-research.org/Update ... s4-10.html

Sufi Breathing Techinique to Prevent Hairloss and Wrinkles


The following breath technique, called the “Mind –Eye†breath is interestingly known in some remote Tibetan and Sufi sects to prevent hair loss, overcome wrinkles, and improve vision. It apparently does so by stimulating and maintaining the pituitary and thyroid glands in perfect working order.

Yogis from Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Mid East traditions have an arsenal of breathing techniques to address a myriad of psychological and physical conditions, and deep breathing methods form the cornerstone of their longevity and anti-aging interventions. Most of these are completely unknown to and kept secret from the outside world. It is hardly surprising that they have developed some that would directly or indirectly impact hair loss.


Instructions

# Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
# Seal the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale deeply from the left nostril until the chest fully expands.

# Close both nostrils with thumb and forefinger, while bending over from the waist, head lowered, knees slightly bent.

# Hold your breath in this position for 20-45 seconds, or as long as comfortable. While in this lowered position, a strong pulsation of blood will be felt in the head, eyes, mouth, tongue, and brain, a flushed feeling from the chest to the top of the head.

# Next, slowly straighten up, and exhale from the right nostril. If a little dizziness or lightheadedness is felt during or after this movement, cut back to only 5 or 10 seconds of breath retention with your head lowered.


Build up to 40 seconds over several weeks. After a few sessions the dizziness will disappear, and you will begin to feel euphoric and energized. This technique will burn up toxins and poisons in the body and purify the bloodstream, imparting a glowing complexion and clear sharp vision. Always remember to inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Perform this breath no more than 3 times a session, 3-4 times a week for its full value. Due to the amount of energy generated, do not perform late in the evening.

If you are skeptical of the claims presented, we don’t blame you, however it cost nothing to try. Deep breathing and breath retention do have well documented benefits to mind and body. According to the Indian, Tibetan and Taoist view, the nutrition derived from air through breathing is even more vital to health and longevity than that provided by food and water through digestion. Breathing influences the body’s bioelectrical balance just as diet influences its biochemical balance. Chi-Gong and Pranayama, which mean both breathing exercise and energy control have been formal branches of Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian medicine for thousands of years. Different breathing exercises are designed to have different benefits. The one presented here is purportedly renowned for its specific benefit to hair and the prevention of facial aging.

Conservation and cultivation of sexual energy, particularly for males is another common thread in these yogic systems, particularly in regards to hair retention and longevity. That topic we featured in a prior update, Ancient Chinese Secrets For Hair Loss

If you’re thinking that we’ve gone off the new age deep end, we can assure you we haven’t. Our emphasis on treating hair loss and recommendations will continue to be evidence based. We are not endorsing this breathing technique as an intervention for hair loss, but thought you might find it interesting and something to experiment with. Don’t be surprised, however, if you happen to occasionally encounter me bending over pinching my nostrils…

 

[balder]

I have been scalp exercising religiously with the Tom Hagerty method since March 3, 2011. I see some new hairs growing but that is probably from the topical minoxidil - started May 1, 2011.

 

[RP3X]

It still dont explain why a bloke like this has all his hair:

And this guy definatly doesnt have sex let alone massages his scalp on a daily basis.

You could be in your 20s or 30s and excercise daily and eat fruit and nuts for lunch and dinner, yet you still wont cant have hair like the fat bloke above.

There just doesnt seem to be anything out there to explain the mystery that is hair loss.

 

[balder]

True, some people have great hair, no matter what their lifestyle and environmental influences may be... Other people have weaker hair genetics :woot:

I am guessing if the scalp exercise works it is through gene expression :dunno:

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpag ... ession-536

The expression of genes in an organism can be influenced by the environment, including the external world in which the organism is located or develops, as well as the organism's internal world, which includes such factors as its hormones and metabolism. One major internal environmental influence that affects gene expression is gender, as is the case with sex-influenced and sex-limited traits. Similarly, drugs, chemicals, temperature, and light are among the external environmental factors that can determine which genes are turned on and off, thereby influencing the way an organism develops and functions.

Sex-Influenced and Sex-Limited Traits

Sex-influenced traits are those that are expressed differently in the two sexes. Such traits are autosomal, which means that the genes responsible for their expression are not carried on the sex chromosomes. An example of a sex-influenced trait is male-pattern baldness. The baldness allele, which causes hair loss, is influenced by the hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, but only when levels of the two hormones are high. In general, males have much higher levels of these hormones than females, so the baldness allele has a stronger effect in males than in females. However, high levels of stress can lead to expression of the gene in women. In stressful situations, women's adrenal glands can produce testosterone and convert it into dihydrotestosterone, which can result in hair loss.

Sex-limited traits are also autosomal. Unlike sex-influenced traits, whose expression differs according to sex, sex-limited traits are expressed in individuals of only one sex. An example of a sex-limited trait is lactation, or milk production. Although the genes for producing milk are carried by both males and females, only lactating females express these genes.

 

[balder]

an interesting hair growth gene... :woot:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 085317.htm

In the present study Leif Carlsson's research team identifies the transcription factor Lhx2 as an important regulator of hair formation. The Lhx2 gene is active during the hair follicle's growth phase and is turned off during the resting period. The scientists have been able to show that Lhx2 is functionally involved in the formation of hair, as hair follicles in which Lhx2 has been inactivated cannot produce hair. Moreover, the activation of the Lhx2 gene in hair follicles has been shown to activate the growth phase and hence the formation of hair. Thus, Lhx2 is a gene that is important for the regulation of hair growth.

In stark contrast to previously published research findings from other teams of scientists, Leif Carlsson and his colleagues found that Lhx2 is primarily expressed outside the so-called bulge region of the hair follicle, where the follicle's stem cells are found. The Umeå researchers have also shown that Lhx2 is necessary for the hair follicle's growth (anagen) phase to proceed and for the hair follicle's structuring. Moreover, transgenic expression of Lhx2 after birth is sufficient to activate the growth phase and stimulate hair growth.

These findings allow for an alternative interpretation of the function of Lhx2 in hair follicles compared with previous results. Lhx2 is expressed periodically, primarily in precursor cells that are distinct from the cells in the bulging region of the follicles. It is a factor that is necessary for hair to be formed and to grow.