How long does scalp micropigmentation last in Hawaii?
My clients are always asking me how long their scalp micropigmentation will last. It’s a valid question since you want your results to last for years.
Today, we are going to go over how long you can expect your scalp micropigmentation to last in Hawaii. We are also going to cover what you can do to extend the life of your SMP.
Scalp micropigmentation usually lasts between 8-10 years.
Now, this is an average and it’s also mostly based on folks who live on the mainland or in other countries. Those places usually have winter seasons. Or at least fall where they’re covered up for more of the time or stay indoors more of the time. This is important since:
UV exposure is the number 1 factor that leads to SMP fading.
If you think about it, that does extend the life of a cosmetic procedure like a tattoo.
Like any tattoo, scalp micropigmentation is most faded by UV exposure.
So, that’s going to be regular direct sun exposure and even tanning.
So, traditional tattoos last forever. With SMP, the application method and the pigment are different.
These replications are very small. These hair follicle replications that we are implanting are tiny. So, they do fade over time, unlike a traditional tattoo. That said, they do last a very long time.
On average, living in a place that’s very sunny where you’re very active and more likely exposed to the sun is going to shave a few years off of how long it lasts.
Whereas on the mainland you may see that folks have SMP that lasts 5-10 years.
Here in Hawaii, I see folks need to have touchups more around the 5-7 year mark because of the exposure to the sun.
Walking to your car, from the office, walking out to get a plate lunch you are going to expose your scalp to the sun. And even if you don’t realize it, it is happening and it is fading your SMP a little bit faster.
Now, this varies based on person, occupation, and age. So, this is not a hard and fast rule. It’s more of a general estimation.
Don’t Let Hairloss Run Your Life
You don’t want preserving your scalp micropigmentation to completely take over your life. Because the whole point of scalp micropigmentation is to eliminate concern.
You don’t want to avoid the sun like the plague when you’re living in Hawaii. Also, that’s impossible to do because it’s sunny here all the time. So, what you can do is be a little more cognizant of applying a daily moisturizer that has some SPF.
When you do that, it will negate the effects of fading that’s more common to folks who live in Hawaii and other sunny places.
Because we get more sunny days, your SMP is going to fade faster if you’re out in the sun frequently.
So, if you think about how traditional tattoo ages versus how scalp micropigmentation ages, the major differences are going to be:
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How small the actual tattoos themselves are. The hair follicle replications are tiny.
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The pigment is different.
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It goes into a different layer of the skin.
All these contribute to the reason why SMP fades a little bit faster than a traditional tattoo.
Essentially, you are going to be getting thousands of tiny tattoos. And they are much smaller and much more delicate than a traditional tattoo. They are also closer to the surface of your skin.
So, over time, the sun is going to fade them much faster than a traditional tattoo. But, as I said before, this is a good thing because it leaves you room to change your style or refresh it as desired.
These differences are actually a good thing because you want to be able to tweak your SMP, over time, if desired. Or have the option to redesign or let it fade, if so desired.
These are all advantages as opposed to disadvantages of SMP.
These are 2 really good ways to combat SMP fade.
1. Preventative Maintenance.
Preventative maintenance is little habits that you can incorporate into your life to extend your SMP. Most often, these are good for you to do outside of SMP as well. They are good for the health of your skin and other aging.
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Use an SPF Moisturizer
If you’re not already doing so, you should be using a daily moisturizer to promote skin health. All you need to do for SMP maintenance is add a moisturizer with some SPF in it. Any kind of moisturizer with sunscreen will do.
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Wear a Hat
Wearing a loosely fitted hat when you’re out in the sun will keep your SMP from being exposed to those UV rays. If you wear a hat with a brim, this is going to be good for your face as well. Since UV rays damages your skin.
2. Touchups
A touchup or refresher appointment is an appointment for scalp micropigmentation that you get before your SMP completely fades.
As SMP fades, you can go in and decide to have it darkened up. You can have specific areas that fade a little bit more touched up more to your liking.
This is optional and how often you come in for touchups depends on how you like your SMP. So, there are some people that go the entire length of time with no touchup.
If you like your look bold, or if there is something that you want to fix or adjust with your SMP, you can go in as often as you like.
It’s worth it to note that these appointments cost much less than your initial appointments. Since you have a good foundation and frame to touchup it won’t be as expensive. Which is another reason touchups are a good option.
So, when you go in for a touchup it’s going to be much faster and much less expensive, if you go back to the same practitioner. A lot of practitioners will charge the full price for an appointment even if you have existing SMP. This is due to the fact that it is almost always more work to cover up existing work done by a different artist.
They’re easy and it’s not something you have to do with any regularity. You can do it whenever you need to or want to. So, there’s no hard and fast rule about how often you need to maintain it.
The goal is actually for you not to have to come back. But, if you do, it’s completely up to you. You can use touchups to make your SMP a little bit bolder or change the style slightly if you like.
That said, it’s not really something to worry about. Touchups are easy to come by and very quick. So, it’s easy to maintain over time.
And definitely still worth choosing over a hair transplant or other options. Because it’s still lower maintenance and longer-lasting than those.
If you want to get in touch with me for a consult, then fill out the contact form below. Let’s see what scalp micropigmentation can do for you!
