Do Derma Rollers Work For Beard Growth?

A thick and lustrous beard is an undeniable sign of masculinity and virility. Other than that kid we all knew in middle school with the perpetual five o’clock shadow, most of us are forever searching for a thicker, fuller, and symmetric beard.

We’ve all heard it. Shave every day so your beard grows back coarser and fuller. Drink mineral water infused with zinc and rub in coconut oil to even out those patches along your jawline.

While care and maintenance are essential for a great beard, the solution to an even and thick beard is stimulating hair growth. Derma rollers are easy to use, safe, and an effective solution for many men.

Beard Growth Basics

Before discussing how derma rollers help beard growth, we need to understand how facial hair develops. While beard hair grows in stages, just like the hair on your head, its appearance and nature are distinct.

Genetics and testosterone levels primarily influence your beard’s appearance and growth rate. The total number of facial follicles you have is determined by hereditary. Just as you may be predisposed to your maternal grandfather’s hairline, your beard growth is largely dictated by the traits passed down from both sides of your family.

The follicles needed to grow a beard are activated by testosterone, which is why facial hair doesn’t appear until puberty. Your natural testosterone level will impact the texture of the hair and your beard’s density. Generally, only clinically low testosterone negatively affects beards. If your level drops below its normal range, your beard may be thinner or patchy. This may be a symptom of a potential hormone disorder and should be discussed with your doctor.

The final factor affecting your beard’s appearance is underlying health and nutrition. While not as influential as genetics and testosterone, a nutrient-rich and balanced diet, along with a healthy lifestyle, promotes a better beard.

Microneedling

Onto the obvious question. If my beard quality is mostly predetermined, how do derma rollers help beard growth? This is accomplished through microneedling – a widely-used cosmetic treatment. The FDA approves microneedling devices to treat wrinkles, acne scars, large pores, and persistent blackheads. Derma rollers are simply another term for microneedling devices.

Using a derma roller to stimulate beard growth is technically considered off-label use, so it isn’t approved by the FDA. But they endorse the use of the device on the face.

A derma roller uses microneedles to puncture your skin. The slight damage the roller causes to such a large surface area triggers your body to start repairing what it perceives as a more significant injury. To correct the “damage,” you ramp up the production of collagen, a naturally occurring compound vital to the skin’s health and appearance. This overproduction of collagen fills in acne scars, smooths wrinkles, and evens skin tone.

How Do Derma Rollers Work For Beards?

Collagen, an amino acid, is a building block of our cells and many of the compounds necessary for cell reproduction. Beyond its role in our skin’s appearance, collagen is vital to keratin production, which makes up our hair. The rush of available collagen around the follicles tells them to ramp up keratin production, fueling growth.

Studies have shown that microneedling also stimulates stem cells in the derma papilla to spur hair growth. The needles reach deep enough in the skin to jumpstart follicle activity.

While taking collagen powders or supplements adds the amino acid to your body, it gets used everywhere. Ingested collagen helps fortify your skin cells, nourishes your nails, and revitalizes the hair on your heard. Using a derma roller ups the collagen production right where it benefits beard growth. In addition, the pressure from the derma roller and the reconstructive response triggered by microneedling enhance circulation to the area. Elevated blood flow further nourishes follicles, supporting hair growth.

Our Favorite Derma Rollers for Beard Growth

 Regardless of how diligent you are about your derma rolling routine and skincare, success starts with a quality roller. Remember, you’re strategically micro-damaging your face with the roller, be discerning. These are our favorite rollers for men at any phase of growing their facial hair.

Beard Derma Roller for Beard Growth & Care

The YOOBEAUL Beard Derma Roller is an excellent starter roller. Its needles are 0.35 mm and made of Grade A titanium, ensuring an even and smooth roll with every stroke. This roller may be especially beneficial for men with localized areas of patchiness that require spot treatment. The YOOBEAUL is an excellent replacement roller if you have an established beard care regimen that features ala carte serums and topical applications or a pre-packaged kit.

Pros

• Roller lasts one to two months based on your beard’s thickness and your frequency of use
• Ergonomic handle that makes rolling smooth while minimizing scratching
• Includes a hard plastic case for sterile storage

Cons

• Short needles and narrow heads may cause snagging for men with relatively thick beards.
• You must replace the entire roller each time the needles lose their sharpness.

Wattne Beard Growth Kit

 The Wattne Beard Roller comes in a kit that includes beard oil infused with biotin, balm, and beard shampoo. This comprehensive beard care kit provides a high-quality roller and complementary topical products that maximize effectiveness by stimulating follicle activity and collagen production. The roller’s 0.25 mm needles are made from Grade A titanium, ensuring durability and safety. It’s a great starter kit for men beginning their beards. The included serums contain all-natural ingredients.

Pros

• The kit contains the essentials for a healthy and lustrous beard; the roller and oil accelerate growth when used together.
• An excellent price point for men who are skeptical about beard rolling’s potential benefit.

Cons

• Exclusively available as the entire kit, if your skin reacts poorly to the oil, or you have your own that you prefer, you cannot purchase the roller on its own
• Only includes a storage bag for the roller and no hard case to keep it clean after sanitization.

Copenhagen Grooming Beard Growth Kit

 Copenhagen offers a sleek 0.5 mm beard roller as part of a kit that includes activator beard oil serum and skin cleanser. The serum is derived from all-natural ingredients. The developers designed it for application after a rolling treatment, so it reaches as deep as possible to stimulate follicles.

Pros

• Beard oil activator serum and the cleanser come in a 50-day supply; they are available for individual purchase.
• Copenhagen offers a full refund if you don’t experience results after treating as recommended for 150 days.
• The needles are longer, making it ideal for men with already thick beards looking to add volume and less risk of snagging.

Cons

• They don’t sell the roller or replacement heads as a stand-alone product.
• To get a refund, you need to comply with Copenhagen’s treatment plan and photograph your beard’s monthly progress to verify your outcome.

Beauty Bioscience GloPRO

 The Bioscience GloPRO Tool is a 0.3 mm roller that features four separate attachable roller heads. They provide precision treatment around the lips, help you sculpt a more defined beard by narrowly targeting follicles, and can be used to exfoliate your skin across the forehead, cheeks, and around the eyes. Beard rolling is based on the same technology as microneedling, so the GloPRO’s effectiveness for skincare translates to beard growth.

Pros

• The device uses red LED light to optimize stimulation and collagen production.
• Includes both batteries and a wall adapter for use at home or while traveling.

Cons

• While it will produce the same microneedling effect, it is not specifically designed for beard growth.
• You must purchase separate beard oil and serums to enhance rolling’s effects.

How Do I Use Derma Rollers to Help My Beard Growth?

Derma rollers are devices featuring a rotating head that has hundreds of tiny needles. As you draw the device across the treatment area, it makes small punctures across your face as it rotates.

Despite the fact the punctures are small and won’t cause pain, they’re still penetrating your skin. You need to sterilize your face and the roller before and after each use. Microneedling with derma rollers is considered safe, hence the FDA approval, but any time you puncture your skin an avenue for infection appears. Monitor your face and stop rolling if you notice persistent or progressive redness, swelling, or tenderness.

Side Effects

Every treatment has potential side effects. Derma rollers can cause swelling, bruising, itchiness, and skin tightness. These are temporary. You may experience some, all, or none of derma rolling’s side effects. Fortunately, because you’re rolling across your beard, the side effects won’t be as apparent to others as traditional microneedling for skincare.

Factors That Impact Derma Rolling

Needle Length

Derma rollers are available with different size needles. Their length dictates the frequency you can safely roll and how deep they reach into your skin. A 0.25 mm roller can be used daily, a 0.5 mm roller can be used twice weekly, and a 0.75 mm roller should be used once a week.

You need to apply enough pressure to puncture the skin, but you’re also not trying to use your cheeks as a pincushion. It’s possible but unlikely to damage facial nerves and blood vessels with overly aggressive derma rolling. The deeper the needle reaches, the more follicle stimulation you’re likely to achieve. However, the larger the needles, the higher the risk of infection

Roll Pattern

Whether you’ve already tamed your beard or just started growing out your facial hair, you know it does not grow uniformly. Facial follicles send hair in different directions, creating imbalance and swirls. Combing and tending your beard is vital to an attractive appearance.

As a result, you must roll evenly. Without a consistent pattern, you may foster growth in one area while neglecting another. This defeats the purpose of rolling to correct patchiness. The best method is to complete ten strokes in each of four directions, up and down, side to side, and across both diagonals.

Time and Patience

Based on our desire for full beards, the first impulse may be to start with the deepest reaching derma roller and enact an aggressive microneedling routine supplemented with a full regimen of oils and balms.

Everyone will respond differently. Start with the smallest needle with slight pressure and work your way up. Overzealous derma rolling increases the risk of side effects and infection. Improvement in your beard’s appearance will take time as follicles activate and growth begins. Volume and thickness should increase within two to three months. However, you must continue derma rolling to maintain collagen production and the growth cycle.

What Can I Do to Maximize the Effectiveness of Derma Rolling?

You can optimize the impact of rolling with complementary treatments and consistent beard care. Proper grooming keeps your skin and hair healthy. Effective hygiene limits the chance of infection while preparing your face for microneedling. A well-trimmed beard and moisturized face will also prevent skin irritation and snagging beard hairs in the roller.

Maintain Your Overall Health

Do you want to sleep better? Exercise and eat right. Do you want to reduce anxiety? Exercise and eat right. It’s become cliche because it’s always the answer, but how do you make derma rollers help beard growth? Exercise and eat right.

You cannot change the number of follicles, but you can prime your body for its optimal response to derma rolling’s stimulation. Consistent cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart and weight training naturally elevates testosterone. The better your blood flows and the higher your testosterone, the more likely microneedling is to jumpstart follicles.

A nutrient-rich diet, proper hydration, and avoiding smoking promote collagen production, overall health, and vitality. Your beard is yet another aspect of your appearance directly tied to what you put into your body.

Relax

Stress is an unavoidable part of daily life. However, chronic unmanaged stress wreaks havoc on our bodies. It also hinders hair growth. When we’re stressed, our bodies produce cortisol, a chemical that can dampen testosterone levels and inhibit follicle activity.

Consider Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a widely prescribed topical solution used to promote hair growth on the scalp. It’s also available over the counter as Rogaine. While there are only a few clinical studies of microneedling’s effect on hair growth, one found that over 80% of the participants who received microneedling and Minoxidil had a 50% or greater improvement in hair count compared to those treated only with the medication.

If you opt for Minoxidil, apply the solution twice daily according to the instructions. Pick one day a week to skip the medication and derma roll your beard instead. It’s critical to adhere to a consistent schedule and wait 24 hours between derma rolling and applying the medication.

Risks of Minoxidil

The solution can enter your body through the punctures, causing irritation, pain, and possible skin damage. Anything you apply to your body has side effects. Minoxidil can dry your skin, increase body hair, and even cause beard hair loss. The hair loss isn’t permanent but sometimes occurs because activating dormant follicles causes already active ones to enter their shedding stage.

Natural Solutions

If you’re worried about Minoxidil’s potential side effects or you’ve tried it without success, some supplements promote hair growth and may stimulate follicles. Vitamin A and vitamin B are both vital to cell growth, including hair. Deficiencies of these vitamins are linked to hair loss and poor growth. Biotin, which contains vitamin B, is known to cause healthy, fuller, and more lustrous hair.

Peppermint oil may also help stimulate follicles. Rubbing it on your face elevates circulation and is believed to stimulate hair follicles. If you chose peppermint oil, do not apply it within 24 hours of derma rolling to prevent its absorption through the punctures.

Maintain Your Roller

Your derma roller is only effective if it can safely puncture your skin. Just as dull scissors cannot cut properly, blunted needles cannot penetrate the skin safely. The roller is inevitably going to wear down over time. Once you cannot break the skin or treatment requires applying increased pressure, it’s time for a new roller.

Routine roller replacement also provides a regular opportunity to reevaluate your progress. If you feel your beard has plateaued, consider a roller with longer needles that will reach deeper and stimulate further collagen production.

Optimizing Beard Growth

Derma rollers work for beard growth. There is abundant anecdotal evidence of their effect on beards and growing scientific support for their effect on hair in general. Microneedling is an excellent option because it attacks patchy and thin beards on multiple fronts by simultaneously engaging increased collagen production and stimulating follicles.

While the maximum volume and density of your facial hair are capped by genetics, you can take proactive steps to reach your ceiling. Supplementing a consistent and strategic derma rolling routine with the supportive treatments that work best for you is key to your success.

It’s also critical to be realistic. There is no silver bullet solution, otherwise, we’d all be sporting a voluminous and lustrous Oscar Isaac-ian beard. Start with the smallest needles and the lowest dose of Minoxidil or supplements while microneedling every day your regimen requires. Tend to your beard with proper washing and trimming while moisturizing your face and maintaining your derma roller.