Men Are Trying This At-Home Treatment For Hair Loss — But It Has Its Limits

Microneedling rollers and stamps have long been popular among skin care enthusiasts to fade fine lines, boost collagen and even out skin tone. By puncturing the skin with hundreds of tiny needles, the resulting micro-tears are thought to stimulate collagen production and boost the absorption of your skin care ingredients. But lately, more and more men have been turning to at-home microneedling devices to tackle something else — hair loss.

Redditors post miraculous progression pictures on the subreddit /r/Tressless , growing thick, healthy hair from once -balding crowns in a matter of a few short months, all supposedly thanks to microneedling (combined with minoxidil in many cases, which we’ll explain more about later). While there’s no doubt that these progression pictures are impressive, many medical professionals are concerned about the potential risks of performing microneedling at home. “As a hair restoration surgeon, I see a growing number of patients experimenting with at-home microneedling, and while it can be a valuable tool when used correctly, there are also a lot of misconceptions and potential risks that people don’t always consider,” said Dr.



Ross Kopelman , a New York-based hair restoration surgeon How can microneedling stimulate hair growth? Microneedling creates a series of micro-injuries that trigger a wound-healing response by penetrating the skin with a series of small, thin needles. However, its effect on hair growth is not yet completely understood, said Dr. Sarah Perkins , assistant professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine.

However, she explained, “[Microneedling is] thought to affect protein expression and signaling within the hair follicle, and to promote neovascularization, which improves blood supply to the hair follicles.” Microneedling is also thought to promote hair growth by activating stem cells. “Our hair follicles have stem cells.

So, by causing those kinds of microtraumas around the hair follicles, it potentially activates them,” said Dr. Mary Alice Mina , an Atlanta-based double-board-certified dermatologist. For male pattern baldness in particular, Kopelman explained that microneedling can help to create a better environment for follicles to thrive.

“[Microneedling] also helps break down fibrosis and scar tissue that can develop around miniaturizing follicles in male pattern baldness,” Kopelman said. Now, a word about minoxidil. Many hair regrowth plans include microneedling and minoxidil, a topical method proven to improve hair regrowth.

And there’s a good reason for this treatment combo. “There’s some evidence that the combination [of microneedling and minoxidil] can be more effective than treatment with minoxidil alone,” Perkins said. However, many people who microneedle without the direction of a medical professional are unsure about the best time to apply minoxidil to maximize its effectiveness.

The confusion only grows when users on internet forums give conflicting advice based on anecdotal experiences. In one post on /r/Tressless , some users urge their fellow Redditors to hold off before applying minoxidil, while others recommend immediately applying the topical while the micro-wounds are fresh to capitalize on the window of maximum absorption. The experts we spoke to confirmed that microneedling improves topical absorption by creating microchannels that deliver skin care ingredients deeper into the skin.

However, for those choosing to microneedle at home without the guidance of a medical professional, experts say this increased absorption could potentially lead to some negative side effects. Not only is this completely unnecessary for minoxidil to be effective, but it can also cause some nasty side effects. “Minoxidil is designed to be absorbed through intact skin, not through open wounds,” Kopelman said.

“Applying [minoxidil] right after microneedling can lead to excessive systemic absorption, which increases the risk of side effects like dizziness, palpitations or unwanted hair growth in areas beyond the scalp.” Kopelman suggests waiting 24-48 hours after a microneedling treatment before applying minoxidil. How much hair regrowth can you expect with microneedling? For patients who notice early thinning, Kopelman said microneedling can slow down the progression of balding.

Patients notice improvements after three to six months of consistent treatments. That said, there is a limit to what microneedling can do for your hair regrowth. “It’s not a magic bullet, and I always set the expectation that it’s more of a stimulator than a restorative treatment,” Kopelman said.

“A lot of times, microneedling needs to be done in conjunction with other things, especially for things like male pattern balding where there’s a hormonal component,” Mina said. She explains that a hair restoration plan from a medical provider will most likely include other treatments done alongside microneedling, such as topical serums, anti-androgen medication or supplements. A medical provider can also determine if you’re a good candidate for microneedling, as there are some types of balding where this treatment is completely ineffective.

“If someone has areas of significant hair loss where follicles are no longer viable, microneedling isn’t going to bring those hairs back,” Kopelman said. But what makes at-home microneedling so tricky? While just about anyone can order a microneedling device online and head to a forum to share microneedling tips and tricks with other users, our experts strongly recommend seeing a professional for treatment rather than attempting microneedling at home yourself. “The main issue is that at-home devices tend to be underpowered,” said Dr.

Tito Vasquez , assistant professor of plastic surgery at Yale School of Medicine. Vasquez noted that many manufacturers of microneedling devices tend to limit the depth of the needles in the interest of consumer safety. Vasquez said that many individuals who microneedle at home expect that they’ll get the same results as they would if they saw a medical professional.

And this expectation could potentially set them up for disappointment, if not worse. “When done correctly, [microneedling] can be a helpful tool, but there’s a fine line between stimulation and damage,” Kopelman said. “I see too many patients overdoing it with longer needles, excessive frequency and poor hygiene practices, which ultimately lead to more harm than good.

” Just because you can buy it doesn’t mean you should use it. There’s a particular catch when it comes to at-home microneedling. For microneedling to be effective in stimulating hair growth, the needles must penetrate fairly deep into the scalp — around 1-2 mm deep, according to the experts we spoke to.

“Men typically have thicker dermis,” Vasquez said. ”So [with male patients] you’re trying to find the sweet spot of the needle depth that causes the right amount of stimulation and growth without creating damage.” However, when an untrained individual microneedles that deeply into their scalp using a device that they bought from a random shop on Amazon in a non-sterile, non-medical environment, things start to get risky.

“I see a lot of Reddit users pushing into the 1.5 mm to 1.75 mm range , and that makes me nervous,” Kopelman said.

By going too deep with a microneedling device, Kopelman said you can end up worsening hair loss by creating inflammation, scarring and even permanent trauma to the hair follicles. Another risk of at-home microneedling is the use of devices that may do more harm than good when it comes to hair regrowth. The two most common types of microneedling devices are derma stamps, which have fixed needles that press perpendicularly into the skin, and derma rollers , in which the needles are attached to a rotating drum that glides across the skin.

“If I had to choose between a derma roller or a derma stamp, I would recommend a derma stamp because it’s easier to control pressure, creates more precise vertical microchannels, and is easier to clean than a roller, which drags across the scalp and increases the risk of unnecessary tissue trauma and cross-contamination,” Kopelman said. Vasquez also notes that another problem with derma rollers is that due to the device’s design, needles can become easily bent and torqued, potentially causing damage. Another problem with at-home microneedling is that some users may do it too frequently.

This becomes even more of a problem when using longer needle lengths. “In general, the deeper the treatment, the less frequent the treatments should be,” said Perkins. “I tell my patients to stay within the 0.

6 mm to 1.0 mm range and limit microneedling to once a week. Any more than that, and you’re risking excessive irritation and prolonging the healing process, which can lead to chronic inflammation and potential fibrosis,” Kopelman said.

There’s also a hygiene risk. When creating a series of wounds to your scalp, cleanliness is no joke. “Improper technique, improper sterilization, or the presence of bacteria or viruses on the skin can all increase the risk of infection,” Perkins said.

Many /r/Tressless users share their methods of keeping their devices as clean as possible , including washing them with hot water and soap, soaking them in rubbing alcohol or even using denture tablets to sanitize the device. However, experts still warn that this might not be enough to prevent infection. “Running [the device] under hot water or soaking it in alcohol isn’t going to eliminate all bacteria, and anything that isn’t fully sterilized can introduce harmful microbes into the scalp,” Kopelman said.

“I’ve had patients come to me with scalp folliculitis and even localized abscesses from reusing microneedling devices that weren’t adequately cleaned.” While other parts of microneedling devices can be sanitized, many professionals are so cautious that they view the needles of these devices as a one-time-use item. “When we use these needles [in a medical office], we’re basically using disposable needles,” Vasquez said.

Mina also points out that even if you were able to sanitize the needles at home fully, it still wouldn’t be advisable to reuse them. “The other thing is, the needles get dull. So, if you want the benefit of the microtrauma, you want those needles sharp,” Mina said.

Mina recommends consulting a professional for the safest and most effective microneedling treatment. Not only do they have the expertise to perform microneedling correctly, but they also offer advanced treatments that are nearly impossible to replicate at home, such as plate-rich plasma (PRP) therapy , which uses the patient’s own blood plasma to promote hair growth. Related.

...