A derma roller is a handheld instrument that includes dozens of tiny needles which are rolled over the skin, creating lots of tiny pinpricks in the skin’s surface, also known as micropores. Each needle is made of surgical stainless steel or medical-grade titanium.
The injuries sustained from these tiny pinpricks are believed to induce the body’s healing response. For example, derma rolling on the skin has been shown to stimulate collagen production in the skin as the wounds heal [2]. That’s why it’s often used for skin care concerns like wrinkles and stretch marks.
Many people are now turning to derma rollers and micro-needling to treat hair loss. So does it really work at promoting new hair growth?
Does derma rolling work for hair regrowth?
Recent evidence suggests derma rolling can boost hair regrowth as well as tackle skin concerns [2-6].
One study found that derma rolling could significantly improve the impact of Minoxidil on new hair growth. 82% of participants who used microneedling with Minoxidil reported hair improvements of more than 50%, compared with just 4.5% of those using Minoxidil alone [3].
Micro-needling can also enhance the effects of Finasteride combined with Minoxidil in men with male pattern baldness [5]. This suggests that derma rolling could help men who haven’t seen the results they want from traditional male hair loss treatments.
Derma rolling can also be a safe, effective treatment for women with female pattern hair loss. One study found that micro-needling, combined with a growth factor solution known as SGF-57, could treat women’s hair losswhere the average hair count increased by more than 10% [7]. While SGF-57 isn’t a commercially available formula, this study suggests micro-needling may provide an additional treatment option for women with hair loss.
Another study found a slight clinical improvement in hair regrowth when using micro-needling as a female hair loss treatment [8]: