Scalp Micropigmentation

Is SMP Good To Have in Hawaii Weather? 

The answer to this is yes, and the answer is going to be yes for anywhere with a similar climate to Hawaii—places where it’s warm and sunny, scalp micropigmentation is the best solution, hands down for a few different reasons:

• The recovery time is zero
• There’s no time off work, and then also 
• You can go right back outside and not be worried about the healing of your scalp micropigmentation

A lot of people are surprised when I actually say that scalp micropigmentation is really awesome for Hawaii’s weather because you’ll see if you watch any of my other videos, I address that the sun is the fastest fader of scalp micropigmentation. 

The sun is the fastest fader of any tattoo, which is why it fades scalp micropigmentation at a slightly higher rate than it would somewhere else. 

Scalp micropigmentation is good for Hawaii weather because it’s a much better solution than topics than powders, also than using hair loss drugs.

That’s a little bit for a separate reason and has more to do with the fact that hair loss drugs have a lot of negative side effects. But as far as transplant, a transplant is very high maintenance, does require a lot of healing time and then hair growth. You might not want to maintain long hair in a warm climate because it does tend to be kind of warm, and then if you’re using topical things to disguise hair loss, you’re going to have to worry about melting, sliding, and then also because it rains in Hawaii as well, you have to be vigilant about carrying an umbrella and making sure that you don’t wear light color clothes just in case it runs. 

That’s something that is just a lot of work and very stressful, and that’s why scalp micropigmentation is a much better solution than those other options. So scalp micropigmentation—because it doesn’t move and because it’s permanent, it’s really easy to have day-to-day. It’s super low maintenance. You don’t have to worry about it moving, and then on the recovery end for a hair transplant, you do have to let your hair grow a good bit and there is kind of a long recovery time compared to scalp micropigmentation, which has no recovery time at all. You can leave the studio immediately after you’ve had it done and go about your daily life. 

Scalp micropigmentation fits the Hawaii lifestyle

Here in Hawaii, we’re super busy. People work two jobs most of the time. We’re really, really family-oriented in Hawaii as well. So you’re always going to someone’s fundraisers, somebody’s game, picking up someone’s kids, your kids, your sister’s kids. You know, watching your parents, and so there’s just a lot that needs to get done in Hawaii life, and also, we do spend a lot of time together. 

So when you’re running from work directly to a family event or to a work event, you really want to make sure that that hair loss isn’t something that you’re worrying about actively while you’re doing these things. So for scalp micropigmentation, both for the recovery time and also for the ease is really a great solution for the climate and also just for Hawaii in general. 

People here are way too busy to take the time to have a hair transplant and have downtime. We’re also too busy to be constantly going to the bathroom to worry about hair topics or powder or fibers that we’re using to cover hair loss. 

Scalp micropigmentation is a great solution for hair loss in both men and women 

Scalp micropigmentation covers all diffuse thinning for women. If you have thinning in a specific spot, scalp micropigmentation can totally disguise that. Make it much easier to just get up, do your daily routine and go about your life as opposed to consistently worrying about maintaining it throughout the day. And then the same thing goes for men, actually. If you’re going to have scalp micropigmentation for diffuse thinning, it’s pretty much the same as if you’re getting it for a certain spot where you’re going to get scalp micropigmentation and then go about your daily routine, maintaining your style, and then you don’t have to worry about touching up whatever you’ve been using to disguise your hair loss. 

Ready to buzz your head? Hawaii is the best place for that

Everybody here buzzes their head. It’s super common because it’s hot here, and so having a completely shaved head and then rebuilding your hairline with scalp micropigmentation the perfect solution. You can make that decision, shave your head, come in, give scalp micropigmentation, and be back into your life within a day. It’s so low maintenance, and it takes so little time. 

So for most people, that’s actually the most efficient solution, and it’s even more cost-effective than continually buying and worrying about having to run to Long’s and get whatever powder or topic that you have. In short scalp micropigmentation is not only the best hair loss solution for people who live in Hawaii’s weather and other tropical climates, but it’s really the best for Hawaii’s lifestyle because we’re busy here, and we have more important things to worry about.

So a solution where you fix it and are back into your life a couple of hours later is perfect for people who live in Hawaii. 

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!

Can you grow your hair out after SMP? 

The answer is yes, you can do whatever you like with your own hair. 

Now, a lot of whether or not you shouldn’t do it depends on the style that you have decided to go with: 

• If your thinning is concentrated on the side of your head.

If your thinning is on the side of your head, you can throw out the hair on top of your head to complement your SMP. It’s very easy to recreate the look of the fade if your thinning is concentrated on the lower part of your scalp and you still have hair remaining on the top of your head, even if that means that the hair on top of your head is diffused, which means that it’s not as thick as it used to be, you can still pull off growing your hair out on top. 

• If your thinning was concentrated on the top of your head or towards the back

It’s going to be very difficult for you to pull off a natural look. Now, when people say grow their hair out after SMP, I think a lot of times what people think they have to do is go over with a big razor and just shave their entire head. Now that’s not the case. You do not have to keep your head that closed-shaved. It’d be very easy and actually, I recommend this to just grab a good foil shaver that you like and keep that either at your house or in your car wherever is routine for you to just run it over your head every once in a while and to maintain not a super close shave, but a rough, close shave in order to really embrace the realism of your scalp micropigmentation because it looks best if you’re thinning is concentrated on the top of your head or in the back to lean into that and just go ahead and buzz everything and then allow the scalp micropigmentation to really be utilized in order to reconstruct your hairline and make it look like you don’t have any hair loss. 

• If you don’t want to shave your head and you’re suffering from thinning, that is both on the top and back of your head

I would advise you to think carefully about whether or not scalp micropigmentation is a good idea for you at this time. Sometimes you might need to have a little bit more hair loss before you’re ready to commit to a certain style. That said, I find that most people get to a point where worrying about maintaining a style with a lot of hair loss involved is really exhausting. And so finally, just committing to SMP really takes a lot of active worry off of your plate so you can grow your hair on after SMP because you can do whatever you want to do with your hair. 

I do find that it’s best if you’re going to commit to SMP and your hair loss is mostly localized for the top and back of your scalp, I would advise committing to keeping your hair pretty close-shaven in order to take advantage of the scalp micropigmentation. 

• If your hair is completely intact, but you have diffuse thinning, which means that you have all over thinning, but you still maintain a decent hairline

Then yes, you can grow your hair as much as you want. At the point where it’s concentrated thinning in patches, you do need to commit to a consistent look in order to mitigate the effect of the hair loss. So that’s something that’s worth considering because it’s really individual and depends on the person. 

There are certain long styles that can mesh well with scalp micropigmentation.

Now for women, this is a little bit different because women’s thinning tends to be located either on the temples or right here on the crown of the head. So those are very easy to use SMP and maintain the length of your hair. 

Now, this is the one that I find looks really good with scalp micropigmentation. If your hair is long and that is if your hairline is only slightly back, then you can lean into a style where it looks like you did shape the front. Now the style I’m talking about is dreadlocks. If you do have dreadlocks and your hairline is receding, this is really common with dreadlocks because it can create a little bit of traction alopecia, just because of the weight of the dreadlocks. 

This is actually something that’s a really good solution for you because it doesn’t look unusual for folks to shave with the front part of their head and maintain dreadlocks. That is one style I do find that’s really good is a scalp micropigmentation and then for women obviously, if you do have long hair with localized thinning, then SMP is a really good solution for you as well, and you can continue to grow your hair as long as you want. 

Other than that, though, it’s really individual, it just depends on the style you have. Now, scalp micropigmentation can work well with most hairstyles. So this isn’t a hard and fast rule and it really depends on what your hair looks like, and that’s something that’s worth coming to a practitioner and seeing what they can do with the style that you currently have or the style you want to have. 

Do I have to be totally bald in order to have scalp micropigmentation? 

You can grow your hair out if you have scalp micropigmentation and you don’t have to be totally bald in order to have scalp micropigmentation, there are no hard and fast rules with this treatment. 

Most people can use it in some capacity, if not a complete capacity. So it’s something that’s a really flexible tool that you can use to combat hair loss however it affects you the most. 

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!

How long after scalp micropigmentation can I sweat? 

I get this question so often, and sometimes people decide whether or not they can get SMP based on the answer to this question. But lucky for them, it’s a very short amount of time.

So the amount of time after your initial procedure you can sweat is four days 

I’m going to explain this a little bit more deeply by explaining the recovery process for scalp micropigmentation first. So scalp micropigmentation is a cosmetic hair follicle replication tattoo. It’s thousands of tiny dots all over your head that can make your hair look thicker, denser, or reconstruct your hairline. It can be used for a multitude of hair loss situations. But for folks who are using it specifically, any sort of reconstruction is a really fantastic service.

After you have your scalp micropigmentation done, there is zero recovery time. 

That’s one of the biggest advantages of scalp micropigmentation. You can walk right out of the studio, and no one will know that you had it done. People don’t have to take time off of work. It’s very low maintenance, and the healing process is really only seven days total. 

I do with my gym and workout nuts have to tell them that they do need to not sweat for four days. I know that’s a tall order, but really, what I mean is for you to not sweat excessively, and that has less to do with the sweat and more to do with the fact that after you do have a tattoo, you do have tiny scabs, and they’re very fragile. So these scabs are actually attached to the pigment, which is underneath your skin, and it’s settling where I placed it. So we want to make sure it heals in place because layering is very important to the realism of scalp micropigmentation. 

So if you want to get a good result, you do need to make sure you let the scab fall off naturally, and they tend to do that between days 5 and 7.  

So it’s really important during these first four days to treat your head very carefully and not be too rough with the towel or let sweat or any sort of friction rub off the scabs because they need to stay in place. 

So in short, within four days, you can start working out again. But it really is best to let your health complete seven days before going back to working out really hard. That said, as long as you wait the first four days it’s going to be okay. 

Can I sweat after my SMP is fully healed? 

I think here it’s also important to note that after your scalp micropigmentation is totally healed, you never have to worry about this ever again because the point of scalp micropigmentation is that it is low maintenance and good for people who are active, busy, or just don’t want to worry about a lot of hair loss applications. So with different topics, hair loss drugs, or the downtime and cost of surgical solutions like hair transplants. 

So in this case, as long as your SMP is healed, swimming, hiking, working out, none of that is going to have an effect on your SMP. 

The only thing that can fade it is going to be the sun. And so after your healing process is over, you can go back to sweating as much as you like, and that is the beauty of SMP. 

Do I need to wait for 4 days after each procedure before I can sweat?

So a scalp micropigmentation procedure in total consists of 2 to 3 appointments. After each appointment, there is a seven-day healing period during which you need to abide by several different guidelines in order to get the best results. Now, after every appointment, you do need to wait four days in order to protect these really delicate scabs that are forming in order to let your scalp micropigmentation settle underneath your skin.

Once your scalp has healed your SMP is safe. But before that, it’s your job to take really good care of it for those four days in order to give yourself the result that you want. So the way this will look in practice if you would come in for your first appointment and then go four days without sweating excessively, then you can walk outside and do other activities.

But you do need to make sure during these four days you’re not pouring sweat after these four days have passed, you can resume normal activities. Then, your second appointment. Let’s assume it’s scheduled consecutively seven days later. Then four days afterward, you got it, you can’t work out. You can’t sweat excessively, and then you’re going to have again the same seven-day delay, and then on the seventh-day let’s say you have a third consecutive appointment to a 21-day cycle and then on that third appointment four days recovery time. Then you’re good to go and by 30 days and I mean completely 30 days—you are totally fine. There’s nothing you can do to your scalp micropigmentation that is going to ruin it workout-wise. 

Learn more about SMP Aftercare: How Do I Take Care of SMP in Hawaii? 

Conclusion

Essentially what you need to do is just make sure that during these initial 4 days to 12 days total, that you try not to sweat too much. After that, sweat as much as you want, run a marathon, do whatever you want because that is the whole point of getting something that’s this low maintenance is to make sure that you can go back to living the lifestyle you want as soon as you’re done healing.

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!

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!

What are the disadvantages of SMP? 

This is something that I really do feel like needs to be explained carefully and well because scalp micropigmentation is something that while really wonderful is not perfect for everyone. The way you can know it’s not right for you is if after hearing the disadvantages, and the advantages if it doesn’t seem like it’s a good fit for you, I can guarantee you it’s not. It’s something that is very personal and individual and while it can be used for everyone, it doesn’t mean that everyone needs to want it or have it and so I’m going to go ahead and explain that a little bit now.

Scalp micropigmentation is a tattoo. This is something that I try to establish at the beginning of all my consultations because some people come in and believe that their hair is going to regrow after they have scalp micropigmentation while you may experience a little bit of regrowth. I have explained this in other videos. The goal of scalp micropigmentation is not to regrow your hair. It’s to increase the density of your hair and also to reconstruct your hairline, it can also be used to cover localized thinning from scarring or specific patches of hair loss.

When it might not be an advantage to get it done? 

• If you are having success with hair loss drugs and you’re okay with the side effects. 

I think that if you’re content with your current routine, then continue doing what you’re doing. The reason I think this is valuable for most people is that if they’re not content with continually having to go back and buy more hair loss drugs, to buy topic, and they’re tired of devoting time to it. This is the best solution for them.

• If you really want to grow back real hair

If your goal is to have your hair back and not to have your hair thinning alleviated then I think that this might not be the right service for you. You’re going to go into scalp micropigmentation still wanting to have hair and so it would be better for you to explore options that regrow the actual hair.

The problem with hair regrowth is going to be that to get results like most people are wanting, you’re going to need to go on a hair loss drug or have hair loss surgery. For obvious reasons, hair loss surgery is fairly extreme, and then having to go on a hair loss drug that has a lot of really nasty side effects is not something that’s really appealing to most people.

So if you’re really intent on regrowing your hair and that’s something that you’re willing to accept, you’re willing to accept surgical consequences or drug consequences, then that’s totally fine.

And you know, if the goal for you is really to have the hair back and not necessarily to just have a solution to hair loss. Then I would suggest getting that getting scalp micropigmentation might be a disadvantage for you.

What about having bad scalp micropigmentation? 

Now, as far as actually getting scalp micropigmentation and then having a disadvantage I would say that if you get it and you get bad scalp micropigmentation, that would be a huge disadvantage.

You can mitigate that risk by making sure you go to someone who specializes in scalp micropigmentation. 

It’s a very specific procedure. It’s a very specific skill set, and you do want to find someone who’s really good at that, and that would more or less eliminate any risk of you having a bad scalp micropigmentation experience.

So really the only disadvantages I think to scalp micropigmentation are going to be if you get bad scalp micropigmentation, or if you really really want your actual hair. Because for some folks the hair is the thing they’re most concerned about. I will say though as a side note that a lot of the time people have much higher expectations for hair transplants than they actually achieve. 

Want to know if people regret SMP? Check this out: Do People Regret SMP or Hair Tattoo?

If you have hair loss on the top of your head and you have genetic thinning, after you get a hair transplant, you’re still going to lose that hair eventually. 

So for me, I find that sometimes folks really need to go and experience that for themselves if SMP is in their future. But if you’re really intent on trying to get your hair back first. I would advise you to continue to go in that direction and then if it’s not successful as many hair transplants are not then you can come and get SMP as a secondary option because it will solve the density and hairline problem for you. It just can’t recreate your hair.

That said if you go into a procedure wanting your hair back and you don’t get your hair back, you’re going to view that as a disadvantage. So that’s something that I would say to keep in mind but also just to way as you consider your options on your hair loss journey, and then the second one would be if you get bad SMP then yes, that’s a huge disadvantage and you are going to have to go get it removed or let it fade or have it camouflaged by somebody like me who is going to work around bad SMP in order to create a realistic and good result.

So, I hope that answered the question about what disadvantages I see to scalp micropigmentation the main one being that it’s not hair. So if hair is something you’re really intent on, I would recommend that you pursue other options. But if your goal is to have a hair loss solution, that’s low maintenance, effective and doesn’t require any downtime, and is significantly less expensive than hair transplant or continual hair loss drugs. That’s something I would say is worth considering.

So we talked a lot about the disadvantages of scalp micropigmentation as I mentioned, I feel that there are really only two though they do kind of cover a few different sorts of disadvantages.

What about the advantages of scalp micropigmentation or SMP? 

So let’s talk about other hair loss treatments and how effective they are versus the side effects or the cost. And I think that’s really where the value of scalp micropigmentation is. It’s in the difference and the achievability of those things.

Hair transplants 

There are two different types. There’re FUE and FUT hair transplants. FUT hair transplants are well, they’re still done, they’re not as prevalent as they were. That said you’re going to have the same issue with both FUT and FUE transplants and that is, once you get a transplant. It’s still going to thin over time, especially if you have genetic thinning and that’s something that I think that’s not really factored in. So if you get a FUT hair transplant, which is going to be a large u-shaped scar in the back of your head that you’re going to have to come to somebody like me to cover up any way you are going to have a good amount of hair. But eventually, you’re going to lose that hair again and it’s possible — and not only just possible but probable that you also have to buy hair loss drugs and other expensive treatments like platelet-rich plasma therapy or micro-needling in order to get that hair to grow and to keep it from going away once you’ve had it transplanted.

Now for a lot of people, they’re not actually able to have that type of transplant because they don’t have enough hair—donor hair in order to have that sort of transplant so they do FUE which is individual units. Now when you do these individual units, it does look a little better. It doesn’t leave the scarring the FUT transplants leave, that said once you have those done you’re going to lose that hair eventually and that’s something that I really feel like it’s important to stress. Like there is a level to accepting hair loss and then seeing what can be done realistically within those parameters that can really increase how happy you are with the result which is why I think SMP such a good option for most people because the thing is if your goal is to have a full head of hair again, if genetics has said that you’re not going to have a full head of hair again. It doesn’t matter what you do surgically that’s not going to happen. And so that’s something that’s better accepted and then trying to find alternative solutions as opposed to continuing to try to have surgery that’s really expensive, time-consuming, and has a lot of recovery time. 

For me, it’s just something that I wouldn’t want my relatives to go through or friends to go through. I would advise them to take different routes. 

Hair Loss Drugs 

So let’s take for a minute the two most popular hair loss drugs. Finasteride, which is called Propecia or minoxidil, which is Rogaine. Both of these have very serious hormonal side effects, especially for men. So women cannot even use full strength minoxidil as it can really affect their hormones as well but I find that men are really affected by the interference with the testosterone which is the main function of these drugs is to stop conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which is something that can increase hair fall and contribute to baldness.

Then there’s a lot of natural alternative to this, something called saw palmetto that I do tend to recommend to anybody that comes into my studio because I’m big on using diet and natural supplements to help with scalp micropigmentation.

But at the same time using these drugs, it’s just much higher risk than getting a tattoo, and the impact it has in your hormones can affect a lot of things just downstream from that. I don’t really have to go into it too much but extremely personal things like libido and performance and those are all things that are definitely not worth sacrificing for a few strands of hair. So for a lot of people scalp micropigmentation is just a much safer much, more reasonable, and much faster solution to hair loss. 

Another advantage of scalp micropigmentation is that you can do it before you do more extreme forms.

I think what I want to do here is just present that scalp micropigmentation is a much less extreme thing to do than you go have surgery or go on a drug with really harsh side effects. I would say that downstream from diet and scalp care is going to be scalp micropigmentation and those come way before you ever resort to drugs or surgery in order to fix hair loss issues. And then if you think for a second because scalp micropigmentation is much less intrusive, because it’s much more reasonably priced, and because it’s not a drug or surgery related is something that you can do before you get to those other things. 

If you find that it wasn’t enough for you or that it may work best in conjunction with those things, then you can go ahead and tack those on further on your journey. But what I would rather see is for people to do that first as opposed to later because if it solves a problem in a much more efficient and less expensive then and also much less intrusive way, why wouldn’t you try first?

And I say that because I just see a lot of people who would have gone to do those things and they didn’t have to because they came and they got scalp micropigmentation and they’re so glad that it ended there and they didn’t have to keep searching or trying different things, and so that’s something that I think is worth considering as well. 

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages 

So while there are disadvantages like the fact that it’s not actually hair and then if you get a bad job that you may be unhappy with, I would argue that the advantages that come from having scalp micropigmentation before drugs or surgery far outweigh the disadvantages. But it’s largely individual and it really comes down to whatever you feel like is best for your own hair loss journey. 

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!

Do people regret having scalp micropigmentation or hair tattoo? 

People don’t regret having scalp micropigmentation but they definitely regret having bad scalp micropigmentation, and the reason is that if you get bad scalp micropigmentation, it’s very time-consuming and irritating to have it removed and then redone. 

If you’re really fixated on having your physical hair back and not just fixing the look of hair loss, then I would say that you might not want scalp micropigmentation. 

For most people, what they’re really looking for is a solution to the look of hair loss, not necessarily to regrow the hair. Because the thing is, current options for hair regrowth for hair loss are going to be either surgical or drug-related and both can have their own set of challenges and do have a fair amount of recovery time, cost, and all some really harsh side effects in case of the drugs. 

So it’s something that folks might regret if they end up getting scalp micropigmentation and really what they were looking for was the hair and they just didn’t realize that having scalp micropigmentation doesn’t mean that you’re going to have your physical old full hair back. But if you want scalp micropigmentation you’re not going to regret it unless you get it from someone who’s not experienced, who doesn’t know what they’re doing or who does a poor job. 

How to prevent getting bad SMP? 

So, in order to mitigate those things, you just want to make sure that you’re going to a practitioner who hears what you want, works with you on your style. I take a lot of time asking about lifestyle, what people do, and then what they’re looking for, and the kind of results that they are aiming to get out of scalp micropigmentation. So I find that the only people who really regret scalp micropigmentation are people who didn’t have a realistic expectation of the result going in. This can be fixed by sitting down with the practitioner who’s willing to explain to you and make sure you understand what it is before going ahead and doing scalp micropigmentation.

So that’s something that I think is really important. You need to trust the person. You need to fully understand what the service is, and also you need to have all your questions answered before you decide whether or not it’s a really good option for you. If this is something you’re looking into now, please go to my channel, I answer a ton of these questions, and they are really important to know. Possibly even before you get to the step where you’re talking to a scalp micropigmentation practitioner.

Link: YAMA Studios Youtube Channel

Why do people regret SMP? 

I think that the main thing that I notice is anyone who’s unhappy with it is because it wasn’t done well or they didn’t understand what it was going to look like at the end, and those things can all be explained. 

Now, when I talk about this too, I do want to make it clear that I don’t run into a lot of people that are unhappy with it. Most of the time it really fixed the problem that people were looking to fix, which is the appearance of hair loss. They just wanted their hair to look denser, they wanted their hairline to be rebuilt, they wanted to look not bald or they wanted to conceal a spot that was balding on the top of their head, and now they don’t have that issue anymore. So for most people, they’re actually really, really happy with the result and they’re even happier because they didn’t have to keep going down this never-ending rabbit trail of different solutions, and again surgery and drugs, and things that can just be really harsh and just a lot emotionally and financially to go through.

So this is something that I think is worth considering and far and away, most people are super thrilled with their scalp micropigmentation. They walk out of here, so happy and I’ll see them later, and they’re still so thrilled with the result, and it just alleviated all of the stress, and that’s something to me that I personally get a lot of professional satisfaction out of seeing that the result is such a benefit to their lives, to their careers, to their life outside even to dating, so it’s just really satisfying to see people who don’t regret it because most people don’t. For most people, it’s a real turning point that they no longer have to fight this hair loss battle. 

I see people visibly when they’re walking out from their first appointment, they haven’t even gotten the full result yet, and their confidence is back.

They walk taller, they feel like they conquered something and that it’s no longer something that is defeating them, that is weighing on their mind, or that takes up any space in their life when they have bigger and better and more important things to think about and to put their energy into and that to me is, that’s why I do what I do. 

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!

What’s the difference between scalp micropigmentation and microblading?  

This is a great question, especially as recently I’ve had quite a few people coming in and asking me if I can microblade their scalp. Just a quick overview, scalp micropigmentation is for the head and microblading is for the eyebrows.

There are 3 big differences between scalp micropigmentation and microblading: 

• Tools

The tool used for microblading is called a microblade. This blade is inserted into the microblading handle and then used to create hair strokes in an eyebrow. 

On SMP, the tool used is called a digital rotary tool.  it has a membrane inside that prevents pigment from flowing back into the machine and it’s very fine and it’s also obviously digital. So it goes into the machine, the machine hooks into this little box that you see over my shoulder. This is what is going to make the tiny, little, circular hair follicle replications, it’s dots basically. And it’s gonna make thousands of these really really tiny, really really fine dots over the whole head and that’s what makes scalp micropigmentation. 

Now, microblading makes lines, scalp micropigmentation makes dots. This is the most important distinction to remember especially when I talk about why you shouldn’t let somebody microblade your scalp. So, scalp micropigmentation is done with a machine that makes dots, microblading is done with a manual handle that makes lines.

Pigment

When you do scalp micropigmentation, there are two types of pigments you can use. One of them is carbon-based. This is very common to use for scalp micropigmentation. They have started to use carbon-based pigments, which are similar to traditional tattoo pigments but they are actually adjusted so that they age correctly overtime in the scalp. Now, some people use carbon-based pigments and then some people use iron oxide-based pigments with a little bit of carbon as well and that really helps the overall age. But, the point of scalp micropigmentation is to age well with you.

Microblading fades much faster and then the pigments used for microblading are also different and usually don’t contain carbon the same way that scalp micropigmentation pigments do. So it’s very important to know the distinction between these two things because it will change the outcome of the color of the pigment when you implant it either in the eyebrows or the scalp.

Ok, so I kind of just spoke about this a little bit, but, fading. Microblading fades within 1 to 3 years. Scalp micropigmentation fades usually within 4-8 years. That is a very large difference and the reason for that is partly because of the technique used and then also partially because of the pigment used which I just explained. So you’re gonna have a different level of fading with microblading than you are gonna have with scalp micropigmentation. So that’s really important to think about as well because microblading doesn’t last nearly as long as scalp micropigmentation last. 

Now the greatest thing about both of these techniques is that, if done correctly, they don’t fade unnaturally. So microblading will slowly fade true to color and scalp micropigmentation will fade the way it’s implanted in order to age with you. That’s very important and it’s actually a core part of the color theory that’s used in scalp micropigmentation. 

Technique

The third factor is gonna be the technique. Microblading is used to make hair stroke lines. They’re very tiny, they look like paper cuts, that’s how small they are. Microblading makes lines, scalp micropigmentation makes dots. That’s the biggest difference between the two.

Alright, so this is kinda getting a little bit into the weeds but essentially and this may be more my opinion more than anything else, the goal of scalp micropigmentation is to replace a hairline or replace density where it already was in the hair. So the goal of scalp micropigmentation is to restore. The same way that you would restore a painting that’s in a museum because it was beautiful the way it was.

Now, with microblading, it can be used in this way, but, the way it is applied now, usually in the industry, it’s actually a form of creative expression for the artist. So, it’s very similar to going to a make-up artist. So, in a way that most microbladers do it, it is more a way for them to express their artistic vision for your face. Though it sometimes looks very natural, it’s more open to interpretation where a scalp micropigmentation is really to put you back the way you were. So, functionally, I think they have two different goals. 

One is to create something beautiful, the other is to replace something beautiful. 

So, two different goals while sometimes with eyebrow tattoo or microblading or other forms, some people do it in a way that’s restorative. That tends to be my angle, you know, let’s put back what was there before. But other microbladers, I would say probably most, do it in a way that’s more creative and that is not so much in line with your original brows.

Do not microblade your scalp! 

So if you take nothing else away from this post, and I don’t speak out about things very often. Do not microblade your scalp, please, please please please don’t do that. 

There are a lot of microbladers who are very smart business people but are not good scalp micropigmentation practitioners. So as they develop their microblading clients and scalp micropigmentation gains popularity, a lot of them are starting to microblade the scalp of their microblading clients, and oh my goodness, you would not believe what I see. Please, do not let anyone microblade your scalp. It is not a good idea, there should be no linework on the scalp, there is too much sebum, which is basically oil and grease that’s on your scalp, it heals horribly. Please do not let anyone do this to you.

Why you shouldn’t let anyone microblade your scalp? 

So there’s something in tattoo called blow-out. That’s essentially when a line goes too deep and it gets all fuzzy and for whatever reason, it’s fine on the eyebrows, if you do microblading on your scalp it will not heal well, it is going to look—it’s gonna blend together, it’s gonna bleed together and honestly when that happens, it’s very difficult to control the color. Because what’s gonna happen is underneath your skin, it’s gonna spread out and so it may change color not because the pigment is changing color, but because it’s not placed evenly or clearly where it’s supposed to stay. 

So you should not let anyone microblade your scalp If you have somebody who’s a really great microblader, if you have somebody who’s done your microblading and is really phenomenal at that, that’s great. But just because somebody can do your lip blush tattoo, your eyeliner tattoo, your freckle tattoo, your eyebrow tattoo, or your microblading does not mean that they can do scalp micropigmentation. Microblading your scalp and scalp micropigmentation is not the same thing. Please do not let anyone who’s a microblader do scalp micropigmentation unless they’re qualified to do so.

Alright, my rant over, I’ll probably make another post about this breaking down the way the pricing works and why it’s cheap and what you’re gonna have to do to reverse it if you already did it but please don’t do it. If you have any other questions, thoughts, feelings, comments, ideas, go ahead and drop those in the comments below. I would love to see them, I’d love to answer them as soon as I can.

If you’re considering microblading or scalp micropigmentation, please consider investing in one of my books first, it’s a couple of dollars, and it can save you hundreds of dollars worth of pain. Please do that, equip yourself with the information you need to make the right decision for your journey. It’s very important to be well-informed so that you can ask good questions about your practitioner. So go ahead, the links are below, go ahead check those out.

My books: 

Hair Tattoo: What You Need to Know Before Getting Scalp Micropigmentation

Before the Blade: What You Need to Know Before Getting Microblading or Semi Permanent Makeup

f 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!

Does SMP Work For Long Hair? 

Now first I think it is important to establish, scalp micropigmentation works for everybody and I do mean that when I say, everybody. There’s no specific hairstyle, skin color, gender that scalp micropigmentation is best for. It is a universal hair loss tool and that’s why it’s so unique. 

Scalp micropigmentation is applicable for all different forms, phases, and types of hair loss. This could be used for alopecia, this could be used for scarring, it can be used for density treatment, for diffuse thinning. So a density treatment is basically where I will go through and add basically a layer of scalp micropigmentation in order to create a density and a thicker look to the hair. The point of this is to make sure your hair looks healthier, fuller, and just overall a little bit more volume and depth. 

What are the criteria for SMP to work on long hair? 

So for scalp micropigmentation to work on long hair, there are no specific criteria. Scalp micropigmentation works best on healthy scalps. So if you have long hair and you have a specific spot, a specific scar, or localized thinning. It’s really easy to add in some scalp micropigmentation and allow it to cover those things. 

The same is true if you have long hair with diffuse thinning.

So let’s say you have shoulder length hair but you lost a lot of hair volume, so you’re looking for something to add density to your hair. That would be a perfect opportunity to do a scalp micropigmentation density treatment and the point of this is to go through and just kind of make your hair look a little bit thicker, darker, and reduce the contrast between your scalp and your hair. Now, usually, when you tend to lose hair all over, this can become a little more obvious and scalp micropigmentation is perfect going in there and targeting areas near the part or near certain problem areas. So you don’t have to have short hair for that to work. Actually, it’s best if you have long hair if you need a density treatment. 

So there’s two major applications of scalp micropigmentation: 

• Density Treatment

One of them is for density as I’ve mentioned and the other one is for complete hairline reconstruction. If you have enough of a hairline and enough hair, you basically just need scalp micropigmentation to go through and make your hair look a little denser and a little bit darker. 

• Hairline Reconstruction

However, if you’re missing your front hairline and it has begun to recede or your hair loss is localized at the top or back of your scalp, you’re gonna need a hairline reconstruction and in this case, it’s best to lean in, go ahead and bald your head and then allow scalp micropigmentation to kind of carry and bolster your existing your hair. 

Hairstyles such as dreadlocks can cause traction alopecia. 

If you have long dreadlocks, dreadlocks can cause traction alopecia, and what is where the weight and the tightness of the dreadlocks when you tighten them and overtime can pull your hairline back and this is actually common in both men and women. There’s no specific gender that has more of a receding hairline due to dreadlocks.

Now traction alopecia can affect anybody. So this is true for any sort of style that’s really tight or people that have been wearing extensions or wigs or other installations where you see that over time the installation or the wig has sort of pulled the hairline back. So that’s where SMP can actually step-in and really recreate the thickness of the hair, make it look darker, make it look healthier, make it look more full. 

Conclusion 

So there’s no specific hairstyle you need to have when you have long hair and want SMP. That said there are some and certain cases that look a little bit better than others and it’s really hard to know what those are unless you come in and see someone and see what the best for your specific hair situation. 

So, that said, I hope this clears up a little bit and kind of helps you understand what sort of hairstyles look best with scalp micropigmentation but also, that it’s really for everybody. It’s a solution for everybody, not just people with really short hair, people with really long hair, or people with in-between hair. Everybody can have it and everybody can gain some benefit from it. 

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!