Is Scalp Micropigmentation or Hair Pigmentation safe? 

Oh, I love this question, because while tattoos, in general, do have a reputation from history from being something that’s a little bit more on the risky side, there is an entire industry now that is devoted to this type of paramedical tattoo, and it is actually much safer with a much lower risk of any sort of bloodborne pathogen, and I’m going to go into that now. 

It is actually a much lower risk procedure than a traditional tattoo.

So scalp micropigmentation is a totally different procedure from a traditional tattoo. The tools are different. The pigment is different. The needle is different, and then even the method of work and best procedures for safety and sanitation is different because tattoo artists tend to have a much larger clientele, and scalp micropigmentation practitioners tend to work with a much smaller client base and then a much more one on one environment. This produces the chance for any type of cross-contamination. And then on top of that, now, all scalp micropigmentation practitioners are subject to different state laws for tattooing and licensing. 

So as long as you make sure that your scalp micropigmentation practitioner is a licensed tattoo artist in your state, you have mitigated almost all risk. 

Because once you’ve done that, the risk is even lower with scalp micropigmentation. The method of using needles is actually very different from traditional tattoos. We use individually packaged sterilized cartridges. This isn’t the standard for all traditional tattoos, which does contribute sometimes to the risk of cross-contamination and other bloodborne pathogens. But with scalp micropigmentation, individuals use needles, a smaller group of clientele, and then also the fact that scalp micropigmentation heals much faster once you get out to the world, contributes to a lower risk factor. The odds of you getting an infection from scalp micropigmentation is very low. 

How is scalp micropigmentation different from a traditional tattoo? 

Most of the time when you’re having scalp micropigmentation, there’s almost no bleeding. The reason for this is because scalp micropigmentation actually goes into a different level of the skin than a traditional tattoo, and that does contribute to the overall result, and the overall technique being totally different. 

If you have a traditional tattoo and then you go in and have scalp micropigmentation, it’ll become very obvious to you that tattoos and scalp micropigmentation are cousins. They are not even in the same realm as far as risk factors and also just different practices. 

There’s little risk for scalp micropigmentation because of the environment and practice used to perform it, and this can be reduced even further by following proper after-care instructions. 

Suggested reading: Is Scalp Micropigmentation a Tattoo?

If an infection is the biggest risk in SMP, how can I prevent it? 

The biggest risk in scalp micropigmentation is going to be an infection as long as you don’t expose your scalp during the first four days after a procedure to things that may give it an infection like going into a pond or a sauna or touching things at the gym and then touching your head. It’s essentially an open cut, you do run the risk of giving yourself an infection. But if you do not do these things, it’s very unlikely that you’ll have any issues with your scalp micropigmentation.

Suggested reading: How Long Does Scalp Micropigmentation Take to Heal?

Conclusion 

The risk of any sort of complication within the cosmetic or paramedical tattoo community is very low and that is contributed to by the difference in practices and different types of applications that are used. So in short, scalp micropigmentation and hair pigmentations are very safe procedures and very low risk. They’re often performed on people who have underlying conditions as long as the doctor signs off on them, and that actually has a lot to do with the responsibility that the community takes on to make sure the clientele are safe because it is a different service from a traditional tattoo and I will reiterate that though the risk is low, you can reduce any risk at all even further by going to a licensed tattoo practitioner, a specialized scalp micropigmentation practitioner and making sure that you follow the after-care. And if on top of that, you make sure you’re very cognizant of touching your scalp within the four days after your pageant procedure there’s very little risk of any issues. 

If you want to get in touch with me for a consultation, then fill out the contact form below. Let’s see what scalp micropigmentation can do for you!