One of the most common recommendations for hair care is scalp massage. There is often a statement about the benefits of this procedure for hair growth. We decided to check if this is true.

Information about the benefits of scalp massage for strengthening hair can most often be found on glossy websites magazines. On YouTube one of video about head massage received more than 1.5 million views at the time of publication. Also, relevant recommendations are invariably present on websites specialized medical clinics - cosmetology and trichological.

In 2016, a group of Japanese scientists, including members of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery of the Japanese Medical School, conducted study about the effect of head massage on the general condition of hair: its thickness, growth and density. The experiment involved nine healthy men from 25 to 45 years old who received a standard four-minute head massage every day for 24 weeks.

Subjects only had one randomly selected part of their head massaged to compare with the part that was not massaged. The study authors measured the total number of hairs, their thickness and growth rate at the very beginning of the experiment, then after four weeks, 12 weeks and after 24 weeks.

The first parameter that scientists studied was hair density, that is, the number of hairs per square centimeter:

The second object of study is hair thickness:

Over 24 weeks, hair thickness in the massaged areas increased from 0.085 mm to 0.092 mm. In control areas this indicator did not change.

The third parameter is hair growth:

As in the first case, scientists did not find a direct relationship between head massage and hair growth rate.

So, Japanese researchers came to the conclusion that massage helps increase hair thickness, explaining this by increasing the intensity of blood circulation. In addition, one of the reasons may be mechanical stimulation of cells dermal papilla. Mechanical stretching leads to displacement of the subcutaneous tissue, including the cells of the dermal papilla. Tensile forces have been shown in laboratory tests to alter the expression of genes associated with the hair growth cycle, and this has also been demonstrated others research. However, the authors of the article admit that a temporary decrease in the amount of hair after 12 weeks is also associated with massage - telogen hair (that is, those in the stage of regression, in other words, prone to loss) may fall out more easily due to mechanical stress.

The same results were reached American Researchers: Scalp massage increases hair thickness. In addition, they clarified that massage has a positive effect on the stabilization of hair loss and the resumption of hair growth.

Thus, research has proven that scalp massage strengthens hair. However, scientists emphasize that the subjects of the experiment were men who did not suffer from androgenetic alopecia, that is, premature baldness. There is no reliable scientific evidence yet for women or men with alopecia.

Cover and inside images: Wikipedia