Dermaroller 0.5 mm

A drum of stainless steel needles at 0.5 mm, on an oxblood handle, with a protective cap. The depth is chosen deliberately. The only trial to compare depths head to head found 0.6 mm did better than 1.2 mm, and a meta-analysis found no advantage to going deeper at all, so the longer needles sold for body use buy more risk rather than more result.

Once a week, on one fixed day, about a minute of rolling. Twice a week is the most anyone should do, and three times is the ceiling past which you are damaging skin rather than stimulating it.

Pick a day and keep to it. It helps to choose one that suits leaving the minoxidil off for the 24 hours afterwards.

1. Do not start in your first fortnight on minoxidil. Let your skin settle into the topical first.
2. Work on clean, dry, unbroken skin. Wash the area and let it dry fully. Never roll over skin that is inflamed, broken, sunburnt or infected, over active acne, or near the eyes.
3. Disinfect the head in 70% isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes and let it air dry before you start.
4. Roll gently in four directions across the area: vertically, horizontally and both diagonals, about four passes each way, roughly a minute in total.
5. Let the weight of the roller do the work. Do not press down, and never drag it sideways while it is touching skin. Lift it at the end of every pass.
6. Leave the minoxidil off for the next 24 hours, then pick your normal routine back up the following day.
7. Rinse the head, disinfect it again, let it air dry, and put the cap back on.

Replace it after three months of weekly use. Needles blunt with use, and a blunt needle tears skin instead of piercing it.

Mild redness for a few hours after rolling is normal. Bleeding, lasting soreness or scabbing means you pressed too hard or rolled too often. This is an adjunct rather than a treatment on its own, so it does nothing useful without the topical it is supporting.

The honest state of the evidence: several randomised trials found microneedling alongside topical minoxidil beat minoxidil alone, and a 2025 meta-analysis of twelve of them agreed. Those trials varied a great deal in their results, and the largest study so far, in 245 women, found microneedling added nothing at all. It is the best evidenced addition in this range, and the evidence is still not settled.

Whichever minoxidil you are using. For a beard, the Topical Solution pairs with it best, since a dropper places a dose along a jawline more precisely than a foam. The Face Cleanser is what you want for getting the skin properly clean beforehand.

One person, one roller, always. Do not share it. Do not use it on skin that is inflamed, broken, sunburnt or infected, or over moles and raised lesions. Stop if you develop lasting redness, swelling or pain. If you take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, or have a history of keloid scarring, speak to a doctor before using a micro-needling device at all.