What Is TikTok Scalp Popping Challenge? Why Are Doctors Warning Against Trying It

TikTok has many challenges that keeps its users hooked, but doctors want people to stay away from the scalp popping challenge as it can harm them.

In several short videos posted on the app, many are seen taking up the challenge where a person twists hair, pulls it hard and hears a popping sound. There are even accounts posting tutorials on it, with one claiming that '"you just know when it's the right piece of hair," reported The Sun.

Dr Anthony Youd was left shocked after watching the videos on the challenge. There are more medical experts who have warned against the trend, with Dr Ross Perry, Medical Director of Cosmedics skin clinics saying that it could be dangerous. He added that it's "not even worth trying," even though the technique is used in some cultures to provide headache relief.

He explained, "Firstly you can easily tear the inside of the scalp which can lead to bleeding and possible infections, it can become sore and extremely uncomfortable."

There might be long-term problems too as he said that it can cause damage to the hair follicle which could lead to hair loss. There is also a possibility of damage to the head and neck from the force of the hair being pulled.

Hair transplant specialist at Vera Clinic, Dr Gokhan Vayni, told Tyla that the trend is concerning and said that it can cause sores on your head and bleeding on the scalp. He added that the popping sound that one hears while doing the challenge is the galea aponeurotica, which is a soft tissue between your skull and scalp, popping off your skull.

Earlier when some people tried out the challenge, they didn't have great experiences, according to Yahoo! Finance. One said that directions were not clear and now that person has a bald spot. Another said that the TikTok user must be doing it wrong because that hurt, and a third said that the person was in pain after trying it out.

A few months ago, Jon Musgrave, a New York City-based licensed massage therapist, said that he first became aware of it as something that women of Mexico do to help relieve heat-induced migraines, but it’s not a standard Western massage technique, and it’s something that he would not do to himself or to someone else.