Microneedling is a game changer when it comes to treating various skin concerns, including scars, stretchmarks, alopecia, commonly known as hair loss. Speaking of alopecia, there are many types, and microneedling helps eliminate them all.
So if you’re dealing with hair loss and would like your head full of hair back, well, microneedling might just be the remedy you've been searching for. But before committing to the treatment, here's an overview of what it entails, and if it actually works.
Am I Dealing with Androgenetic Alopecia?
This is a common type of alopecia that affects both men and women. It is pretty easy to identify androgenetic alopecia as it leaves one with a unique pattern of baldness. For males, the path to baldness begins with the hairline close to your temples eroding and, over time, the hairline recedes to form a clear-cut ‘M’ shape.
Hair also starts thinning at the top of your head, and eventually, the bald spot at the crown of your head expands and meets the receding hairline, leaving your head with hair on the sides and around the back.
For females, you are more likely to observe thinning of hair from the top of your head, mostly at the center area. Your front hairline doesn't lose hair, though. And, unlike men, you don’t end up with distinct baldness, but diffuse hair thinning instead. This is when hair gradually reduces slowly by slowly on the head. So, in women, the hair becomes less dense and finer over time, leaving you with a pretty even thinning appearance.
If you happen to have androgenetic alopecia, here is how microneedling can help.
How Microneedling Helps with Androgenetic Alopecia
First, let’s delve into how androgenetic alopecia manifests to better understand how microneedling manages it.
How androgenetic alopecia develops
This type of hair loss can be inherited, and it raises the sensitivity of your scalp’s hair follicles to androgens (male hormones) like DHT (dihydrotestosterone). But why the scalp? This is because, compared to other body parts, your scalp hair results from a different growth cycle and its follicles are greatly sensitive to hormonal changes that lead to hair loss.
Essentially, when DHT binds to the androgen receptors of your scalp hair follicles, it triggers a miniaturization process. During the miniaturization process, DHT binds to the scalp follicles with greater androgen receptor density.
Then, DHT shortens the hair growth phase (or anagen phase), causing the follicles to progressively produce finer and shorter hair. With time, the follicles weaken or become dormant, causing diffuse thinning in women and baldness in men.
Here is how microneedling intervenes to manages the situation:
How microneedling helps
Microneedling works by revitalizing weakened or dormant hair follicles, initiating hair growth and managing the genetic effect on your hair follicles. Moreover, it helps create an optimal setting for full regrowth of hair where it has thinned or been completely lost
This environment nourishes and supports the functionality of the weakened or dormant follicles, encouraging them to take another shot at the anagen phase. And, by jumpstarting the anagen phase, the scalp hair follicles can grow stronger, healthier hair.
Explore how the treatment primes your scalp to stimulate follicles to continue growing.
1. It enhances blood flow to the scalp
In a professional setting, microneedling is done with a derma pen to create carefully controlled micro-injuries in bald areas or where the hair has thinned.. This triggers your body’s natural wound healing mechanism, during which more blood flows to the wounded section.
More blood flow to the weakened or dormant follicles means sufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen. These crucial resources have the potential to revitalize the follicles and prolong the growth stage for follicles that are yet to fall victim to androgenetic alopecia.
2. It stimulates production of growth factors
As a result of the punctures, your body also produces active molecules that affect hair regrowth, promote tissue regeneration, and repair within the follicles.
The growth factors remodel the follicles’ extracellular matrix, improving the follicles structural support. Moreover, the growth factors help in cell differentiation and proliferation within the scalp hair follicles, encouraging the generation of healthier hair.
3. It amplifies collagen creation
Your scalp’s response to the micro-injuries also includes a boost in collagen synthesis. The presence of collagen enlarges and fortifies the miniaturized follicles. In turn, the follicles generate thicker and more resilient hair.
4. It aids in better absorption of topical products
Since the tiny wounds as a result of microneedling take a while to heal, using topical products immediately after microneedling improves their absorption. This is because the micro-perforations heighten skin’s permeability, allowing for deeper delivery of topical treatments like minoxidil.
Minoxidil combats androgenetic alopecia by enlarging shrunken follicles and extending the growth phase. Therefore, applying minoxidil after microneedling improves its capability to counter the effects of DHT on your scalp, managing androgenetic alopecia effectively.
You can also combine microneedling with these treatments to improve its effectiveness.
Combining Microneedling with Other Treatments to Improve Androgenetic Alopecia
1. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
PRP is processed by drawing a sample of your blood and putting in a centrifuge, which separates platelets and growth factors, and then injecting it on the part you're treating to separate the platelets and plasma into a solution, which are then injected into your scalp. However, rather than have the therapy separately, it can be performed alongside microneedling.
Your practitioner microneedles your scalp to enhance the delivery of the platelets into the scalp, potentially increasing hair thickness and density. This is because apart from their healing properties, your platelets are rich in growth factors crucial for tissue regeneration and repair.
2. Finasteride
Finasteride is an oral medication that inhibits enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. This enzyme converts testosterone into DHT, which binds to the androgen receptors of your scalp hair, causing androgenetic alopecia.
In short, finasteride combats alopecia by decreasing dihydrotestosterone. Microneedling, on the other hand, improves the overall scalp environment to keep the follicles active so that they can generate healthier hair.
3. Natural oils and botanical extracts
Just like minoxidil, microneedling enhances the absorption of natural oils and botanical extracts into your scalp. For example, rosemary oil and extracts from caffeine are known to boost blood circulation and cut down DHT levels.
4. Nutritional supplements
While microneedling improves the external scalp conditions, supplements improve the internal aspects. They supply the critical minerals and vitamins needed by the hair follicles for robust hair development.
Some of the effective supplements include iron and zinc. Iron supports the supply of oxygen throughout your body while zinc improves the health of the follicles and the repair process.
Overall, microneedling is effective on hair loss, specifically androgenetic alopecia. Sometimes, a certified practitioner may recommend combining it with either of these treatments to elevate the desired results. But is microneedling right for you?
Am I a Fit for Microneedling?
Before undergoing microneedling to help manage androgenetic alopecia, a certified skin professional must review your current condition to determine suitability. The professional assesses your medical history, skin sensitivity, psychological readiness, and skin type.
An experienced practitioner handles you professionally and listens to your desires to help set realistic expectations. Generally, you won’t make it through to the microneedling phase if you are suffering from these conditions:
1. Blood clotting disorders
Having hemophilia or any other bleeding disorder is a big no when it comes to microneedling. This is because the disorder increases the risk of excessive bruising or bleeding during microneedling. Even if you are on anticoagulant medications, you should avoid microneedling.
2. Active scalp infection or acne
Any active scalp infections or acne increase the risk of spreading the infection or acne to other areas of the scalp during microneedling. Moreover, microneedling can worsen the symptoms of scalp infections like impetigo or folliculitis because of the added irritation.
3. Compromised immune system
Suffering from an autoimmune disease or taking medications that could weaken your immune response? Then, you must put aside the idea of microneedling.
Medications like corticosteroids or chemotherapy drugs significantly reduce your system’s ability to heal wounds and combat infections. That’s why you must avoid microneedling because the wounds created during the procedure may not heal effectively, increasing the chances of an infection developing.
4. Prone to keloid scars
Skin prone to keloid scars is highly responsive to even the most minor skin trauma. Considering that scalp skin has greater tension, it is wise for you to avoid microneedling your scalp to prevent the formation of uncomfortable, itchy, and painful keloid scars.
If you have none of these conditions, your practitioner should look into the other factors affecting suitability for microneedling and direct you accordingly. Sometimes, after a successful professional microneedling session, the aesthetician may guide you on how to microneedle your scalp at home. This serves the purpose of boosting the effects of the clinical microneedling procedure.
Here is an overview of what at-home microneedling looks like and the benefits you can derive from it.
At-Home Microneedling for Hair Loss
At-home microneedling is pretty cost-effective and straightforward as you just have to get a derma roller and follow your aesthetician's instructions. However, what matters most is hygiene and the technique you use, because an incorrect technique may lead to complications.
Before microneedling, you must prepare your scalp by cleaning it to get rid of residues, including oils and dirt. Additionally, you must sterilize the derma roller and ensure you are in a sterile environment to minimize the risks of infection. This includes ensuring that your room is clean, free from contaminants or dust, and well-ventilated before proceeding.
After ensuring utmost hygiene, you can microneedle your scalp using the derma roller. Roll the derma roller in every direction to cover the affected area evenly. Remember, you can reference the derma roller’s guide or the instructions from your practitioner to do this correctly.
Over more microneedling sessions, you should start observing some change in your hair quality. Use some topical treatments like minoxidil to apply after the microneedling session, but always avoid harsh topical products after microneedling and sun exposure as microneedling makes your scalp more sensitive.
Conclusion
Considering microneedling’s popularity, many wonder whether it can also help with hair thinning or alopecia. Well, microneedling can take you from struggling with androgenetic alopecia to comfortably managing it by creating a serene environment for your scalp hair follicles to get back into the growth phase and produce thicker and healthier strands.
Remember, the journey to a relatively hairy scalp from a bald one with the help of microneedling starts with scheduling a consultation with a certified professional. So, don’t get started on a treatment routine without the guidance of an expert to avoid complications.
Take Your At-Home Microneedling Routine to the Next Level Today
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