Dermastamp for Hair Loss: How to Use It, What Depth, and Why It Works

Quick answer: a dermastamp is a small stamp covered in tiny needles. You press it into your scalp once a week. It makes thousands of tiny holes that help your hair loss treatment soak in and kick your scalp into repair mode. Use 1.5mm, once a week, then wait 24 to 36 hours before you put anything back on.

I'm Charlie, founder of RUrestore. I've dermastamped my scalp once a week for four years, alongside RU58841 and minoxidil every day. Of everything I do, it's the cheapest thing with the biggest jump in results. Here's what it is, why it works, exactly how to do it, and the mistakes that waste it.

What a dermastamp actually does

Microneedling means making lots of tiny, shallow holes in the skin on purpose. On your face it's sold for scars and wrinkles. On your scalp it does two jobs for hair.

• It wakes the scalp up. Your body treats the tiny holes as small injuries and sends repair signals to the area. Those same signals are linked to hair growth.
• It opens the door for your treatment. For a short while after stamping, whatever you put on your scalp gets in more easily. That's why it pairs so well with minoxidil and RU58841.

It doesn't block DHT and it doesn't grow hair on its own like minoxidil does. It's a booster. It makes the things that work, work harder.

Does microneedling actually work for hair loss?

Yes, and the main study is a big one. 100 men with male pattern hair loss were split into two groups for 12 weeks. Both used 5% minoxidil. One group also got microneedling once a week with 1.5mm needles.

Minoxidil with and without weekly microneedling, 12 weeks, 100 men

	Minoxidil alone	Minoxidil plus microneedling
New hairs in the test patch	22.2	91.4
Men who said their hair was more than 50% better	4.5%	82%

Same minoxidil. Add a weekly stamp, and roughly four times the new hair (Dhurat 2013). Some of those men had already tried minoxidil and finasteride and got nowhere, and they still responded.

Dermastamp or derma roller?

Stamp. Every time.

A roller goes in at an angle and comes out at an angle. That drags the needles and leaves little V shaped tears, which heal slower and can scar. Rollers also catch and pull your hair.

A stamp goes straight in and straight out. Clean punctures, faster healing, and you control exactly where it goes. You press it on the thinning areas and nowhere else.

What needle depth for hair?

1.5mm. That's the depth used in the study above, and it's what I've used once a week for four years. The RUrestore dermastamp has adjustable depth, so set it to 1.5mm and leave it there.

Shorter than about 1mm is fine for helping a product soak in, but it doesn't trigger the same repair response. Deeper isn't better either. It just means more bleeding and longer healing.

How to dermastamp your scalp, step by step

1. Pick your day. Once a week, same day each week. Sunday night works for most people.
2. Clean the stamp. Soak or spray the needles with surgical spirit (isopropyl alcohol) and let it dry.
3. Start with a clean, dry scalp. No product on it.
4. Stamp the thinning areas. Press straight down, lift straight up, move along a little, repeat. Work in lines across the hairline, temples and crown. About 2 minutes in total.
5. Stop at mild redness. Light pink skin and the odd pinprick of blood means you've done enough. That was the end point in the study.
6. Clean the stamp again and put it away dry.
7. Wait 24 to 36 hours before you put RU58841, minoxidil or anything with alcohol back on. Stamp at 8pm Sunday, nothing on before 8pm Monday.

Then carry on with your daily 1ml as normal until next week.

Why you wait 24 to 36 hours

This is the bit people get wrong. Freshly stamped skin is open. Putting an alcohol based liquid straight onto it stings, irritates, and lets far more into your skin than you want. Give the holes a day to close, then go back to your routine. You lose nothing by skipping one application. Your scalp is still in repair mode for days.

Common mistakes

• Stamping too often. Once a week. Your scalp needs the time to heal. More often means more irritation, not more hair.
• Pressing too hard. Firm, not violent. Let the needles do the work.
• Applying straight after. Wait the 24 to 36 hours.
• Never cleaning it. Clean before and after, every time. Replace it if the needles look bent or dull.
• Stamping on its own. The stamp is a booster. Without a DHT blocker and minoxidil, there's nothing for it to boost.

How well does each one work?

Here's what the stamp adds next to the treatments it boosts. These are the real numbers from the studies, each one linked so you can check it. Every study measured things a bit differently, so read each line on its own.

• Dermastamp (microneedling): a big boost. 100 men, 12 weeks. Weekly microneedling plus minoxidil: hair count up 91.4. Minoxidil alone: up 22.2. 82% said their hair was more than 50% better, against 4.5% on minoxidil alone. (Dhurat 2013)
• Minoxidil 5%: good. 393 men, 48 weeks. 5% beat the dummy and grew 45% more hair than 2%. It doesn't touch DHT, so it works best next to a DHT blocker. (Olsen 2002)
• RU58841 on the scalp: strong. In bald monkeys, RU58841 5% raised growing follicles by 103% and turned 26% of thin hairs into thick ones. The finasteride pill got 88% and 12% in the same study, and RU did it with no hormone change. On real balding human scalp grown on mice, 28% of follicles started a new growth cycle with RU, against 7% without it. (Uno monkey study, not on PubMed; same team: Pan 1998, De Brouwer 1997)
• Scalp massage: small. 9 men, 4 minutes a day for 24 weeks. Each hair got a bit thicker: 0.085mm to 0.092mm. (Koyama 2016)

Short version: stop the DHT first, then grow the hair, and stamp once a week to make both work harder. RUstim+ does the first two in one bottle.

Where the dermastamp fits in the full routine

• Every day: 1ml of RUstim+ on the thinning areas. Or RU58841 5% plus your own minoxidil at different times of day.
• Once a week: the dermastamp at 1.5mm, then 24 to 36 hours off.
• Whenever you remember: a minute with the scalp massager.

Full routine with the weekly schedule: How to Use RU58841. What to expect month by month: How Long Does RU58841 Take to Work?

Frequently asked questions

Does dermastamping hurt?

It stings a bit at 1.5mm, more on the hairline than the crown. Most people get used to it within a couple of weeks. Two minutes, once a week.

How often should I dermastamp for hair?

Once a week. That's what the study used and what I do.

Can I use a dermastamp with minoxidil?

Yes. That's exactly what the big study tested. Just leave 24 to 36 hours after stamping before your next minoxidil application.

Can I use a dermastamp with RU58841?

Yes. Same rule: stamp, wait 24 to 36 hours, then carry on with your daily 1ml.

Is a dermapen better than a dermastamp?

A dermapen is an electric version that clinics use. It works on the same idea, but it costs far more and is harder to use on your own scalp. For once a week at home, a stamp does the job.

How long until I see results?

In the study, the difference showed at 12 weeks. With a full routine, expect a shed in the first 6 to 8 weeks, new growth from months 2 to 3, and proper density by month 6.

Sources

1. Dhurat and colleagues (2013). Int J Trichology. Weekly 1.5mm microneedling plus 5% minoxidil against minoxidil alone, 100 men, 12 weeks. PubMed 23960389
2. Olsen and colleagues (2002). J Am Acad Dermatol. 5% minoxidil grew 45% more hair than 2%. PubMed 12196747
3. Uno and colleagues. Conference abstract, Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center. Follicular regrowth with 5α reductase inhibitor (finasteride) or androgen receptor blocker (RU58841) in the bald scalp of the stumptailed macaque. Not on PubMed. Same team's published RU58841 paper: Pan 1998, Endocrine
4. De Brouwer and colleagues (1997). Br J Dermatol. Balding human scalp on mice: 28% of follicles started a new growth cycle on RU58841, 7% without. PubMed 9415227
5. Koyama and colleagues (2016). Eplasty. Four minutes of daily scalp massage and hair thickness in nine men. PubMed 26904154

I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice.