How Effective is Derma Rolling for Hair Growth?

Derma rolling started trending years ago now for its ability to help boost skin health and even help you look younger and fresher. What you may only just be learning, however, is that you can also use derma rolling for hair growth.

Is it effective? Worth your time? This guide will touch on everything you need to know to try out derma rolling for hair health, so let’s get started:

What is Derma Rolling?

Derma rollers are simple cylinders with tiny needles on its surface. These needles are designed to stimulate your skin to create micro abrasions, but – and this is very important – not break it. At least at home, as clinical treatments are more aggressive.

Derma rollers work to help activate several responses that, at least theoretically, help increase the recovery response in your body.

They’re typically used to help skin appear younger or heal old acne spots or scars. They are also not being used for hair loss. While they are certainly not the only hair loss treatment that you’ll want to use, derma rollers can be a great way to supplement your other efforts.

Derma rollers can be used at home, or at a clinic. The type of treatment you get will vary depending on your options.

At-Home Treatments

You can get derma rollers for at-home treatments. These simply roll over your skin, and cost very little. The good news is you don’t even need to get specific derma rollers for hair. There may be a few that offer wider surface coverage to help you get through your scalp more quickly, but generally, so long as you clean them before and after each use, you can use them for your skin and your hair, making them multi-purpose.

Professional Treatments

Professionals don’t use rollers, but instead a pen-looking device that stamps the needles into your skin (face or scalp). This treatment should not cause blood to well up. The cost is also much higher, since you’re also paying for a service.

How Does Derma Rolling for Hair Growth Work?

Derma rolling for hair growth works by creating micro injuries. These micro injuries are very fast and easy to heal, but, critically, they make your body heal them. Healing the scalp can help with stimulating hair growth in a few key ways;

• Increases Blood Flow
• Activates Growth Factors
• Improves Collagen Production
• Can Help Improve Product Absorption

As you can tell from those benefits, the goal of microneedling is to encourage the recovery response in your scalp, which in turn helps hair follicles live their best lives. It doesn’t, however, top things like DHT from clamping down on hair follicles and stopping their growth.

Derma rolling also doesn’t stop hormonal, genetic, or autoimmune diseases from causing hair loss.

What are the Benefits of Derma Rolling for Hair Growth?

What derma rolling can do, however, is:

• Help you absorb hair growth formulas, nutrients, or creams to help heal the scalp if you have a topical condition.
• Increases platelets in your scalp, which in turn heal the wounds and, most importantly, help increase the blood vessels in your scalp so your hair follicles can get more oxygen and nutrients.
• Activates the stem cells in your hair follicle bulge, which in turn helps your body correctly replace damaged cells with new ones.

In a 2015 study of men, patients showed a positive +2 to +3 response on a 7-point evaluation scale. This means that those who were using derma rollers saw a positive uptick in new hair growth after using micro needling. More interestingly, was that the results were still there during the 18-month follow-up [1].

Derma Roll for Hair Regrowth or Derma Stamps?

Derma rollers roll across the skin. On your face, it’s easy to keep track of where you’ve been and where you have left to go, but on your scalp it’s a different story. If you struggle with using the derma roller across your scalp, you may find derma stamps easier to use.

Derma stamps work the same as rollers, but instead of rolling the device back and forth, you’ll instead need to press down with the stamp. If you have longer hair, this can also help you avoid getting your hair tangled.

How to Safely Use Derma Roll for Hair Regrowth at Home

There is a small risk that using a derma roller can cause an infection [2]. That’s why to use it safely at home you’ll need to follow these steps:

1.    Shower and Clean Your Scalp

You will want to make sure that your scalp is clean. An easy way to do this is to use the derma roller or stamp after you shower.

2.    Disinfect Your Derma Roller

Before you use your derma roller or stamp, you need to disinfect them. Use a rubbing alcohol to do this. To save time, put your derma roller or stamp in the alcohol before you shower. By the time you’re done, it will be sufficiently clean enough.

3.    Optional: Apply a Numbing Cream

If you struggle with an itching sensation or have a sensitive scalp, you’ll want to apply a numbing cream before you start. This, however, is entirely optional.

4.    Start Horizontally, Then Vertically

You will want to roll the derma roller horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Try to go over your scalp in each direction, and make sure you get the entire surface of your scalp for best results.

5.    Use Pressure

You’ll want to press down enough so that you feel light pressure and pinpricks, but not enough to break the skin. The goal of derma rolling is not for you to walk away with thousands of little beads of blood. You only want to stimulate the skin.

6.    Disinfect Your Derma Roller

Once done, put the derma roller back into the rubbing alcohol so it can disinfect. Doing it twice can help prevent the build-up of bacteria, which, in turn, could cause infections.

7.    Use Additional Treatments

Right after you use the derma roller is when your skin is ready to absorb the product the most. That’s why you should use any topical creams you have to help you with your condition at this moment. Massage it onto your scalp like you would your facial skin.

8.    Track Results

Derma rolling won’t work for everyone. Tracking the results with a hair track app can help you tell if there’s a difference, or not. That tracking method works for any treatment option as well, making it a good habit to get into.

How Often Should You Use Derma Rolling?

How often you use derma rolling depends on the length of the tiny needles on the roller itself. The longer ones are more intense, and should only be used sparingly, while the shorter ones can be used daily.

How to Choose the Right Derma Roller Needle Length for You

You’ll want to start small if you are new to micro needling. This means starting with either 0.25 or 0.5mm options. As you get used to the treatment and more experienced with it, however, you can then look into going up a needle size.

The current available needle sizes you can pick from for at-home treatments include:

• 25mm: Very small needle, can help if you’re using it alongside other treatments or after a hair transplant as it improves hair care solutions. Use it every other day.
• 5mm: The most recommended size for at-home derma rolling. It can help with topical treatment absorption and does not require numbing cream. Use up to 3 times per week.
• 1mm: Larger size, useful for helping with the treatment absorption. You may need to use a numbing agent. Least studied size. Use once every two weeks.
• 5mm: Largest size available at home. Works well alongside other treatments, like hair transplants, Finasteride, or Minoxidil. Use this needle size once a month.

You may be able to get larger needles in professional, clinical settings, up to 3mm.

Are There Side Effects From Using Derma Rollers?

So long as you keep the derma roller and your scalp clean there are minimal side effects. You may notice a heat along your scalp after your treatment. Any discomfort should abate quickly. More to the point, those are also signs you may have pressed down too hard, so lighten up next time.

What Treatments Can You Use Alongside Derma Rolling?

Derma rolling can help you get the most out of other hair loss treatment options, including a hair transplant. This is because a derma roller can help activate your body’s healing response, which in turn can help transplanted hair graft and heal more quickly.

You can use derma rolling hair growth tools with hair transplants, and other treatments like:

• Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
• Hair Transplants
• Corticosteroids
• Minoxidil
• Finasteride

Ready to Start Derma Roll for Hair Regrowth?

We can help advise you on how to add derma rolling to your hair care routine, but more importantly we can help you get fast, effective results with natural-looking hair transplants. Just have a look at our patients gallery to see the type of results you can expect, and if that sounds up your alley, get in touch with our team today. We’ll advise you throughout the process, including how you can use hair care and derma rollers as part of your after-care routine.

Resources

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458936/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7869810/