Dermapen or dermaroller for the scalp: which is better for hair loss?
In brief
Both make the same tiny channels in the scalp, and both are used for thinning hair, mainly pattern hair loss. In a clinic a dermapen is usually the better tool for the scalp: its needles go straight in to a depth that is set exactly, and it works neatly along the hairline and temples. A dermaroller does the same job over broader areas. What matters more than the tool is whether microneedling suits the cause of your hair loss, how clean the procedure is, and what is applied with it.
How microneedling helps hair
Microneedling makes many fine punctures in the scalp. The skin’s repair response is thought to stimulate the hair roots, and the channels let a hair solution or PRP reach the roots while they are open.
The best-known evidence comes from India. In a 2013 study from Mumbai published in the International Journal of Trichology, Dhurat and colleagues found that men with pattern hair loss who had weekly microneedling as well as minoxidil gained clearly more hair over twelve weeks than men on minoxidil alone. That study used a roller. The evidence is strongest for pattern hair loss and thinner for other kinds.
Roller and pen compared
| Dermaroller | Dermapen | |
|---|---|---|
| How the needles enter | Rolled across the skin, so they go in and come out at an angle | Move straight up and down at a set speed |
| Depth | Fixed by the roller, and varies with how hard it is pressed | Set on the device, the same at every pass |
| Hairline and temples | Hard to control on curves and edges | Reaches small and curved areas precisely |
| Hygiene | Must be single-use or properly sterilised | Uses a sterile single-use needle cartridge |
| At home | Sold for home use with short needles | A clinic device |
That is why the pen is usually preferred for the scalp, and especially for a receding hairline. The roller is not wrong: it covers broad areas evenly, and it is the tool most of the early studies used. The doctor chooses between them for your scalp.
What a sitting is like
- The scalp is cleaned and numbed.
- The pen or roller is passed over the thinning areas.
- A hair solution or PRP is applied so that it enters through the fresh channels.
The scalp looks pink and feels tender for a day. Leave it alone for the rest of the day and follow the instructions you are given for the first wash.
About home rollers
Rollers sold for home use usually have needles of about a quarter to half a millimetre. They are popular, and they are where most problems start:
- A shared or badly cleaned roller can cause a scalp infection.
- Pressing hard or rolling over the same spot again and again tears the skin.
- A hair solution applied straight after rolling is absorbed far more than usual and can sting or irritate. It is usually advised to wait a day.
Do not use a home roller on the scalp without advice.
When it is not the right choice
Find the cause of the hair loss first. Hair that falls after a fever, typhoid, an operation or childbirth often settles on its own once the cause has passed, and thinning from thyroid disease, anaemia or poor nutrition needs that treated. Needling the scalp does neither.
Microneedling is not done over a scalp infection, sores or active scalp psoriasis. Tell the doctor if you bleed easily, take blood-thinning medicine, or form raised scars. Hair lost in round patches, or with a shiny or scarred scalp, needs a diagnosis before anything else: see alopecia areata.
Questions patients ask
Is a dermapen better than a dermaroller for hair?
For the scalp, usually yes. The depth is set on the device and stays the same at every pass, the needles enter straight, and the pen reaches the hairline and temples precisely. A roller still works over broad, even areas.
Does microneedling regrow hair without minoxidil or PRP?
Most of the evidence is for microneedling used together with a hair solution such as minoxidil, or with PRP. On its own the effect is smaller and less well studied.
Does scalp microneedling hurt?
The scalp is numbed first, so most people feel pressure and pricking rather than pain. The scalp looks pink and feels tender for a day.
How many sittings are needed?
It is given as a series of sittings some weeks apart, and hair treatment at the clinic runs as a course of nine sittings. Hair grows about a centimetre a month, so judge the result at three months or more.
Where can I get dermapen microneedling for hair loss in Pune?
Shree Skin & Hair Clinic on Senapati Bapat Road offers both dermapen and dermaroller for the scalp, alone or with PRP, after a consultation to find the cause of the hair loss.
At the clinic
-
Dermaroller and dermapen
Microneedling of the scalp for thinning hair, alone or with PRP.
With or without PRP -
PRP for hair
Platelet-rich plasma from your own blood, placed in the scalp for thinning hair.
Your own plasma -
Pattern hair loss
Gradual thinning in men and women, treated with rejuvenation therapy and PRP.
Men and women
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