Devices
Microneedling for hair growth
The study people cite is a pilot in men, on top of minoxidil. Read the numbers before you buy a roller.
Written in the UK, for women and men.
In a 12-week pilot of 100 men with pattern hair loss, weekly microneedling plus twice-daily 5% minoxidil increased mean hair count by 91.4, against 22.2 with minoxidil alone. It is one pilot, in men, using a clinic device with a medicine. It is not NHS care, and it is not evidence that a £20 roller does the same thing.
See a GP if hair loss is sudden, patchy, or comes with illness, a rash, or other symptoms. The NHS asks for that conversation before a private clinic.
Microneedling uses short needles to puncture the scalp. Clinics sell it on its own, with minoxidil, or with PRP. The trial that carries the claim is narrower than the advert.
What did the pilot show?
Dhurat and colleagues ran a 12-week pilot in 100 men with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia, Norwood III vertex or IV. One group had weekly microneedling plus 5% minoxidil twice a day. The other had minoxidil alone.
Mean hair-count change was 91.4 in the microneedling group and 22.2 with minoxidil alone. On a 7-point scale, investigators scored 40 men in the microneedling group at +2 to +3, and none of the minoxidil-only men in that range. Forty-one men (82%) in the microneedling group said they had more than 50% improvement, against 2 men (4.5%) on minoxidil alone.
| Microneedling plus minoxidil | Minoxidil alone | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean hair-count change | 91.4 | 22.2 |
| Patients reporting more than 50% improvement | 82% | 4.5% |
What it does not prove
It was a pilot, not a long licence study. It was men. The needles were part of a clinic protocol with a medicine, for 12 weeks. A dermaroller from a website is a different depth, a different hygiene standard, and often no minoxidil at all. This is not a home technique. Dirty needles infect skin. Patchy hair loss is alopecia areata until a clinician says otherwise, and needling a patch is not first aid.
The NHS does not list microneedling as a hair-loss treatment. Minoxidil, which the trial depended on, is explained in does minoxidil work. PRP, which clinics often pair with needles, is here.
Red light is a different device. It does not prick the skin. The hat comparison is red light hats.
Common questions
Does microneedling regrow hair?
In one 12-week pilot, men who added weekly microneedling to 5% minoxidil grew more hair than men on minoxidil alone. That is not a result for needles without the medicine, or for women, or for a year of home use.
What were the hair-count numbers?
Mean change in hair count was 91.4 with microneedling plus minoxidil, and 22.2 with minoxidil alone.
Is a dermaroller safe to use at home?
This page is not a how-to. Needles can infect or scar a scalp if they are dirty, shared or pressed too hard. A clinician should be involved if you have patchy loss or a skin condition.
Sources
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