Treatment tracking

Does microneedling work for hair loss? What the evidence shows, and how to check

By Brandon, founder of GraftReport · Updated · 4 min read

Short answer

Microneedling, rolling or stamping tiny needles over the scalp, has promising but limited evidence. The best-known study, a 2013 randomized pilot in 100 men, found that weekly microneedling plus minoxidil grew far more hair over 12 weeks than minoxidil alone. But it was small, short and single-site, and people almost always combine microneedling with something else, which makes it hard to know what’s doing the work.

50x magnified scalp image showing hairs emerging from follicles.
Hairs leaving the scalp at 50×. Microneedling works on the skin around follicles like these, usually alongside minoxidil.

What the evidence shows

In Dhurat and colleagues’ 2013 study, 100 men with mild to moderate pattern hair loss were randomized for 12 weeks to either weekly microneedling plus 5% minoxidil, or minoxidil alone twice daily.1

  • Hair count change: +91.4 in the microneedling group vs +22.2 with minoxidil alone.
  • How patients rated it: 41 of 50 (82%) in the microneedling group reported more than 50% improvement, versus 2 of 44 (4.5%) on minoxidil alone.

The proposed reasons include wound-healing signals that stimulate follicles and better absorption of topical treatments, but the mechanism isn’t settled.

The limits

  • Small and short. A pilot study, 12 weeks, one center.
  • Hard to blind. People know whether they’re being needled, which can influence self-ratings.
  • Always combined. Most people use it with minoxidil, finasteride or both, so the true effect of microneedling on its own is uncertain.
  • Huge variation in practice. Needle length, frequency and devices vary widely between people and studies.

So microneedling is a reasonable add-on to discuss with a dermatologist, not a proven standalone treatment.

Doing it safely

Follow your device’s instructions or a dermatologist’s advice on needle length and how often. A few basics apply regardless: use your own device only and keep it clean; don’t needle over cuts, infection, active acne, psoriasis or irritated skin; and stop if you get lasting redness, swelling or signs of infection. Ask a doctor first if you bleed easily or take blood thinners.

How to check it’s adding anything

The 2013 study compared groups. For you, the question is whether microneedling adds anything on top of what you already do. You can run that experiment on yourself:

  1. Keep everything else the same. Don’t start microneedling the same month you start or change minoxidil or finasteride.
  2. Measure first, then every 4–6 weeks, in the same spots.
  3. Give it 3–6 months, then look at the trend in hair thickness against your control area at the back of your head.

If the trend steepens after you add it, it’s probably earning its place. If nothing changes after six months, that’s worth knowing too: it’s a weekly chore.

Run the experiment properly

GraftReport measures the same zones every time against your own control area, so you can see whether adding microneedling changed the trend.

Get the kit — $199How treatment tracking works

Common questions

Does microneedling regrow hair?

In a 2013 randomized pilot study of 100 men, weekly microneedling plus minoxidil produced a much larger hair count increase over 12 weeks than minoxidil alone (91.4 vs 22.2). The study was small and short, and microneedling is usually combined with other treatments.

Can microneedling work without minoxidil?

The best-known study tested microneedling together with minoxidil, so evidence for microneedling on its own is limited.

How do I know if microneedling is working?

Change one thing at a time, measure the same scalp spots before starting and every 4 to 6 weeks, and judge the trend in hair thickness after 3 to 6 months.

Is microneedling safe for the scalp?

Generally, when done with a clean personal device on healthy skin. Avoid cuts, infection or irritated skin, stop if you get lasting redness or swelling, and ask a doctor first if you bleed easily or take blood thinners.

Brandon is the founder of GraftReport. He built it after realizing he couldn’t tell from the mirror whether his own hair was changing, and has scanned his own scalp through every stage of developing it. GraftReport measures hair; it doesn’t diagnose. Talk to a doctor about treatment.

Sources

  1. Dhurat R et al. A randomized evaluator blinded study of effect of microneedling in androgenetic alopecia: a pilot study. Int J Trichology. 2013;5(1):6–11. PubMed 23960389

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Hair loss has many causes; see a dermatologist for sudden, patchy or painful hair loss, or before starting or stopping any medication.

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