GALEA: Scalp Muscle that causes Male Pattern Baldness

This Galea seems to be the cause of hair loss:

It is a tendon-like tissue which exists only on the top of the scalp. This GALEA looks like a helmet and its shape matches exactly the worst cases of male pattern baldness, all this makes all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place and one must conclude that it plays a role in hair loss. This GALEA is attached to muscles all around the perimeter of the head and these muscles pull on it and stretch it in all directions. That's why all bald men look like they have a stretched, shiny scalp. This tightened GALEA chokes off the blood flow and this causes the DHT to have a greater damaging effect on the top of the scalp than anywhere else. In fact, we only go bald in those areas where this GALEA exists and nowhere else on the scalp.

First I thought skull expansion was the reason, but this makes more sense than that. It because of GALEA!. What is unfortunate is that the propecia, minox companies evident involvement on forums that aim in debunking new or old theories that would reduce their income.

Forum after forum, post after post, where is the freaking solution to hair loss. Google Hair loss cure and nothing really new comes up. Why?

If it is this Galea that is the cause of hair loss. What can be done? Scalp exercises, any herbs that would affect the galea?

Mike

Mike,

I've also previously taken interest in scalp muscles, scalp exercises, etc. and their relationship to hair loss. I definitely think that they are a factor. What I keep coming back to is that circulation is probably one of the smaller pieces of the hair loss puzzle.

In other words, look at some of the things that the seasoned posters on this forum have been talking abuout - endocrine function, (thyroid, etc.), heavy metal burden, calcification, pathogens, insulin resistance and more. There has been sucess for quite a few takling those issues.

IMO scalp exercises can help, but I think its definitely a good idea to get your internal environment in good shape first.

Maybe an electric ab belt would help. Scalp exercises are unrealistic, no one is going to stick with them in the long run.

So I guess that women don't have this specific muscle :p

Women do have this muscle. But what is the difference with men and women with regards to muscles? Men are more muscular. Apparently, the testosterone levels affect the musculature in the human body. So an increase in testosterone means increased muscle. Look at the baldest peoples' scalp. Its all a layer of muscle which can't be easily seen.

I am not saying the that this on its own will cure hair loss. But its a LARGE piece of the puzzle. People think that all that blood circulation does, is to supply the hair follicle with nutrients. But it also gets rid of the dht that has accumulated in the scalp. Improper circulation means improper removal of dht from the area.

I am saying that a strong emphasis should be given to this galea muscle. All the regimens, dieting, supplements, the change in hormones etc also affects the muscles. It also explains why stress causes hair loss, since tension in the scalp will affect the galea muscle.

I believe it also explains a theory that I had. Some head shapes seem to be less prone to hair loss. So it still is a genetic issue.

From http://www.malepatternbaldness.net:

Let’s apply this theory to the pattern and see if it works. If you were to have two equal and opposite forces being applied across a curve, where would the force be greatest? At the exact center or highest point of the curve. Where does the bald spot start? At the center! As it grows, it radiates symmetrically. Why is it that when these muscles contract over the flat plates of the skull there is no hair loss? No curve, no down force, no blood flow impediment. You remember those muscles I mentioned earlier? The ones behind the ears that pull them back? Well, when those contract, guess where the slack gets taken up. Right, these amplify the down force exerted by the side muscles enormously.

http://www.malepatternbaldness.net/fig3.htm

Hope people don't ignore this.

What would cause hairloss on the sides of our heads?

This leaves out a hell of a lot and has some outright inaccuracies, but it does explain quite well the "pattern". Thanks for sharing!

If this is true, why do people not able to produce the famous enzymes that converts T to DHT, always keep their hair and develop zero acne? They have many other problems, but I'm sure most of them have the scalp muscles intact.

If this is true, why do people not able to produce the famous enzymes that converts T to DHT, always keep their hair and develop zero acne? They have many other problems, but I'm sure most of them have the scalp muscles intact.

I didn't quite understand what you meant, but what you mention still makes sense with the galea theory. In the post, I know I mentioned T and DHT, but the galea theory emphasizes how the muscle affects blood flow.

As for hair loss on the side of the head, other (non-mpb) hair loss types obviously exist.

This is a theory that make sense to me quite a lot. As with all theories, if a person attempts to debunk or discredit a theory, you can be sure that a reason can always be found.

One reason why a person with high testesterone not having hair loss could be due to the headshape. If one head has more curvature compared to the other, the one with more curvature will probably be more susceptible to hair loss. I am not saying there aren't any other factors like the immune system, diet, toxins, hormones, but this large piece of the puzzle could mean the difference between regrowth and maintanence. Maybe the chinese were right all along, circulation IS the cause.

MikeGore

I know people like debates, but I don't think it would really hurt if you looked into things which would release tension or perhaps reduce thickness of the galea muscles, or massage the head specifically to relieve galea muscle tension. With the galea muscle in mind, the massage should be done in a different way. Perhaps occipito-frontalis and tempor-parietalis muscle should be lifted upwards or massaged to relived the tension. So basically a little emphasis on these muscle when massaging rather then just massaging the top of the head.

Maybe there are some dietary factors that affect the inflammation of this muscle, permeability or contraction etc. Maybe supplements and herbs that help to relieve tension in muscles would help hair loss. Here are some I found that are muscle relaxers. Interestingly, they also help with hair loss.

Cayenne, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Chamomile, Licorice, GABA, Horsetail, Epsom Salt, Lavender, Rosemary, Catnip, Horse Radish, Caffeine

MikeGore wrote:I know people like debates, but I don't think it would really hurt if you looked into things which would release tension or perhaps reduce thickness of the galea muscles, or massage the head specifically to relieve galea muscle tension. With the galea muscle in mind, the massage should be done in a different way. Perhaps occipito-frontalis and tempor-parietalis muscle should be lifted upwards or massaged to relived the tension. So basically a little emphasis on these muscle when massaging rather then just massaging the top of the head.

Maybe there are some dietary factors that affect the inflammation of this muscle, permeability or contraction etc. Maybe supplements and herbs that help to relieve tension in muscles would help hair loss. Here are some I found that are muscle relaxers. Interestingly, they also help with hair loss.

Cayenne, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Chamomile, Licorice, GABA, Horsetail, Epsom Salt, Lavender, Rosemary, Catnip, Horse Radish, Caffeine

I know stress can be a very powerful instigator of MPB, but of course that's got many many different mechanisms.
With regards to eliminating stress, especially in the muscles and relaxing I strongly agree that you should learn to just completely relax and let things flow out of your mind, no worries, dealing with the Thyroid and Adrenals have helped me the most with it.

@mikegore: which ones of those muscle relaxers can be taken orally?

thanks!

I remember finding that website ages ago and thinking I had found the solution. This website as thought me different. I think it does have a part to play but maybe its the final nail in the coffin (tightening of the scalp) rather than the beginning the problem. Scalp excercies do help and in times of extreme inflammation they help me. I believe scalp excercises help in ridding of calcification due to movement of blood flow but I experienced an increase in loss at the hairline doing them. At the same time it is crazy when you see the shape of the galea and the area that MPB occurs. I guess receptors are just contained in the galea.

I have heard Lavender, Caffeine, Cayenne and Rosemary used as topicals. Other than these, most of them can be taken orally as far as I know.

I have heard of people losing hair as a result of scalp exercises by few people on Tom Hagerty website. It is possible in my opinion that if a person is doing the exercises in a manner that would strengthen this muscle or cause tension that they would lose hair. So maybe it is better to do the massage with the hands as opposed to using the muscles. And when massaging pushing muscles upwards instead of downwards to relieve tension.

I am no expert this is just my opinion. How would you do the scalp exercises lambyjay?

MikeGore,

I do the scalp excercies the same as Tom Hegarty. Im not sure the loss I experience while doing these could cause regrowth in the future as I have always gotten scared by the loss of hair and stopped doing them. I do believe in some sort of excercises. Scalp massage definately does help to relieve inflammation. Scalp excercese does bring more blood flow to the scalp than massage IMO though. In regards topicals I have tried some of the ones you mentioned. Lavender oil and rosemary oil along with some tea tree oil mixed in some aloe vera gel is quite soothing really on the scalp. Aloe vera gel is also great applied to facial skin when left on over night and is a good astringent. There is a natural 'minoxidol' recipe with :

lavender, thyme, rosemary, and cedarwood
in a base of Grapeseed and Jojoba oils.

That was shown to be as effective as Minox in a study. (plus it smells nice!!)
At the end of the day they prob work in similar fashion. Apparently Minox works by increasing blood flow to the scalp which lavedar rosemary and thyme are thought to do. Cedar wood oil is an anti-septic apparently.
Its really messy though and not exactly perfect for those with wives/GF's. (if left on at night)
I found massaging this in and then doing some meditation with heavy breathing brought good blood flow to the scalp.
You could get up half an hour earlier in the morning and do this before your morning shower (it really sets you up for the day in a good mood too!)
Cayenne pepper did nothing for me externally. The turmeric and resveratrol internally is definately a great combo for fighting inflammation.

It is interesting that a person goes bald with MPB in a pattern that is exactly over the galea area of scalp.

Another interesting fact is that no grows hair on the forehead.

There are two muscle groups situated on opposite sides of the galea, the frontalis muscles in the forehead, which pull the galea forwards when the eyebrows are raised, are also flexed with with various other facial expressions.

The occipital muscles are in back of the head behind the ears and they pull the scalp backwards. The occipitals don't get much exercise and they continue to get weaker and atrophied with age.

My theory is that as the occipital muscles continue to get weaker, the frontalis muscles of the forehead remain strong and too tight and this creates an imbalance condition causing the scalp to become thin and shiny... as DHT becomes backed up due to inadequate lymphatic drainage.

Hair does not grow on the forehead possibly due to enzymes in that region that inhibit hair growth. These enzymes can migrate into the galea region, due to weakened lymphatic vessels - causing temporal recession and hair thinning. Sometimes these enzymes can even affect the eyebrows, causing eyebrow balding too. Usually DHT causes massive HAIR GROWTH but the opposite seems to occur in the scalp. Scalp hair eventually becomes allergic to DHT causing miniaturization.

When the occipital muscles in the back of the head become too weak it is similar to when the abdominal muscles become weaker and people begin to have pot-guts and bad backs due to the tight back muscles and weak abdominals.

By strengthening the occipital muscles in the back of the head, it becomes possible to restore the galea and other scalp tissues to a more youthful condition, allowing for hair REGROWTH.

Mr.Clean, wouldn't it be easy to document results from such exercise?

Mr. Clean -

Youre not exactly the first person to mention this - http://www.hairloss-reversible.com/

Tom Hagerty has essentially the same theory, although he doesnt go into as much detail about the relationship between dht and scalp muscles.

He has a testimonials section on his site, and while there are quite a few positive testimonials, if you go on the boards, there seem to be nearly as many who continued to lose hair after many months of doing the exercises.

Hagerty does warn that the exercises may not work for everyone. I tried them for about 4 months and my hair receeded further.

Anyone whos willing to try this for a while, feel free.

Mr. Hagerty's scalp exercise instructions advises people to get the maximum movement of their galea by alternatively flexing the occipital muscles and then the frontalis forehead muscles. Flexing the frontalis forehead muscles is not necessary since they are already tight from constant flexing throughout a lifetime.

Some people do report increased balding from doing the scalp exercise in such a way. It seems that the galea would be pulled tightly over the skull during the entire workout, like a blanket pulled tightly over a globe. The result could be increased thinning and accelerated balding if not a stall in progress.

By concentrating the focus mainly on the occipital muscles, the tightened forehead muscles become more relaxed and stretched, thus allowing for restoration of the scalp tissues from years of atrophy.

People with advanced balding have very thin scalp skin over the galea area of scalp

I think this theory is outright bs in regards to mpb. There where studies with hair transplantions und if this galeocrap is correct, you would lose hairs transplanted to the galeo area. This is plainforward not the case. This alone implies that the galeo muscle is no important factor in mpb. Maybe there are cases of stress induced hairloss where the galeo plays some role.

cyclonus, I was thinking something similar.

Mr Clean -- How is it possible for transplanted follicular units to grow in areas where this weakened muscle has caused the original hair to fall?
Perhaps hair loss needs both the genetically weak hair follicles and a weakened scalp muscle, but it seems fairly unrealistic.

Misirlou wrote:cyclonus, I was thinking something similar.

Mr Clean -- How is it possible for transplanted follicular units to grow in areas where this weakened muscle has caused the original hair to fall?
Perhaps hair loss needs both the genetically weak hair follicles and a weakened scalp muscle, but it seems fairly unrealistic.

Yes, but you've transplanted scalp haven't you? You've replaced the balding galea with pieces of non-galea and non-blading scalp from the side of the head and/or body these days.

Christos wrote:

Misirlou wrote:cyclonus, I was thinking something similar.

Mr Clean -- How is it possible for transplanted follicular units to grow in areas where this weakened muscle has caused the original hair to fall?
Perhaps hair loss needs both the genetically weak hair follicles and a weakened scalp muscle, but it seems fairly unrealistic.

Yes, but you've transplanted scalp haven't you? You've replaced the balding galea with pieces of non-galea and non-blading scalp from the side of the head and/or body these days.

No, they transplant just the folicles, the skin and the muscle stay the same.

Misirlou wrote:cyclonus, I was thinking something similar.

Mr Clean -- How is it possible for transplanted follicular units to grow in areas where this weakened muscle has caused the original hair to fall?
Perhaps hair loss needs both the genetically weak hair follicles and a weakened scalp muscle, but it seems fairly unrealistic.

Transplanted hairs from the sides and back of the scalp will grow for ahwile because they have not been exposed to the buildup of DHT that the already balding follicles in the galea region of scalp have.

There is some evidence that these follicles will also go bald too. Transplanted follicles usually look like crap after a few years.

Mr. Clean wrote:

Misirlou wrote:cyclonus, I was thinking something similar.

Mr Clean -- How is it possible for transplanted follicular units to grow in areas where this weakened muscle has caused the original hair to fall?
Perhaps hair loss needs both the genetically weak hair follicles and a weakened scalp muscle, but it seems fairly unrealistic.

Transplanted hairs from the sides and back of the scalp will grow for ahwile because they have not been exposed to the buildup of DHT that the already balding follicles in the galea region of scalp have.

There is some evidence that these follicles will also go bald too. Transplanted follicles usually look like crap after a few years.

Is there really some evidence for this "fact" more reliable than anecdotical evidence? I don't think so...

In the german hairloss forums @ alopecie.de some guys did "scalp relaxion" of the galea area via Botolinum Toxin. I don't think there was a single case where this helped with mpb to visible extend.

I think the "galea theory" is not more than some coincidence.