The treatment is effective for many people with male-pattern baldness and female-pattern hair loss.
However, home treatments can be risky and may not be as effective as treatments performed by a professional.
People who seek out microneedling often have male or female pattern baldness.
Vahit Ozalp / Getty Images
In medical terms,male-pattern baldnessandfemale-pattern hair lossare called androgenetic alopeciaorAGA.
What the Science Says
Microneedling for hair loss is a relatively new treatment.
Studies often suggest that scalp microneedling works best with other hair-loss treatments.
PRP injections are only performed by trained professionals in medical tweaks.
Best Candidates
Managing expectations is key if you’re considering trying microneedling for hair loss.
Preliminary results suggest microneedling may also help those withtelogen effluviumhair loss.
Microneedlingwon’t help other types of hair loss triggered by certain drugs (anagen effluvium), such aschemotherapytreatments.
It also can’t restore hair growth if the hair follicle has been irreversibly destroyed by advanced scarring.
The healing response is what helps the hair grow back.
Microneedling can also enhance the delivery of hair-loss medications.
Professional microneedling devices for hair loss are calibrated to puncture scalp skin more deeply.
Recovery
Microneedling generally doesn’t require significant downtime after the procedure.
Your provider will give you aftercare instructions to follow.
They may ask that you:
The post-care instructions should also indicate when to come back for a follow-up.
Some studies recommend doing it once a week, while others have found results with monthly sessions.
Multiple sessions are generally required.
When it comes to microneedling for hair loss, doing it more often isn’t necessarily better.
The scalp needs time between treatments to heal.
Doing scalp microneedling too often increases the risk of adverse side effects such as infection or scarring.
Microneedling for Hair Loss Costs
The cost of microneedling for hair loss is highly variable.
Professional treatments can range from $200 to $700 or more.
A derma roller with short needles probably won’t have adverse side effects.
However, repeated overuse of an at-home microneedling rig that creates micro-wounds in the scalp can be harmful.
Microneedling and Other Hair Loss Products
Microneedling is often combined with other hair loss products.
Another treatment that may be combined with microneedling for hair loss is platelet-rich plasma injections or PRP.
This regenerative procedure involves injecting a plasma concentration into an area of the skin that is diseased or damaged.
Study authors suggested that a minimum of four sessions is required to achieve best results.
Summary
Microneedling for hair loss is usually an effective treatment for people with mild to moderate alopecia.
At-home microneedling can be unsafe.
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