Regrowth Photos DT-CPR method

An update on my progress.

So I've been performing this method for roughly 4 weeks now, only 3 times a week, 15-20 minutes each session.
I've been using the narrow end of a mortar, and I've been pressing quite hard with only one hand and making little half inch circles as its still a little painful, which then leaves these massive craters in my scalp that last for about half hour. One thing I noticed the other night was that as I was pressing on my receeding hairline, I heard these little cracks and pops, like something was breaking up. Also, on another part of my scalp as I press firmly and circled I heard this noise that sounded like something you would hear when you bite into a piece of gristle. During this treatment, alot of my minituarized hairs have fallen out but all my thick terminal hairs have remained intact.
Cdto, do you think that this firm pressing can harm the hair follicle at all?

Also, I forgot to mention that I had these skin caps on my bald areas that, upon picking off with a bit of force, left these little holes in my scalp. I seem to have a fair bit of stuff going on which I hope to god is positive.

hi,    sounds like you are hearing the common sounds, I even still have one area near my temple that clicks. The sounds usually reduce as the blockages are broken up and the pain recedes.  

Of course there is always the common observation that there is a shed that is normal and progress for all treatments.  I did not experience any shed that I noticed, but I do not have so much hair either.  My miniaturized hairs  never fell out and just started lengthening, as I watched them very closely.

Since you reported such a distinct excretion of white gunk,  I am supposing that your hairs are just going through a useful shed, and will regrow in a few weeks.  They come back very light colored and fine.

I originally pressed 90 minutes a day with full pressure,  so I know that the pressing did no harm to any of my hairs or grafts.  If you want the opinion of a person that believes that the pressing can be harmful,  search back on the thread for Xenon and his science,  he now does put a lot of effort into trying to assist people with his vast knowledge.

Be careful picking the small scab caps,  or at least have them wet when you do it,  they are commonly reported, and a sign of detox.  Note that oiling the scalp and massaging daily can prevent scabs or open wounds from healing properly, might have to avoid areas until the area is normal .

Your pressure might be a bit too strong, can't remember who had the purple coloration, but that is not normal to have bruising like coloration. Also the deep craters tell me that you have a bunch of sponginess going on. That may be from inflammation or the white gunk situation. Craters are normal, but yours sound on the extreme end of description. Maybe lighten up the pressure a bit and see how it goes.

Anyhow,  follow your best path.  You can always take a break,  switch to the topicals,  add my recommended cinnamon oil and tea tree,  or whatever.  Keep us updated as you look under backlit light very closely for the regrow to begin.

Thank-you so much for the feedback.
I will take your advice on easing back with the pressure.
I just don't understand how your using a smaller surface area and both hands and still don't experience what I'm experiencing?
Btw, the purple colour is never permanent, the bruising colour is completely gone the next day. I can already see vellus hairs lengthening along my hairline, some are about 4-5mm long.

Great to hear that you are seeing some regrow. The skin does toughen up as it is healthier, but from day one of this process I have kept unusually high levels of Vitamin C intake. This prevents bruising.

Also I think your scalp might be inflamed or allergic due to the unusual discharges. Make sure you are not using a chemically irritating shampoo - try Dr. Bronners castile shampoo perhaps. Conditioners should never be used in my opinion. Leaving on a greasy chemical film is absurd. Use coconut oil very lightly and rinse away the oilyness. Also make sure you are not wearing a hat too often.

cdto2012 wrote:Great to hear that you are seeing some regrow.  The skin does toughen up as it is healthier,  but from day one of this process I have kept unusually high levels of Vitamin C intake.  This prevents bruising.  

Also I think your scalp might be inflamed or allergic due to the unusual discharges.  Make sure you are not using a chemically irritating  shampoo - try Dr. Bronners castile shampoo perhaps. Conditioners should never be used in my opinion. Leaving on a greasy chemical film is absurd.  Use coconut oil very lightly and rinse away the oilyness.  Also make sure you are not wearing a hat too often.

Hey cd, about conditioners, I read that coconut oil (as you just mentioned) is a wonderful conditioner:

http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateTopicalCoconutOil5-08.html

Also applying ACV after you shampoo and letting it sit for a few minutes before rinsing it off is often suggested as a "final rinse".  

I never use conditioner, there's just so many better options, lol

Also, I was wondering if I could simply pour some cinnamon powder into my jar of coconut oil to make that cinnamon oil you use, and let it sit for a few days maybe to infuse?  This jar of coconut oil also has about 4-5 green tea bags that I've been using for weeks, it looks and feels pretty nice, I'm pretty sure the tea is infusing with the coconut oil.

Seems like you can just add some powdered cinnamon to the coconut green tea mix. The cinnamon oil that I use is super concentrated, as in hot. Makes the scalp turn red with a few drops. The only better idea might be to make the cinnamon oil separate so you can control the dose better.

With the green tea, (I am using some coffee too) it is about caffeine absorption. You want to be getting enough of it into the skin. This can be done with multiple applications per day if you want. The cinnamon oil I usually apply when I am pressing. I use the water based tea also so I do not have oil on my scalp too often also.

cdto2012 wrote:Seems like you can just add some powdered cinnamon to the coconut green tea mix.  The cinnamon oil that I use is super concentrated,  as in hot.   Makes the scalp turn red with a few drops.  The only better idea might be to make the cinnamon oil separate so you can control the dose better.  

  With the green tea, (I am using some coffee too) it is about caffeine absorption.  You want to be getting enough of it into the skin.  This can be done with multiple applications per day if you want.  The cinnamon oil I usually apply when I am pressing.   I use the water based tea also so I do not have oil on my scalp too often also.    

Ah ok, I do your method dry though and apply the oils after.  I'll try just scooping some regular coconut oil (not mixed with anything) into a separate jar then and adding a pinch of cinnamon powder then, I'll start really low.  If it burns too much I'll probably have an anxiety attack, lol

About caffeine absorption, I was toying with the idea of making a green tea or coffee (leaning more towards green tea though) hairspray, just distilled (or filtered) water, with a few green tea bags in it, let it cool, put it in a spray bottle, and spray it all over my scalp.  I also considered black tea.  I already know that green tea hair sprays are great for hair and scalp, but the caffeine absorption you mention makes it even more interesting.  If it was about pure caffeine, I would think using black tea would be the best option. I'm always worried about absorbing too much caffeine though, since I do drink a lot of coffee, I'm trying to quit though and switch to green tea.

^ EDIT:  Also, I used to use a rosemary tea hair spray, I'll probably start doing that again, in addition to drinking a slightly less strong brew of rosemary tea.

cd, do you think spraying my scalp with a strongly brewed rosemary tea would have an ill effects like you mentioned with the ACV every day?  Rosemary is supposed to help with scalp inflammation.  It's really easy to make, I could make like 50 ounces of filtered water, dump a whole bunch of dried rosemary leaves in and let it sit for a few hours, then just strain out the leaves and pour the tea into a spray bottle.  

I have long hair though so lots of it would stay on my hair, but I doubt that would be bad, I keep seeing rosemary tea as a DIY kind of hairspray for hair/scalp health.

EDIT again:  Oh one more thing, about that jar of coconut oil with green tea mixed in, I wonder if I could add dried rosemary leaves into it, heat it up a bit until the coconut oil turns more into a liquid, then stir it up really good and use that?  I wonder if that would infuse.  You already helped me with the green tea part with positive feedback, but I wonder if the rosemary would work, hmmmmm.

I do enjoy brainstorming, lol

http://www.regrowth.com/hair-loss-forums/reply/gctid142493-7/

I found this to be an interesting read.
The part about the pitting edema test is exactly what I have experienced only on my bald spots.

Rosemary should be fine daily in water or oil infusion. I my coconut oil is liquid at room temp, with time any herb should infuse and can later be strained out. Gentle heating is ok, but too much heat saturates the coconut oil ( hydrogenation is not good).

That link was interesting about fluid pressure in the scalp being an issue. I am not into reshaping the scalp, but healthy and uncalcified is important.

No neither am I. But I'm trying to flatten this hard ridge that travels along the centre of my scalp and stops right at the top of the crown with a big lump. It feels so hard and tight now that I'm aware of it. I really believe that using your hands maybe not enough to fully break up all the calcification in the scalp, especially the hard ridges. Maybe that's why people practising regular DT are seeing good results, but not great results like your experiencing?

So what about the subcutaneous fat layer underneath your follicles? I've done so much research and noted that the areas that are bald or thinning have a depleted layer of subcutaneous fat that acts as a cushion for the follicles. Have you noticed your bald area become not so much softer, but more spongy?

The area of regrow is just healthier skin, even a possibly early skin cancer area went away completely. The skin is pretty much the same as far as flexibility, pliability, and no noticeable enhanced fat layer. Some people are looking for a looser scalp, I expected this, but has not happened.
Not sure about the ridge disappearing in your situation, if it is not bone it might eventually break up. Mostly do not overpressure the skin against the bone. I guess the damage to the skin could be dramatic with the hours of pressure we exert.

Well where my hair is starting to thin down the centre of my scalp, it perfectly follows the hard ridge I am explaining. I was using my mortar again tonight to press hard on the ridge, and once again, I heard a few clicks. This noise has to be calcification am I right? Because what else could it be?

I hope your regrow is continuing my friend, looking forward to seeing your new photos.

Thanks for the advice cd!

As you mention possible skin damage with hours of pressing, I'm trying to exert a lot of pressure on my problem areas and crown (crown has no thinning but a lumpy area like iwillsucceed describes), if I don't feel any lasting pain or soreness, I'm probably ok, right?  I don't have to worry about doing more harm than good?

EDIT:  Mini update from my massaging:  When I press a bit above my right temple, I get a weird feeling soreness now, but not over my left temple.  It's really annoying but doesn't really last after I stop pressing.  I'm going to take it easy on this area for awhile.

Also I'm going to get an organic shampoo from my local VS. Lots of choices and they all seem pretty good, not sure which to get.

Sounds like your pressure is good and you are listening to your body.  As long as you are not bruising the skin,  you should be fine for an average scalp.

The castille soap is the one recommended as a treatment for MPB, Dr Bronners has a peppermint that might be nice.   I still use Nizoral sometimes ( it has an acid in it that is supposed to be good) .

Hey cd, thanks again, maybe I'll look into castile soap, but about peppermint, I heard it can cause gyno, so I'd really rather stay away from that if possible.

EDIT:  Also, I'd like to mention that weekends are my rest days, and I do a really light one handed massage with the vitamin bottle, and I still get dents/craters in my scalp even then.  I reserve the heaviest pressure for the weekdays though, but it's interesting that such light pressure can make a difference.

I wonder if cd's vitamin bottle method can be used as a general scalp/hair health massage, even if maximum pressure isn't applied.  I think that this method can benefit hair and scalp health regardless of the type of hair loss.  Maybe for a few forms of hair loss it wouldn't do much, but more blood flow is always a good thing, even if you don't have hair loss issues, just to improve overall scalp health.

So do you think that your still breaking up more calcification cd? And did you manage to flatten these bumps and ridges? I'm sorry if you're mentioned it before, I just can't quite remember.

So with the bump at the tip of my crown, these last couple of days I've been able to almost completely flatten this bump by just applying hard pressure with both hands. After about 30 seconds it's almost completely returned to its normal bump again, it's not really sore at all. To me it sounds like a return of some kind of fluid build up? What do you guys think?

Really did not try to flatten, reshape, or mow down any bumps or ridges.  I do not believe that that has much at all to do with MPB.  My grafts have been growing for decades with full vigor on the same scalp area.  This is why I do not pay attention to the scalp muscle exercises.  My scalp is not too tight to grow full length hair in the form of grafts.

What DT-CPR does do is make the scalp healthy, and remove blockages in the micro capillary network in the form of calcification. Perhaps the MPB genetics pick up calcification plaque faster. If there are big calcium breakups that is fine,  but this will happen with the normal pressure that does not bruise the skin.

If you have been applying too much pressure, you may have a fluid build up.   There are other reasons for bloating or water retention such as too much salt in diet or allergic reactions.

^  Also Tom Hagerty, the scalp exercise (not massage) guy, mentions a buildup of lymph fluid that his exercises may help by increasing lymphatic drainage.  If that's the case I'm sure cd's method would do a great job of it too.

Basically, if you don't leave a lasting bruise on your skin or have any real pain (besides soreness), you're doing it right, and are applying the correct amount of force, right?

Also, I'm going to start my rosemary experiment today. In addition to adding a bunch of dried rosemary leaves to mix in with my coconut oil concoction, as I mentioned, I'm brewing a really strong rosemary "tea" with filtered water and a ton of dried rosemary leaves, let it boil, add the leaves, let it cool for a few hours, move it into a glass container, let it sit/infuse for a few more hours, then strain out the leaves and put the mixture into a spray bottle. Then I will keep my scalp saturated as much as I can throughout the day with this mixture.

cdto2012 wrote:The area of regrow is just healthier skin, even a possibly early skin cancer area went away completely.  The skin is pretty much the same as far as flexibility, pliability,  and no noticeable enhanced fat layer.  Some people are looking for a looser scalp,  I expected this,  but has not happened.
   Not sure about the ridge disappearing in your situation,  if it is not bone it might eventually break up.  Mostly do not overpressure the skin against the bone.  I guess the damage to the skin could be dramatic with the hours of pressure we exert.  

Sorry..this method will damage the skin/follicles?

Been doing this scalp pressure thing with a pill bottle as mentioned for just a few days now. Does feel good after doing it (I'm only managing about 10 mins before boredom sets in at the moment).

Curiously, I used my derminator last night and today whilst I do it, I don't have the usual pain and soreness. Well, it's about 50 percent less than usual.

brandnew wrote:Been doing this scalp pressure thing with a pill bottle as mentioned for just a few days now. Does feel good after doing it (I'm only managing about 10 mins before boredom sets in at the moment).

Curiously, I used my derminator last night and today whilst I do it, I don't have the usual pain and soreness. Well, it's about 50 percent less than usual.

Hey brandnew, can you share your exact bottle massaging method with us please? How hard do you press, what sections of your scalp do you do first, last, etc., rest days?

A little clueless to this so best not to follow what im doing. I just use the side of a pill bottle top and push in a little. No set pattern. Sometimes rolling a little with the top. At the moment I'm doing it once a day for 10mins. I do it when I have the coconut oil/milk/castor/olive/green tea concoction from the other big thread on here.

NW0forward wrote:

cdto2012 wrote:The area of regrow is just healthier skin, even a possibly early skin cancer area went away completely.  The skin is pretty much the same as far as flexibility, pliability,  and no noticeable enhanced fat layer.  Some people are looking for a looser scalp,  I expected this,  but has not happened.
   Not sure about the ridge disappearing in your situation,  if it is not bone it might eventually break up.  Mostly do not overpressure the skin against the bone.  I guess the damage to the skin could be dramatic with the hours of pressure we exert.  

Sorry..this method will damage the skin/follicles?

Was commenting on the idea of trying to use too much pressure to reshape bone .  This could lead to damage to the skin.  If you are not bruising the skin,  we have not seen skin or follicle damage.

Glad to hear about the pain reduction for needling.  I started this pressing idea based on the idea that it was similar to needling, and had similar benefits.