Has anyone found scalp exercises beneficial?

[r4hair]

Has anyone found scalp exercises helpful to increase donor laxity prior to HT?

[latinlotus]

It does help for me.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Helped me also

[Dr. William Lindsey]

YES YES YES. They really work.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Rugman]

Yes, I started doing scalp exercises 2 months prior to my HT and Dr. Wong commented on good laxity and we were able to extract 4801 total. I can't completely say that the exercises played the major role in this but can say that from the time I started to do them to the time for surgery my scalp had much more movement...

[aaron1234]

I didn't do them before my first HT. I definitely plan on doing them before the next.

[kaounis]

I didn't do them either, and my scalp was pretty tight. Made the strip exsision longer and a little more complicated, but we still got 2000 grafts. DO YOUR EXERCISES...It will pay off in the end.

 

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Amen Kaounis.

 

My friend and colleague Dr. Feller told me about them back in '01. I thought he was full of it, as it really does not do anything related to the well studied skin phenomena of skin creep and stress relaxation.

 

But, I figured that I'd try it anyway on a few patients and I have been a believer ever since.

 

In fact, in the middle of this response I got a call from Europe about a scar repair and was telling the fellow to start stretching/compressing right now.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Acrobaz]

Yes, I agree.

 

In fact, I wish I'd been better at doing it, as then the scalp tightness after the op might have been less than it was. You won't regret it: what's 15 mins a day when you have a great head of hair for the rest of your life?

 

Best wishes.

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

r4hair-

Absolutely!! Very beneficial- I recommend to all patients, though especially to those with less donor laxity.

Dr Carman

[Its_Going_Fast]

What are the best types of scalp exercises then? Are some more helpful than others?

[Jotronic]

I'll put it to you like this. If a doctor tells you they are not beneficial for improving scalp laxity then walk away. Period.

 

Here is a video I made a few years ago showing how to do them. A new one is going to be made shortly with a bit of new information but this should do nicely for now.

 

Scalp Exercises

[TC17]

I don't doubt scalp exercises work, but wouldn't the scalp eventually return to its normal laxity? If so, wouldn't the scar be more likely to stretch because the strip was taken wider than if someone had not done the scalp exercises?

[Jotronic]

"...wouldn't the scar be more likely to stretch because the strip was taken wider than if someone had not done the scalp exercises?"

 

We have not found this to be the case.

[SERIOUS]

Jotronic, (or anyone / doctors)

 

from your point of view, do you think that scalp exercises performed sometimes "after" a strip hair transplant (let's say after a few months) would be beneficial as to help the scar stay stable and not stretch (by keeping the scalp flexible thus eliminating tension)? Or do you think scalp exercises are only useful prior to a transplant?

[tacolinowest]

i got a question for you guys as i am only a month away from surgery, i hate doing these on myself but i do them anyway, i have someone else sit on my back and do them for me,, do you think this is just as good as me doing them?

[evil]

I was told by Chris McTyre from my hair transplant clinic (CHI) that it definitely works.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Having published 20 some papers in peer reviewed journals, most on soft tissue reconstruction, I can say (and have posted a number of times on a couple of forums) that the 2 common phenomenon associated with skin stretching (skin creep and stress-relaxation) do not appear to be involved in scalp stretching exercises. BUT, I strongly believe scalp stretching works in my patients with tight scalps on physical exam seen about a month before surgery. I'm sure of it. But I can't explain the physiologic or histologic reasons. Actually, it should be easy enough to research but for the need to take before and after biopsies of a large number of patients before, during, and after the surgery. Given how tough it is for me to get people to show up for a FREE scar check, just to make sure the scar is doing well, I think logistics are the main sticking point to working out this mechanism.

 

But I do believe they work in selected people. Best to ask your own doctor what he thinks.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[nativeremdies]

I have talked to many of doctors who shared the same consensus that they "help a little". Length of strip scar and donor density were stated the two primary reasons for the amount of grafts a clinic can harvest.

 

I asked the doctors, "say you didn't do them, can you still get a great HT?" The answer was "Yes, absolutely" but "you would get a better HT if you have a lax scap". Lax scalp can mean more grafts.

 

Now if you have a naturally loose scalp you need not worry.

Edited March 23, 2013 by nativeremdies

[xtatic5]

My goal was 2700 grafts. I was told that scalp exercises were not necessary for this size of procedure but it was my choice. I got lazy. I only got 2300 grafts. Now I may need a 2nd procedure if the density doesn't pan out. Coulda..woulda..shoulda...

[Guest Kenneth Siporin]

I would likek to put my 2 cents into the argument over whether scalp exercises increase donor laxity.

In my opinion, there is no doubt, that with vigorous and extensive scalp massage, the laxity will increase enough to allow harvesting more grafts, and minimizing tension on the closure.

 

Although I have not conducted scientific studies to prove that scalp exercises work, I think it is as plain as the light of day, that patients who follow the instructions to the letter, will increase their laxity.

 

It has been well known for a long time, that massaging immature scars can help prevent scars from becoming hard or raised. It would seem to follow logically, that scalp exercises or scalp massage, would also affect the same layer of the dermis, influenced by scar massages. Namely, somehow, by moving the scalp back and forth, not only can you soften up previous scars, but you can also increase the laxity of native skin, so that it glides more freely, and with more laxity. I believe there must be an effect on collagen molecules, and perhaps even on elastin molecules, which are located in the deeper layers of the skin. Another mechanism by which scalp exercises work, is through tissue distension. Continually moving and manipulating the upper layers of the scalp, over the fixed cranium, in a small way, expands the tissue a little bit, giving greater laxity. We know that tissue expansion works. We can place tissue expanders underneath the scalp, and fill the expanders, thereby increasing the surface area of skin, and by direct comparison, I am sure that scalp exercises lead to greater scalp laxity.

 

The following video demonstrates how I think scalp exercises should be performed.

 

 

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

Dr. Kenneth Siporin

Edited March 27, 2013 by TakingThePlunge