Scalp Micro Needling : An Innovative Hair Loss Treatment

Micro needling is a cosmetic procedure that aims to address certain aspects that relate to aging. This is typically a procedure wherein a skin roller is used along with several smaller needles. The micro needling procedure can boost up the production of your hair’s collagen. In fact, this is a specialized form of treatment for hair loss issues. In fact, micro needling is a preferred form of treatment for alopecia areata.

Micro needling is a recently introduced collagen treatment procedure that can extensively be used to replenish your skin as well as your hair follicles. The process typically makes use of a skin roller with smaller needles that run across patches of your damaged skin. Although the procedure does small minor skin injuries, this is a cosmetic procedure that has been preferred by clients who perform the treatments on their patients. The cosmetic treatment mainly is done to defy the effects of aging. As the cosmetic process boosts collagen production into your skin, it gets firmer and tighter. The cosmetic procedure is also increasingly now being used to treat hair fall related issues.

As the dermasion roller runs along the receding patches of your hair, the collagen production of the hair follicles replenishes. And this way, the hair follicles become stronger and the lost hair across patches of your head grows back again. The dermasion roller has several smaller needles through which the treatment also cures specific hair issues like alopecia areata or can even cure male baldness medically known as androgenic alopecia. As a procedure, micro needling also helps patients who are facing thinning of hair as the process thickens hair fibers or follicles in a more effective manner. It is also believed that micro needling helps induce new stem cells that regenerates growth of hair.

These are the tools that are typically being used for a microneedling procedure. You require:

1. A derma roller that is fitted with smaller needles measuring 25-30 mm in diameter.
2. An anesthetic solution
3. A topical ointment before you start the process
4. Application of hair oils across the surfaces of your hair wherein the derma roller has passed through.
5. Topical solutions you apply post the surgery

Now, helping you with application of these tools to have the cosmetic procedure performed at length:

Your hair cosmetologist applies a topical solution or an ointment balm before the derma roller is made to pass through receding patches of your hair. This is mainly because the derma roller is fitted with several smaller needles that can prick or can cause minor injuries to the skin or head scalp. This way, the pain subsides while the procedure is performed on you as such.

The derma roller that is fitted with smaller hair needles measuring 25-30 mm each is made to run through the hair. The process may be a little painful but it induces the cells to reactivate and promotes collagen production that helps patients get to regrow their hair. This is a hair transplantation method that is done at a clinic or hair cosmetology center with patients administered with an anesthetic before the process gets started.

In order to prevent aggressive injuries to the head scalp and to prevent further itchiness of your hair, the hair cosmetologist advocates messaging your hair with these oils post the procedure. These are:

1. Lavender Oil
2. Peppermint oil
3. RoseMary oil and
4. Coconut oil

Messaging with oil can also provide your hair with a protective anti bacterial layer that prevents fungal growth. Topical solutions are also given to protect your head scalp from further infections.

Under this segment, we are going to discuss two important things. These are as follows:

1. Explanation behind how the process stimulates hair growth
2. Discussion on the role of collagen and other growth factors

1. 1. Explanation Behind How Scalp Microneedling Procedure Stimulates Hair Growth

      As has been said earlier, the scalp microneedling procedure involves a roller with needles on it. The size of the needles differ from one dermasion roller to another. It can range from less than a millimeter to a few millimeters in length. The hair cosmetologist rolls the device across damaged areas of your hair. But as a patient, you must remember one important thing. The derma roller is fitted with roller pins or what we call small needles. As the needles prick minor injuries can be caused to the scalp of your head. Therefore, the practitioner applies a topical ointment before the microneedling procedure is carried out. This reduces the intensity of pain while the procedure is being performed on you full length. And post the treatment too, a topical lotion or an ointment balm is applied to the part of your head scalp wherein the microneedling procedure had been performed. The practitioner also administers an anesthetic 45 minutes prior to the onset of this particular cosmetic surgery.

This process induces new cells to grow and the needles can easily scrape out the dead cells that were present on the hair membrane. This way, it regenerates growth of full and voluminous growth of hair as the microneedling process boosts production of collagen. It is a hormone that promotes cell growth or replenishes damaged cells too.

As to the same process of creating wounds, microneedling has enough backed up evidence to prove that this procedure can regenerate the health of hair follicles. (Refer Citations as provided). It is treating multiple forms of hair loss issues including that of male balding. This process adds a. new hair to the existing scalp b. Volume to thinning hair c. treat androgenic alopecia and treat symptoms of alopecia areata. The microneedling process also induces stem cells to help your hair follicles grow fresh hair strands.

1. Discussion On The Role Of Collagen And Other Growth Factors

   You may now be wondering how this procedure promotes collagen and other growth factors. Well, what does microneedling actually do to you? It punctures your head scalp at a controlled depth. Then eventually, the process leads you into an intrinsic wound-healing cascade. And, this is exactly what boosts formation of collagen to your hair or skin. Through neovascularization, your scalp experiences migration and proliferation of fibroblasts. Your scalp therefore receives a new intercellular matrix and this is how Collagen and other growth components get attached to the replenished areas of your hair or skin. Collagen formation in fact continues for 5-7 years post performing the procedure.

There are 4 main benefits of scalp microneedling:

1. Increased flow of blood to the scalp
2. Improved absorption of topical treatments
3. Minimum down time and side-effects
4. Safe for all hair types

Let us look at each one of them in detail:

Scalp microneedling not only boosts the production of Collagen 3 across your scalp but does a lot more. The procedure facilitates a platelet rich plasma. This means you get improved blood circulation throughout your head scalp. This means, your hair membrane gets enhanced and promotes hair growth faster.

The topical steroids can be absorbed more easily via microneedling. This is mainly because through the puncturing, open wounds are created and topical steroids can easily be injected through injections. This way, topical ointments or hair treatment medicines can be applied easily to stimulate regeneration of hair or help regrow new hair faster.

To alleviate the pain of the procedure, the practitioner provides you with an anesthetic or a topical lotion 45 minutes prior to the treatment. Usually, the procedure usually takes just about 10-15 minutes. Here, the downtime is minimal. Although you may experience redness, bruising or swelling post the operation, you are provided with topical injections to reduce the post surgery pain and you can recover from the side effects of the surgery pretty fast.

This is a recommended procedure that stimulates hair growth, regeneration of worn out skin cells and helps treat specific hair loss problems too. The procedure is safe for all types of hair including those of you who have thin hair. The collage boost can then increase the volume of thin hair to make it thicker and make your hair look fuller.

These are the set of steps you take before the procedure. Helping you understand each of them:

1. The anesthetist applies anesthesia to the patient before the onset of the surgery.
2. A topical solution is also applied at least 45 minutes before microneedling takes place. The balm or the topical solution is applied thoroughly across your head scalp.
3. Microneedling process takes place for about 10 minutes or so.
4. A topical solution or an ointment is applied post the surgery. This is to reduce the pain or aggression on the area wherein microneedling was being performed.

These are some of the side-effects you may experience post the scalp microneedling procedure. The steps are outlined for you as such:

Bruising: As the derma roller is fitted with prickly injections, the head scalp may be subject to open wounds or bruising. Timely application of anesthetic or a topical solution can reduce the impact for the patients by a considerable extent.

Blood Clots May Be Visible: As there are several needles available on the derma roller, you may have blood clots across parts of your head scalp. The cosmetologist applies a topical ointment cream post the procedure.

Redness or Swelling: Again as there are needles involved and as the derma roller is made to move across the entire head area, you may experience redness or swelling across patches of your scalp.

Pain: On the day of the surgery, you may have a painful feeling across your head-scalp area.

You would be left with a slighly bruised head scalp. It will be reddish, swollen and painful for about 3-4 days from the time the microneedling procedure had been performed on you as such. You will be provided with topical solutions or ointments that you need to apply post the surgical procedure.

Your hair implantation cosmetologist would have provided you with enough pain killer drugs and ointments or balms for you to take up post microneedling. You may need to apply the ointments or topical solutions as stated on your prescription slip. You can also gently rub one of the essential oils like lemongrass/ rosemary or peppermint oil. Else, you can mildly apply coconut oil across your head message area. If you take good after-care of the head scalp post the procedure, the red marks or the swelling vanishes almost within 5 days from having performed microneedling, as a procedure.

You may also be susceptible to infection when you expose your head-scalp area to the sun. Hence, it is advisable to use a sunscreen across your scalp before you venture outdoors. Again, you must strictly adhere to the after-care guidelines as stated on the prescription slip.

As such, these are micro-wounds that you have inflicted upon your hair as the derma roller has small injections attached to the equipment. And here, you must understand that the deepest layers of your head scalp area have been inflicted with needles. Henceforth, the body definitely takes a longer time to let the wounds heal completely. It would take anywhere between 4-6 weeks for you to see noticeable results, post a microneedling session. This is the time period for fresh, healthy and stronger collagen to resurface through your hair membrane strands. And you can also discover new strands of hair growing through your bald patches which can make you feel happier and delighted.

In conclusion, scalp micro needling is a cosmetic procedure that uses a derma roller with smaller needles to boost collagen production in hair follicles, thereby strengthening hair and promoting growth. It is an effective treatment for hair loss issues, including alopecia areata and androgenic alopecia. The procedure involves pre-sanitization of the hair, an actual scalp microneedling process, and a post-scalp microneedling procedure to prevent infections and itchiness. The process is also believed to stimulate hair growth by inducing new cells to grow, removing dead cells from the hair membrane, and promoting cell growth through the production of collagen.

Citations: