Can SSMs help in the areas of hair transplantation, or is this hair already lost, since the surface has already been implanted with donor hair?

Hey Anagen Reductage – thanks for reaching out. I agree with aspects of what you wrote. I think that scalp tension and/or involuntary and chronic muscular contraction of the scalp perimeter muscles is an accelerator of AGA, but maybe not the root cause. For example, all of the studies on botox injections on male AGA subjects (across Caucasian, Indian, and Asian participant groups) land on the same response rates: 80%. That suggests that for 80% of men with AGA, botox injections into the scalp perimeter (and thereby, scalp tension reduction and/or the relaxation of these muscle groups) improves AGA outcomes. That’s a high number, but it’s also not 100%. We’d want to see a 100% response rate if we’re actually targeting something applicable to all AGA subjects.

Of course, the counter to this is that response rates for finasteride are only 80-90%, too. And others might argue that if the studies on Botox were extended for multiple years, those response rates might’ve climbed higher. So, the jury’s still out. And of course, there are rebuttals to those positions, too (i.e., maybe Botox’s main mechanism isn’t scalp tension reduction, but rather the unpinching of the carotid artery).

Long story short: I wouldn’t say that scalp tension is, without a doubt, the root cause of AGA. But I also wouldn’t call it B.S., either. In fact, evidence tends to point to it being potentially involved in a lot of AGA cases (though not all of them).

Best,
Rob

Hey Rob,

Sorry for the delayed response but thank you for the information! I signed up for the membership a few weeks back and have enjoyed reading all the research you have to offer.

Thanks for all you do!
– Jeremy

CalcificTion of arteries occurs because calcium is sucked/leeched outta bones when body is in a acidic state so that blood’s optimal pH is maintained.When you eat primarily alkaline diet calcium is not leeched and blood flows freely through arteries without plaque buildup..
Read Dr Robert O young
And Dr Morse’s work

Hey Jeremy,

Thanks for reaching out!

We’ve got a grey hair guide inside of our membership site, which details its causes, targets for reversal, and cases where greying has been accidentally reversed from drug use. There are a few failure points that lead to greying: depleted melanocyte hair follicle stem cells, consistent damage to melanocytes, etc. I can’t imagine you’ve depleted your stem cells at this this age, so it’s probably something damaging the melanocytes post-formation that are the problem. I’d look into any sort of environmental inducers of oxidative stress.

Interestingly, a few people here have reported that long-term massaging has improved their grey hair. I’ve also heard from people who improved their greying with restrictive dieting – even vitamin A depletion (though we should talk more if you actually decide to try that).

Best,
Rob

Thanks for all the research! I started following you when I came across one of your peer-reviewed studies on ncbi.nlm.nih.gov in 2018. I didn’t commit to scalp massages until mid-2019, so I am still waiting for results. That’s said, there’s a significant difference in the firmness of my scalp. It’s pretty remarkable.

I’ve been a diffuse thinner with grey hair since I was 16. After testing by doctors, they determined I’m just experiencing early MPB and grey hair. 12 years later, here I am still trying to find the solution, and I think you’ve nailed it.

Do you have any information, anecdotally or through your research, about the impacts of scalp massages on individuals with grey hair? Will hair grow back grey, colored, or not at all? I’m not sure how melanin is impacted (if at all) by your technique.

Thanks!
Jeremy

Hey Rob,

Thank you for pointing me to that article. I have now spent some hours researching this theory of latent viruses and microcompetition, very interesting stuff!

Here is the book with a whole chapter on AGA starting page 351:
http://cbcd.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Book-by-Hanan-Polansky-Purple-Book.pdf

This theory if correct, would fill in a lot of gaps that are mentioned in your article. How DHT and androgen receptor are upregulated, how the follicle is minaturized, decreased time in anagen, anagen lag, role of TGFb1 and so on.
Give it a read if you haven’t already, I’m sure you will find it interesting!

Cheers!

Thanks Arno!

And you’re right. Pathogens are certainly implicated in the exacerbation of AGA. Propionibacterium acnes and Malassezia can increase inflammation in the infundibulum, thereby triggering an early entry into catagen and potentially accelerating the hair follicle miniaturization process (if we believe the research suggesting that miniaturization happens between telogen and anagen). This is why 2% ketoconazole shampoos, in killing off these inflammatory insults, help to both normalize shedding and improve AGA outcomes.

Since pathogens seem to be more of an accelerant (and less so a cause) of AGA, we didn’t initially include it in this article. Having said that, the research here really isn’t robust enough to completely rule out pathogens as a driver of AGA. In fact, you might find this article interesting – which hypothesizes that latent viruses may influence AGA onset through their impact on androgen receptors:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.12710

In any case, we’ll update the article to expand on what you’ve mentioned. Thanks for your comment!

Best,
Rob