15 Applications of Microneedling in Dermatology!

Microneedling is an emerging treatment method in recent years.Its range of clinical applications is being gradually promoted and popularized in recent years, especially in dermatology. Microneedle therapy is a good option too because it uses special needles to make tiny punctures in the skin. This helps to improve how well drugs and other treatments are absorbed through the skin.

Melasma

Microneedling can treat melasma on its own, but combining it with oral medication can make it more effective and safer. For example, using a dermal roller with oral tranexamic acid for melasma works better than just the oral medication alone, and it's safer, too. Clinically, microneedles are usually used with other medications, like microneedle introduction. This means that the active ingredients are used during microneedle operation, and the microneedles use the micro-channels that form to help the medication get into the stratum corneum. This makes the medication more effective.The active ingredients used for microneedle introduction are tranexamic acid injection and serum, L-ascorbic acid, collagen, and so on.

Vitiligo

Microneedle therapy for vitiligo has a good application prospect, which can enhance the therapeutic effect and accelerate the time of effect. Some studies have found that using a dermal roller with mild moxibustion for vitiligo treatment works faster than using 0.1% tacrolimus ointment alone. In another study, using a 308-nm excimer laser with a combination of nano- micro-needle introduction of tretinoin injection for vitiligo treatment in the stable stage was found to be more effective than using the 308-nm excimer laser treatment alone.

Alopecia areata

Microneedle therapy is a pretty unique way of treating alopecia. It can be used to treat hair loss in specific areas, like the bladder meridian on the back and the dushi meridian. This is based on Chinese medicine theory, which focuses on the characteristics of the skin in Chinese medicine. Dermal rollers are used to target the baldness area and the bladder meridian (from the lung point to the kidney point and from the loom point to the Zhiwei point) and the dukedong vein (from the life gate point to the great vertebrae point) in the back, and it was used together with regular acupuncture for light-type baldness. The results showed that the combined treatment worked better than regular acupuncture.

Androgenetic alopecia

When it comes to treating androgenetic alopecia, microneedling combined with minoxidil works better than microneedling or minoxidil alone. It can up-regulate the expression of related factors. The effectiveness of microneedling with different lengths varies. 0.6 mm needles are better than 1.2 mm needles because they can improve the number of hairs and thickness. Female androgenetic alopecia is more of a challenge to treat, but microneedling combined with minoxidil can improve the therapeutic effect. Some studies have shown that microneedling combined with minoxidil solution is the best way to treat female androgenetic alopecia.

Acne

Microneedle combination therapy is great for inflammatory acne lesions and post-acne hyperpigmentation. Some studies have shown that using a dermal roller with certain ingredients for papulopustular acne is better than IPL and dermal roller alone. The same is true for moderate-to-severe acne, where using a dermal roller and oral medication together works better than using intense light and dermal roller. It also makes the lesions go away faster. On top of that, using a dermal roller has the obvious advantage of speeding up the hyperpigmentation of acne vulgaris after healing.

Acne Scar

Acne scar is a common type of scar that's often treated with fractional laser, PRP, and IPL.But there are other options on the market now, like microneedling, that are being used to treat acne scars, especially rolling and box-type scars. Some studies have shown that using a dermal roller and then applying asiaticoside cream after a few treatments can improve the scars a lot. Microneedling is easier and cheaper than lasers and PRP, and it can be used with CO2 fractional lasers and PRP to make the treatment even more effective.

Proliferative scar

Scarring is a pathological change that occurs after tissue injury heals. Interventions that target the proliferative stage of scarring can lead to a maturing stage of regression. Studies have shown that microneedle introduction of medications like fluorouracil and cumquat cream can enhance the effectiveness of these medications in controlling scarring and improving the patient's appearance.

Stretch Marks

Stretch marks on the abdomen can be especially tough to deal with, both physically and mentally.Studies have shown that combining microneedling with Subcision Skin Resurfacing Treatment can be a really effective way to improve stretch marks without any major complications or side effects. Another study found that microneedling is a better treatment for stretch marks than fractional CO2 laser therapy, and it's less likely to lead to hyperpigmentation.

Facial rejuvenation

Microneedling combined with medical collagen sponges can really improve a lot of the signs of facial skin aging in women, like wrinkles, elasticity, and skin tone. Dermal roller alone or in combination with Recombinant Bovine Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (rb-bFGF) is effective for crow's feet in young adults, and both dermal rollers alone and dermal roller in combination with PRP have been shown to be effective for facial wrinkles.

Herpes zoster and neuralgia

Microneedle therapy for herpes zoster is based on the idea that Chinese medicine can improve blood flow and remove blood stasis to relieve pain.Dermal roller and bloodletting therapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine can effectively relieve the pain of herpes zoster, shorten the duration of the disease, increase the cure rate, and reduce the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia. Dermal roller with cupping is also an effective treatment for postherpetic neuralgia and can improve the patient's quality of sleep.

Psoriasis

Soluble microneedles offer a new therapeutic approach for psoriasis. Tacrolimus nanocrystals, dispersed into sodium hyaluronate-based microneedle patches, have been utilized for the treatment of psoriasis, with improved lesions and histopathological features.

Amenorrhea

Dermal roller improves the degree of ossification and itching of chronic eczema zygomycosis lesions and accelerates lesion recovery.

Neurodermatitis

Dermal roller combined with topical application of halometasone cream is efficacious and superior to topical application of halometasone alone in the treatment of limited neurodermatitis.

Rosacea

Microneedling for erythematous rosacea improves the symptoms of rosacea vasodilatation and helps to repair the skin barrier function.

Hormone-dependent dermatitis

Hormone-dependent dermatitis is a hard-to-treat skin disease that causes redness, burning, and flare-ups. A mix of microneedle injections is better than just taking loratadine capsules or vitamin C for pimples, swelling, flaking, burning, and tightness.

Summary

Microneedle Combination Therapy is a promising treatment method. It uses microscopic needles to cause minimal damage or stimulation to the skin, and can deliver medicines or active ingredients at the same time or in a step-by-step process to improve how well the skin absorbs them and enhance the therapeutic efficacy. The microneedle therapy that's being used in clinics right now is mostly based on the most basic microneedle introduction, but new microneedle materials are being developed, which means a bright future for microneedle therapy.