GROW – Fight hair loss

What is Derma-rolling?

Derma-rolling or micro needling is an inexpensive procedure that has been proven beneficial to stimulate hair growth. Derma-rolling involves the use of a derma-roller with small needles that causes minor skin injuries. The process of creating wounds in the skin is also thought to regenerate the health of the hair follicles. It is thought that this can result in new hair growth and thicken thinning hair.

The micro injuries caused by the small needles increase blood flow in the area and consequentially growth and healing factors for the skin. The hope is that those healing factors won't differentiate between healing the skin and the hair follicles.

How to use a derma-roller?

The procedure can be performed by your health care provider, or it can be done at home after purchasing a derma-roller device.

The technique consists in rolling the device on your scalp areas affected by hair loss. You may want to pass the roller around 10-12 times with moderate pressure and at different angles.

It is important not to overdo it because an excessive inflammation could cause the opposite result. It is advisable to give the scalp time to heal, and therefore not to derma-roll more than 2 or 3 times per week.

If you experience slight redness of the skin after rolling, that is totally normal. However, there should not be any bleeding or excessive pain. This might be a sign of overdoing it.

Also, derma-rolling works in areas of your scalp where you still have some hair. It is not working on a completely bald area because there are basically no hair follicles to stimulate anymore. It works on both vertex and hairline, but some of your hair with diameter of more than 50% of their original size should still be present.

Derma-rolling is also believed to increase the efficacy of topical hair growth medication, such as minoxidil.

What is the right needle length?

Derma-rollers come with different needle lengths. The reason is because they are used for other purposes than hair stimulation; for example, they are used in the cosmetics industry.

The idea is to reach a depth where the hair follicles' bulges reside. This is around 1 to 1.5 millimeters below the skin surface. For this reason, derma-rollers with 1 to 1.5 millimeters needles tend to be the appropriate choice for stimulating the correct area of the scalp.

Everyone is different, so please consult your health care provider for more personalized advice.

How fast can I expect results?

Patience is key to any hair loss treatments. Results from derma-rolling can take several months, and everyone has a different response to the treatment.

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