Scalp Massage For Hair Growth | Dermatologist Reviews

Summary

This video explores the potential of scalp massage for hair growth, addressing the distress of hair loss and discussing androgenetic alopecia. It reviews minoxidil as a treatment, highlighting its mechanism and limitations. The video then delves into scalp massage, suggesting it may increase hair thickness and density by improving blood flow and delivering nutrients to hair follicles. Small studies support these claims, though more research is needed. The video also touches on the possible initial increase in hair shedding with scalp massage and suggests it as a cost-effective, relaxing alternative or complement to other treatments.

Takeaways

• 😟 Hair loss is a common concern with age, leading to a decrease in hair count and thickness.
• 👨‍⚕️ Androgenetic alopecia is a common hair loss disorder affecting both men and women, with different manifestations.
• 💊 Minoxidil is an evidence-based treatment for hair loss, but its mechanism is not fully understood and it requires ongoing use to maintain results.
• 🚫 Not everyone responds to minoxidil due to varying enzyme activity or personal preference against long-term medication use.
• 🌿 There's a market for hair growth supplements and oils, but many lack substantial research to support their claims.
• 🔬 Low-level laser therapy can aid hair growth but requires an investment in devices.
• 🤲 Scalp massage is an appealing, cost-free alternative for hair growth, potentially increasing blood flow and delivering mechanical forces to the scalp.
• 🧪 Small studies suggest scalp massage can reduce hair loss and increase hair thickness, but more research is needed.
• 🔄 Scalp massage might initially cause increased hair shedding, but this is temporary as the massage dislodges telogen hairs.
• 👥 A study showed that daily scalp massage helped 70% of patients with androgenetic alopecia either stabilize hair loss or regrow hair.
• 🚫 People with hives or similar conditions should avoid scalp massage as it may exacerbate skin reactions.

Q & A

What is the primary concern addressed in the transcript?

The transcript primarily addresses the concern of hair loss and explores the potential benefits of scalp massage for hair growth.

What is androgenetic alopecia?

Androgenetic alopecia is a common hair loss disorder that affects both men and women, leading to progressive miniaturization of hair follicles and a change in hair thickness and pattern.

How does minoxidil work as a treatment for hair loss?

Minoxidil is thought to work by stimulating ATP-sensitive potassium channels in the hair follicle, which may ultimately stimulate regrowth pathways, although the exact mechanism is not fully understood.

Why might some people be hesitant to use minoxidil?

Some people might be hesitant to use minoxidil because it doesn't work for everyone, some may lack the necessary enzyme activity to convert minoxidil to its active form, and others may not want to commit to long-term use.

What are the potential non-direct benefits of scalp massage according to the transcript?

Scalp massage has potential non-direct benefits such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing heart rate, which can contribute to overall health and potentially support hair growth.

How might scalp massage physically contribute to hair growth?

Scalp massage might contribute to hair growth by increasing blood flow to the scalp, delivering growth factors and nutrients, and by applying mechanical forces that could stimulate hair follicles to grow hair.

What does the research suggest about the initial effects of scalp massage on hair?

The research suggests that initially, scalp massage might cause an increase in hair shedding and a slight decrease in hair count, but this is not permanent hair loss; it's believed to dislodge telogen hairs.

What was the outcome of the study where men massaged their scalp daily for 24 weeks?

The study showed that after 24 weeks of daily scalp massage, the men experienced an increase in hair thickness.

What is the recommendation for the duration and frequency of scalp massage for potential hair growth benefits?

The recommendation from the transcript suggests that daily scalp massage, potentially for 20 minutes, could offer benefits such as hair thickness and density increase.

Who might find scalp massage problematic, and why?

People dealing with urticaria, or hives, might find scalp massage problematic as friction and mechanical pressure can trigger more hives.

What is the potential connection between scalp oils and hair growth mentioned in the transcript?

The transcript suggests that the benefits of scalp oils for hair growth might be attributed to the massage action required to apply them, rather than the oils themselves.

Outlines

00:00

💆‍♂️ Scalp Massage for Hair Growth: The Science and Benefits

This paragraph delves into the potential benefits of scalp massage for hair growth. It discusses the distress of hair loss, particularly androgenetic alopecia, and mentions minoxidil as an evidence-based treatment. The paragraph also touches on the limited research supporting various hair growth supplements and oils. Scalp massage is introduced as an attractive, cost-free alternative that may increase blood flow and deliver growth factors to the hair follicles. The speaker highlights the need for more research but suggests that scalp massage could be a viable option for those looking for natural hair growth remedies.

05:00

🔬 Research Insights on Scalp Massage and Hair Health

The second paragraph presents research findings on scalp massage, indicating that it may lead to increased hair thickness and could help stabilize or even reverse androgenetic alopecia. It acknowledges the initial increase in hair shedding that can occur with scalp massage, similar to the experience with minoxidil use. The speaker suggests that the mechanical forces from scalp massage might stimulate hair follicles, potentially explaining the observed benefits. The paragraph also addresses the safety of scalp massage, noting that those with hives or other skin conditions may want to avoid it. Practical advice on how to perform scalp massage is provided, including the duration and frequency, and the potential for combining it with other treatments.

10:01

🌿 The Role of Essential Oils in Scalp Massage

The final paragraph of the script ponders the role of essential oils in scalp massage, suggesting that the act of massaging the oils into the scalp might be more beneficial for hair growth than the oils themselves. The speaker encourages viewers to consider trying scalp massage for its potential relaxing and cardiovascular benefits, in addition to any direct effects on hair growth. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their experiences with scalp massage and to subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Scalp Massage

Scalp massage is a technique that involves applying gentle pressure to the scalp, which is believed to increase blood flow and deliver nutrients to the hair follicles, potentially promoting hair growth. In the context of the video, scalp massage is discussed as a natural and cost-effective method for improving hair thickness and density. It is highlighted that scalp massage may lead to a decrease in hair loss and an increase in hair thickness, as supported by some small studies. However, it's also noted that more research is needed to confirm these benefits fully.

💡Hair Growth

Hair growth is a natural process that involves the growth cycle of hair strands, which includes the anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (resting) phases. The video emphasizes the appeal of scalp massage as a potential method for enhancing hair growth, particularly for those seeking alternatives to medication. It suggests that scalp massage might stimulate hair follicles and improve hair thickness, although it also cautions that the evidence is limited and that more research is necessary.

💡Androgenetic Alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern baldness, is a common type of hair loss that is influenced by genetic and hormonal factors. The video discusses this condition as a prevalent reason for hair loss, where hair follicles miniaturize over time. It mentions that treatments like minoxidil can be effective for androgenetic alopecia, but also points out that not everyone responds to such treatments, leading some to explore alternatives like scalp massage.

💡Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a medication recognized for its effectiveness in treating hair loss, particularly androgenetic alopecia. It is available over the counter and can be applied topically to the scalp. The video explains that minoxidil is thought to work by stimulating ATP-sensitive potassium channels in hair follicles, promoting hair regrowth. However, it also notes that minoxidil may not work for everyone and that results can vary. Additionally, it highlights that once treatment is stopped, hair will likely revert to its previous state.

💡Hair Loss

Hair loss, or alopecia, can result from various factors including aging, hormonal changes, and medical conditions. The video addresses hair loss as a distressing issue that many people face, with a focus on androgenetic alopecia. It discusses the progressive nature of hair loss and the different experiences of men and women with this condition. The video also touches on the emotional impact of hair loss and the desire for treatments that can effectively address it.

💡Stress Reduction

Stress is known to have various effects on the body, including potentially impacting hair growth. The video suggests that scalp massage, in addition to its potential benefits for hair growth, may also help reduce stress. It mentions research indicating that scalp massage can lower stress hormones, blood pressure, and heart rate, contributing to overall relaxation and well-being.

💡Mechanical Forces

Mechanical forces refer to the physical pressures or movements applied to the body, such as those experienced during exercise or massage. In the video, it is proposed that the mechanical pressure from scalp massage may stimulate hair follicles, potentially leading to increased hair growth. This concept is based on the idea that the physical stimulation could encourage hair follicles to enter the growth phase.

💡Blood Flow

Blood flow is the circulation of blood through the body's blood vessels, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues. The video discusses the importance of increased blood flow to the scalp as a result of scalp massage, which may deliver essential growth factors and nutrients to hair follicles, supporting hair growth. Improved blood flow is presented as a possible mechanism by which scalp massage could be beneficial for hair health.

💡Low-Level Laser Therapy

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a treatment method that uses red and near-infrared light to stimulate hair growth. The video mentions LLLT as an alternative treatment for hair loss that can be used at home with devices designed for this purpose. It acknowledges the potential benefits of LLLT but also notes the cost and the need for an investment in such devices.

Highlights

Scalp massage has shown potential in reducing hair loss and increasing hair thickness according to a few small studies.

Androgenetic alopecia is a common hair loss disorder where hair follicles progressively miniaturize, leading to hair thinning.

Minoxidil is a well-known evidence-based treatment for androgenetic alopecia, but it requires continuous use to maintain hair growth.

Scalp massage may increase blood flow to the scalp, delivering growth factors and nutrients that could aid hair growth.

Mechanical forces from scalp massage might stimulate hair follicles, promoting hair growth and increasing hair density.

Research suggests that men without a history of hair loss experienced increased hair thickness after 24 weeks of daily scalp massage.

Daily scalp massage for 20 minutes showed stabilization or regrowth of hair in 70% of people with androgenetic alopecia.

Initial scalp massage may cause an increase in hair shedding during the first three months, but this is not true hair loss.

Scalp massage can be combined with other hair loss treatments like minoxidil or low-level laser therapy for potentially better results.

People with hives (urticaria) should avoid scalp massage as mechanical pressure could trigger more hives.

Scalp massage may have additional benefits, such as reducing stress, blood pressure, and heart rate.

There is flexibility in how to perform scalp massage; it doesn't need to be 20 minutes all at once and can be broken up throughout the day.

The benefits attributed to scalp oils may actually be due to the massage process itself, rather than the oils.

Scalp massage is a cost-effective, non-invasive option that could be worth trying for those looking to improve hair health.

Scalp massage can also serve as a relaxing practice, with potential cardiovascular benefits, making it an appealing daily routine.

Transcripts

what is the story with scalp massage for

hair growth let's discuss does it even

work hair loss is very distressing to

cope with as we get older the number of

hairs on our head goes down we also

experience a decrease in the diameter

the thickness of our hair strands men

and women often deal with a hair loss

disorder called androgenetic alopecia in

which the hair follicles on our head

progressively miniaturize turning into

little vellous hairs in women this leads

to a widening of the central part and in

men they of often experience a receding

hairline one of the most evidence-based

treatments for androgenetic Alopecia is

a medication called minoxidil it can

either be applied directly to the scalp

or it can be taken by mouth in a pill

form and it certainly can work how does

it work we don't really know the full

story but it's thought to work by

stimulating ATP sensitive potassium

channels in the follicle ultimately

stimulating regrowth Pathways not

everyone is so enthusiastic about using

minoxidil it doesn't work for everyone

some people may not have have sufficient

enzyme activity necessary to convert

minoxidil to its active form other

people are simply not interested in

committing to using minoxidil from here

on out whether it be topical or in oral

form here's the thing about minoxidil it

can work so long as you use it once you

stop using it your hair will go back to

how it would have been had you never

used it in the first place it's not a

cure it just can improve hair growth

while you're on it whether it be topical

or oral so people are looking for

Alternatives no surprise there are are

plenty of quote unquote hair growth

supplements out there majority of them

have very limited at best research to

support their efficacy I have talked

about many of these hair supplements so

check out those videos there are also a

variety of popular oils that people seek

out other topical serums that are sold

many of which again have very limited if

any research to back their efficacy so

it's a huge Market out there of stuff

that who knows right you also have

low-level laser therapy that you can do

at home certainly can help quite a bit

however it's an investment as well um

the devices that you can buy to use at

home you know they're not inexpensive

admittedly so when you hear people

talking about scalp massage and hair

growth yeah I mean that sounds really

appealing because you know fingers are

free right so with that in mind it's no

surprise that when people hear scalp

massage might help with hair growth well

that's an attractive option cuz it's

something that most of us could do if we

were motivated to what is scalp massage

that may sound like a silly question to

ask it's very obvious but it's important

to think about what exactly scalp

massage actually is doing scalp massage

involves applying soothing light

pressure to the scalp using either your

fingers or some sort of scalp massage

device if you want to get fancy you can

even get a professional scalp massage

I've seen those places here and that

sounds wonderful I'd love to try it

sometime scal massage has actually been

shown in a few small stud studies to

lead to a decrease in hair loss as well

as an increase in hair thickness

research on scal massage also

demonstrates some other non-direct hair

growth benefits including namely a

reduction in stress a reduction in one's

blood pressure and a reduction in one's

heart rate all of these things can lead

to benefit again when we think about

what it is that is happening with scalp

massage it involves applying mechanical

pressure so why might that be beneficial

well the most logical thing is that well

through scalp massage you increase blood

flow to the scalp which delivers growth

factors and nutrients that likely is a

big reason why in research studies

people do seem to have benefits in terms

of hair growth with scalp massage the

other working theory is that scalp

massage delivers mechanical forces to

the skin you see all the organs tissues

and cells throughout your body they're

constantly being exposed to different

mechanical forces your blood vessels for

example they have blood coursing through

them banging into the blood vessel walls

so they can respond to that when you

have a cut or a surgical wound as the

skin is healing it is subjected to

tension forces that can influence

healing and Scar development our bones

are exposed to pressure just from

walking around movement exercise when

you massage the skin including the scalp

it's delivering mechanical forces that

are going to be felt by quite a few

players in skin biom ology the epidermis

the dermis the blood vessels that course

through the skin the little nerves that

course through the skin the sweat glands

the oil glands are also going to feel

that pressure and all of these systems

can respond to those mechanical forces

it's thought that the mechanical force

on the hair follicles Spurs them to well

grow hair again that coupled with an

increase in blood flow that delivers

growth factors and nutrients to the

follicle might explain why it is that

one may see an increase in hair

thickness and density with scalp massage

when I say may what do we actually know

about scalp massage in human beings

humans in a steady setting is that does

that even exist it does when men with no

history of hair loss massage their scalp

daily they actually showed after 24

weeks so roughly 6 months an increase in

hair thickness now if you've watched my

videos on minoxidil you know one of the

things that can be very frustrating

about minoxidil is that when you first

started you actually experienced a lot

of hair shedding for the beginning

stages of using it and that is because

there those are hairs that are in the

shedding phase and are supposed to come

out so it just kind of moves things

around so that you shed those hairs all

at once but for people who are not aware

that this is going to happen it's very

distressing because they have all these

hairs coming out all of the sudden and

they worry oh my goodness is this

actually making my hair loss worse no

well what does that have to do with

scalp massage with scalp massage the

research suggests that when you first

start doing it you might actually

experience an increase in hair shedding

and an overall slight decrease in the

number of hairs on your head in the

beginning the first 3 months this isn't

true hair loss but rather the massage is

helping to dislodge those teen hair so

that is what you will see for the first

3 months roughly of doing regular daily

scalp massage but there's also another

study of people both men and women with

androgenetic alopecia this study showed

that 70% of patients who massage their

scalp every single day for 20 minutes

showed either stabilization of

androgenetic alipa if you know anything

about androgenetic alopecia it is

Progressive meaning over time it gets

worse and worse their androgenetic

alopecia either stabilized or or they

got hair regrowth simply by doing 20

minutes a day of scalp massage so yes

there's evidence that scalp massage can

help with hair growth it can help with

hair thickness hair density but don't be

overly optimistic about what it can

offer remember these studies are pretty

small pretty limited so more research is

needed but it may be sounding very

appealing to you because not only is it

something that you likely could do at

home by yourself without having to spend

any money I mean of course you could buy

a fancy scalp massager if you wanted to

but you could just use your hands if

you're motivated to do it you may be

wanting to give it a try furthermore if

you are someone who's using minoxidil

and happy with the results you are

someone who maybe is on one of the other

medications for androgenetic Alopecia

for example and things are going okay

there's nothing to say that you can't

also do scalp massage there's nothing to

say that you can't pair scalp massage

and low-level laser therapy or minoxidil

so you can do it while doing other more

solid evidence-based hair loss

treatments or if you've tried all those

things you have zero interest but you're

like I think I'm going to try scalp

massage why not why not give it a try is

there anyone who should not try

massaging their scalp well I would say

one group of people who may find that it

causes problems for them are people who

are dealing with ticaria the medical

term for ticaria is hives and there are

a variety of different types of ticaria

and if you have watched any of my videos

on hives I often point out that any sort

of friction mechanical pressure on the

skin can elicit more hives so massage

probably not the best idea you might

start getting hives on your scalp

otherwise this is a pretty safe thing to

do how do you do it how do you do it and

how often do you need to do it how long

do you need to do it for any little bit

probably helps I don't have research to

back that up that it has to be exactly

20 minutes or else you're wasting your

time but I would imagine that every

little bit helps out the best way to do

a scalp massage is to really take your

time to make sure that you get all areas

of the scalp you do gentle circular

motions with your finger pads or maybe

you're using some sort of scalp

massaging device I have used one of

these devices before before it was a

very pleasant thing to use I need to

find it because it's been a while since

I've used it if you have thick hair you

might try parting it to really get at

your scalp here's the other thing I'll

point out there's nothing to say

necessarily although I don't have

research to support this but there's

nothing to say necessarily that you need

to spend exactly 20 minutes all at once

massaging your scalp like you probably

could do 10 minutes in the morning 10

minutes in the evening or you might do I

don't know 5 in the morning 5 in the

afternoon and then another 10 in the

evening so you could break it up

throughout the day possibly that

possibly might be more doable for you

and you could still potentially get the

same results potentially cuz again don't

have a study to back that up you've

heard about the rosemary oil for hair

growth craze right and there's also a

lot of enthusiasm for a variety of other

oils for the scalp for hair growth and

I've talked about this before the

research to support that is simply not

there more research is needed but in my

opinion a lot of the benefits that

people allege in terms of hair growth

with these different scalp oils comes

down to likely the fact that you have to

massage them in so I think a lot of

people are just getting the benefits of

scalp massage and they're attributing it

to the oil that's a possibility all

right guys so that's what I wanted to

talk about for today's video with

regards to scalp massage for hair growth

it's definitely something worth

considering especially if you are highly

motivated to to do it on a daily basis

it's going to not only potentially

benefit your scalp and your hair but it

also may help with relaxing you it may

help research suggests with improving

some cardiovascular parameters blood

pressure heart rate and it just feels

good um let me know in the comments if

you plan to try scalp massage and also

let me know in the comments if you've

ever had a professional scalp massage

I'm seriously considering it because I

just find scalp massage to be very

relaxing and that sounds like a great

way to unwind all right y'all I hope you

guys enjoyed this video if so give it a

thumbs up share it with your friends and

as always don't forget sunscreen And

subscribe I'll talk to you guys tomorrow

bye

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