Circulation - Blood flow - water retention

[Guest]

Blood flow.

has anyone done any experiments with blood flow to the scalp. I mean long term? Hanging upside down and stuff like, massaging scalp at the same time...

 

[hair_tomorrow]

Re: Blood flow.

Blood flow.

has anyone done any experiments with blood flow to the scalp. I mean long term? Hanging upside down and stuff like, massaging scalp at the same time...

I used to massage my scalp before bed every night (for years and years).
didn't help.

Every morning before my shower, I'd lower my head down toward my knees and brush my hair straight down from all sides for years and years.
didn't help.

As part of my semi daily yoga stretching routine - I bend down and touch my toes for about 20 seconds, for years and years.
didn't help.

I've been taking Ginko B. 2x per day since last summer.
hasn't helped.

 

[Alex57]

I started doing inversion stuff after on my "long days" - days that I have night class after work (so a total of 13-15 hours of sitting on my ***). I feel great the next day, but I don't know if it is helping my hair, but I don't really care because it feels great!

 

[fallicule]

I've been doing scalp massages for about a month and havnt seen much help or difference. I think lasercomb is supposed to bring blood to the scalp, too. It hasnt been doing very much for me.

 

[jsond]

funny you mention that as I was just thinking about that a few days ago. As my loss is drug induced (accutane) and my scalp seems very dry I have thought about giving that a try. I actually inverted myself a bit for 30min a few days ago but then felt kinda sick to my stomach after I did it. But at this point I want to try something to help blood flow to the scalp even though it may not do anything.

Alex,

When you do inversion stuff what exactly are you doing, hanging upside down or just laying your lower half on the bed while your torso and head are inverted? Just curious as if it makes you feel good then that is good enough for me as I felt if my body feels good or i feel good emotionally that can only help. Which is why I try to workout some and just do anything I can to feel good overall. Maybe that doesnt help my hair but I have always felt either it is helping a tiny bit and even if not it still feels good.

 

[GSXR]

I was going to tell you guys this but I though people would think I was quear or something but I seriously will stand on my hands for like 2 mintues every couple of hours or just hang upside down over the arm of the couch for a while. I think it works because it thickend what little frontal hairline I have left. I started doing this because I noticed my scalp felt tight and itchy. It really does work. Your scalp will feel normal again. Also while Im upside down Ill run a comb through my hair (which is shaved), this helps the whole thing. It actually kinda tickles, I think it is due to the lack of blood flow, if you do it frequent enough it stops tickling.
That comb through the hair was recomended to me by a hair stylest when I was getting it cut a long long time ago. Crazy or not, it works!

 

[Guest]

This is the reason why I brought this subject up. I don't think it's enough to just hang upside down. You also need to stimulate the saclp as well. Running a comb or brush gently through the hair must have a positive affect on the scalp.

 

[GSXR]

I think a brush would tent to rip hairs out, I comb works better I think. Are capillaries starting to close up or something? Maybe the stimulation from the comb and the increased blood flow opens them back up to a degree. I go over my head with a comb in all different directions, this seems to help more.

 

[thin=depressed]

Re: Blood flow.

Blood flow.

has anyone done any experiments with blood flow to the scalp. I mean long term? Hanging upside down and stuff like, massaging scalp at the same time...

I used to massage my scalp before bed every night (for years and years).
didn't help.

Every morning before my shower, I'd lower my head down toward my knees and brush my hair straight down from all sides for years and years.
didn't help.

As part of my semi daily yoga stretching routine - I bend down and touch my toes for about 20 seconds, for years and years.
didn't help.

I've been taking Ginko B. 2x per day since last summer.
hasn't helped.

After reading research studies I've an opinion that water retension around the follicle neutralizes your mentioned practices. This is where spironolactone and anti-androgen drugs help. Its a side effect that is not mentioned but is important. Minoxidil helps a bit as well but not nearly enough. Go read the studies I posted, good stuff man.

 

[Greg1]

traxdata, excellent question! In general, any organ of the body will benefit from better bloodflow as it is the blood that nourishes and at the same time, maintains our vital organs. The scalp of course, is not excluded here. So it only follows that a healthy massage of the scalp at times would be beneficial.

 

[global]

If it improves the scalp health it could help a little.

But we have to be careful not to propagate the old myth that poor bloodflow is the cause of baldness.

 

[Greg1]

global, good point. The main misconception in that myth is that poor blood flow IS the cause of male pattern baldness. Granted, poor blood flow can lead to male pattern baldness as lots of other things can. However, it is NOT the main cause of male pattern baldness.

 

[Alex57]

Hi jsond

I always do it at night before I go to bed. I put a board against a small bookshelf and just lie on it for around 15 minutes at most. Its around a 35-40 degree angle so I'm not completly inverted.

I felt sick the first time too (i did it for 30 minutes), and my eyes hurt really really bad. I read that it takes time to get adjusted. I would not do it to much (ie longer than 15 minutes) because the pressure on your eyes is not good for long periods

 

[GSXR]

Do you think being upside down for long periods is bad for the blood vessels in your brain. Im always thinking maybe I could cause myself an brain aneurism if I do it too long or too much

 

[jsond]

Hi jsond

I always do it at night before I go to bed. I put a board against a small bookshelf and just lie on it for around 15 minutes at most. Its around a 35-40 degree angle so I'm not completly inverted.

I felt sick the first time too (i did it for 30 minutes), and my eyes hurt really really bad. I read that it takes time to get adjusted. I would not do it to much (ie longer than 15 minutes) because the pressure on your eyes is not good for long periods

thanks Alex. I think that is a great idea to be at a 35-40 degree angle only and not completely inverted. I have tried doing it at that kind of angle for just a few times a day for only a few minutes at a time, no more than 10-15 minutes total. I know many people have warned that its a misconception that poor blood flow is the cause of male pattern baldness. These guys are right on but I don't think most feel that is THE cause or even a big factor.

I just feel that its worth it to try Iit out as long as you are careful and only for short periods of time making sure not to be completely inverted.

 

[The Gardener]

Blood flow is NOT a factor in hairloss. The head is the most blood-saturated part of the body, and has a much higher concentration of blood vessels and capillaries than do other parts of the body.

The human body evolved this way as the head carries the brain, the organ in which data from the senses is compiled into your thoughts, the organ that maintains basic life function. The thinking is that even if the head receives trauma, there is sufficient bloodflow remaining to ensure supply to the brain, and to facilitate fast healing of any superficial wounds.

This is why a good gash on the knee might only bleed for 10 minutes, but a simple shaving knick on the cheek can bleed for an hour. Any boxing aficianado and any med student will tell you that head wounds are the bloodiest. A knick on the knee won't heal for a few days, but a knick on the face from shaving is usually healed enough for reshaving the very next morning.

Your head and scalp is bathing in blood. Besides, would not any increase in blood flow to the scalp also result in a corresponding increase in exposure to DHT? Given this logic, who is to say that any sort of increase in blood flow might actually accelerate male pattern baldness?

 

[thin=depressed]

After reading three studies and reading S Foote's posts I'm convinced that male pattern baldness scalps exhibits unusual amount of water retension. The retension incumbers blood flow to the roots. No matter how much hanging upside down you do the overly hydrated tissue directly in contact with root does not see an increase in blood. Meanwhile the blood that is contacted has dht in it and decades of this does its damage on follicle. A guy who has less water retension geneticly in the scalp has all the same dht but the healthy blood flow does not experience no stagnation and dht sets less thus more hair. Note: this is only one culprit of many.

 

[thin=depressed]

Active Ingredients
Potassium Salicylate , Caffeine Anhydrous , Salicylamide

Ingredients
Calcium Sulfate , Dicalcium Phosphate , Magnesium Trisilicate , Microcrystalline Cellulose , Starch , Magnesium Stearate , Stearic Acid , Plus Other Fillers , Coloring Ingredients , Coating Ingredients

Here's the ingredients of a water pill. Note that caffeine has been said to increase hair growth. Someone even posted the use of coffee grounds on scalp but the point here is caffeine's dehydrating effects show us that water retension in the scalp tissue is an additional problem. spironolactone's secondary effect happens to be a diuretic! Which only strengthens my resolve in saying that water retension is partially responsable for lack of blood flow and nutrients getting to the hair. If anyone here thinks that lack of nutrients is NOT an issue please read my recent research postings. Yes I plan on adding a pills worth to each bottle of minoxidil. Note:caffeine neutralizes atp so don't use caffeine if using adenosine.

 

[GSXR]

wouldnt alcohol work great then, it is a great diuretic.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Speaking of blood flow to the scalp, check out this guy's method. I have been doing it for almost 3 years now, and I think it's the sh*t. My hair is so much stronger, and a lot of regrowth in the crown area.

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

The trick is learning how to contract the occipitalis muscles, which takes days or weeks to learn. I do his advanced exercises, on a slant board, twice a day, 10 minutes each time.

Like I say, I've been doing it for 3 years and I'm now off Propecia.

See what others say here, under "The Scalp exercises"
http://www.hairloss-reversible.com/discus/