Imagup General Magazine 2024
Have you already read all the options about hair restorations, but are not yet sold on them? What if a told you that you could create an illusion of fuller hair by drawing a tattoo on a balding area on your head? It is called scalp micropigmentation (SMP).
This method has been around for a few years now. It’s when the specialized hair transplant center will tattoo a new visable hairline onto your head. To do the procedure they use an electric tattoo gun because of the power needed to penetrate the skin on the scalp, usually thicker than the skin under the eyebrows.
Scalp micro pigmentation is a non-invasive procedure, just like FUE and FUT, which can be used by people who are thinning, balding, or experience receding hair. The process involves using a unique pigment along with a digital permanent makeup device fitted with a microneedle.
How the procedure works
While microblading aims to produce hairlike lines on the eyebrows, the goal of SMP is to use small, incrusted dots in variations of black to replicate a fuller hair appearance on your balding spot. It is done primarily to produce a natural-like depth and definition. Thus the process is often called pointillism.
It requires a skilled specialist to make sure the dots look like a natural, thick follicle and blend it with the rest of your hair color. The procedure also involves the use of local anesthesia to prevent pain during the process. Unlike regular tattoo procedures, SMP penetrates the epidermal skin, where the pigment is deposited. The ink used is permanent so that the work does not fade over time. However, the hairline can be attuned and cleaned up easily.
Your practitioner or sometimes even an artist will place microdot tattoos in the upper epidermal skin to give the sensation of hair follicles. It appears as if you have just had a haircut close to your scalp.
They will use similar methods to introduce black or brown tone (depending on the color of your natural hair or skin tone) into the scars to blend them with the scalp.
Who is the ideal candidate for SMP?
Many patients are undergoing chemotherapy experience hair loss. It is one of the common side effects of cancer treatment, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and bone marrow transplant. As this medication fights to kill and destroy cancer cells from your body, the hair cells are damaged as well in the process.
Upon the completion of the treatment, the hair will regrow, albeit not for all patients. And even so, it may leave behind bald spots or thin. If the therapy involved brain surgery or any operation on the head, the treatment would leave a permanent scar.
Many hair restoration procedures might not be able to help you regrow your hair. But scalp micro pigmentation or scalp medical tattoos can help alleviate these adverse effects.
According to the International Journal of Dermatology, patient satisfaction from using this hair restoration method is 4.8 out of 5.
Since you are in control of where the hairline should be created, you get to decide the outline of your face.
This process can also be useful to males and females experiencing pattern baldness or thinning hair.
How to prepare for SMP
This process’s cost depends on several factors, including the clinic you choose, your country or city, the area that needs treatment, and the number of treatments required. The procedure takes up to three sessions, each lasting three hours. Acodring to Juvida Clincs which you can find more about here. However, your doctor will provide you with instructions for the process, but expect to cut or pluck hair within two days after treatment, but it depends on the procedure.
Make sure you eat before the procedure. Drinks and snacks will do, and if you get nervous, ask if you can plug in your earphones.
Also, make sure you take a shower before each session since you will not be able to wet or wash your scalp for up to four days after every session.
In the time between sessions, avoid going swimming, sauna rooms or steams, or taking very hot showers. Last but not least, avoid exposing the scalp to direct sun for at least four days, and on the day after treatment, you can expose your treated head to the sun for an hour.
Long-term retention depends on how you maintain the scalp, and less exposure to the sun is one of the helpful factors.
Does SMP hurt?
How painful is the SMP procedure? It depends on many things, but your doctor will apply anesthesia first to your scalp. Nevertheless, expect some form of discomfort that depends largely on your tolerance to pain.
What are the risks involved?
As with any medical procedure, there are some risks involved with scalp micropigmentation. Perhaps the risks associated with SMP are similar to those of permanent makeup. These risks include infections from the tattoo ink and allergies to specific components of used colors. However, the most significant risk is that no formal training is needed for one to become a scalp tattoo artist. But this can be solved by finding an accredited SMP practitioner.
