Microneedling for the Treatment of Hair Loss

In 2018, Dr. Alexandra Caresse Gamret and colleagues reviewed the use of microneedling, a minimally invasive procedure, as a treatment for hair loss. The review found that microneedling, when combined with other hair growth therapies like minoxidil, platelet rich plasma, and topical steroids, stimulated hair follicle growth, particularly in treating androgenetic alopecia. However, microneedling did not show superiority over existing standard therapies. Several studies were conducted, with one showing significant hair growth in 4 treatment-resistant men when microneedling was combined with Finasteride and Minoxidil therapy. Another study involving 40 female androgenetic alopecia patients showed significant increase in hair count with microneedling combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) mesotherapy, but 5% minoxidil monotherapy resulted in greater hair counts and faster hair growth. The studies concluded that microneedling could be an effective treatment for hair loss, especially when combined with other treatments, but more research was needed to establish a standard treatment protocol.