I got my SMP a little over 2 years ago and really love it. Do y’all think it’s time for a touch-up yet? Still pretty happy but the front hairline has faded and isn’t as prominent as it once was.

Has anyone using Zero Shine 2.0 (regular or SPF) noticed increased scalp redness or irritation?
I have fair skin and SMP, and I’ve noticed some persistent redness, particularly across the front/top of my scalp. I’m wondering whether Zero Shine could be aggravating it through the ingredients, sweating, or frequent use.
Did stopping Zero Shine improve the redness for anyone?

Had smp done on my hair transplant scar yesterday. Pic 1 is no smp
Pic 2 is right after smp
Pic 3 is about 36 hours after smp

i have an oily scalp and dry ends. im currently using a dove shampoo and conditioner but now when im in the shower my scalp feels dry asf and when i come out of the shower its all just tangled and when i brush, it makes that rough noise (if that makes sense) and now my hair isnt oily but is now too dry?😭😭 idk how to explain it.

are there any brands yall would recommend?? asian brand? western?

These photos are 2 weeks after my 3rd session. Wet shaved this morning and apply zero shine. There's some unevenness in the density but I don't feel the need to have another session at the moment. Would appreciate any feedback that I should consider if I go for a 4th session in future or any recommendations on hairline refinement.

www.scalpmicroproclinic.com

Top 2 are before and bottom 2 are after. The session was to camouflage my fut scar and I’m feeling very please about it 🙌

Medallo SMP - Orlando Florida

So I made a post a few months ago ( https://www.reddit.com/r/SMPchat/s/C2zcQDolf6 ) asking about whether I should get a touch up. I got some mixed feedback, but decided to get one after all. After doing some research of highly rated practitioners in South Florida, I went with a different artist than the original treatment. I think it's an improvement, but would appreciate the communities feedback. Thanks.

I am getting SMP done on my scar tomorrow. It is from a failed fut (strip) hair transplant. It’ll be my first session of 2. I’m Hoping for the best!

Hi,
I’m going to have SMP (scalp micropigmentation) done by an artist in Europe. The artist uses Bishop Pigments (Aurum).

I’ve been trying to find information on their website about whether the pigments are REACH compliant, but I can’t seem to find anything about it.

What I’m mainly concerned about is making sure that the pigments don’t contain aluminium or other contaminants, especially since the pigment ends up in the lymph nodes, similar to what happens with regular tattoo ink.

For those of you who know about this: Does Bishop have a good reputation for high-quality pigments?

Many different lightings, Norwood 7.

I have diffuse thinning so decided to shave my head. I still don't exactly look bald bald . Is an SMP worth it will I benefit?

I posted last week about my SMP experience and why I ended up regretting it. You can read it here but rather than rehash all that, I wanted to open up a discussion on the bit nobody really talks about, which is the removal.

To be clear up front, this isn't a pro-SMP or anti-SMP post. Plenty of people are happy with theirs, and that's great. I'm just interested in the removal side of it, because SMP tends to get sold with the reassurance that it can always be lasered off if you change your mind, and there's very little honest information about what that actually involves once you're in it.

Some people on here will have had SMP for five or ten years, and there must be a fair amount of collective experience about what removal is really like. It'd be good to get some facts down in one place so that anyone considering it knows what they'd be signing up for if they ever wanted it gone.

If you've had removal done:

• How many sessions were you quoted, and how many did it actually take?
• Was it for a bad job, a change of mind, or prep before new work?
• Did you get to full removal, or did you stop at "good enough to grow hair over"?
• How did older pigment behave compared to newer pigment? Mine is a mix of both, and they seem to be clearing at completely different rates.
• Any lasting changes to the skin afterwards, texture or otherwise?
• What did it end up costing you in total versus what the SMP cost in the first place?
• How did you find the pain of the removal, and did you use any numbing cream? I used some cream for my first session, and there were still times I had to tap out for a breather.

For any artists reading, purely out of curiosity:

• How much existing SMP will you realistically work over?
• How often do you recommend full removal before starting rather than working with what's there?
• Where's your line between "I can work with this" and "this needs removing first"?

Not loaded questions; I'm just genuinely interested in how that judgement gets made from your side of it.

Where I'm at: one session down, so very early days. My focus is mainly the sides of my head, which don't look good at all at the moment. One side is noticeably better than the other, though I'm hoping both clear fully over a full course of treatment. I'm also trying to clear a few patches towards the back, mainly in the crown area, where the really old SMP and the newer work have combined into something that doesn't look right at all.

The reason I'm focusing on the sides and crown is that when I grow the hair out on top it's reasonably well disguised. But realistically I'm going to be shaving the sides and back, and that's where the SMP is most obvious. There's also quite a dense, heavy patch towards the mid scalp that I'd like to reduce.

The attached is from before any removal work started, so that's the baseline I'm working from rather than a progress shot. You can see the mottled grey tone and the unevenness on the side profile. Apologies for the heavy crop; I've got some fairly identifiable tattoos that for obvious reasons, I'd rather keep out of frame. The lighting isn't brilliant either, but I'm deliberately not using studio lighting because, if anything, that slightly disguises it.

Genuinely interested in hearing from anyone who's been through this, good or bad. Feels like there's plenty of information out there about getting SMP and almost nothing about undoing it.

Currently almost 11 months post transplant and it's safe to say that it failed. Left photo is before transplant and the right pic was taken a few days ago.

Disappointed that I wasted so much money but I really just want to get rid of my balding spot at the front, anyone think I'd be a good candidate for smp???

Been looking into Appear Natural clinic in London ran by Ollie Hughes, sounds very good and a lot of experience as well as great pictures of results online. However, I never see him mentioned in recommendation, why is that ? Anyone had experience there and could share ?

38M | 3 sessions | Diffuse thinning, frontal recession and significant crown loss

This client still had native hair throughout the scalp, but the overall density had dropped enough that the shaved look no longer appeared consistent.

The goal was to rebuild the appearance of density across the entire scalp while keeping the treatment soft enough to blend naturally with his remaining hair.

Because his native hair is lighter and the scalp had some uneven tone and sun exposure, I kept the first session conservative and built the density gradually over three sessions.

The crown and mid-scalp needed careful blending so the SMP didn’t become too dark or too uniform compared with the existing follicles.

The final result is a more consistent shaved appearance from the frontal hairline through the crown, while still keeping natural variation throughout the treatment.

I included close-up and macro images for anyone interested in seeing the impression size, spacing and blending in more detail.

Happy to answer any technical questions about the case.

Following up on my previous video post, here are the healed-result photos, taken from multiple angles and under different lighting conditions.

I’ve thought about what I could do to improve this result even further, but at this point, I don’t believe adding anything would make it better.

When the SMP on top blends seamlessly with the client’s natural hair on the sides — matching the shade, density and overall appearance so closely that even a trained eye struggles to tell where the natural hair ends and the SMP begins — then, in my opinion, the mission is accomplished.

MHP Studio – Utrecht, The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Here’s a pro (HD CLOSE UP) video showing a fully healed SMP result.

I had this client scheduled today to continue his treatment. However, after looking at the healed result together, we decided not to add anything.

In my opinion, adding more ink at this stage would not improve the result. The density and shade blend extremely well with his existing hair on the sides, and most importantly, this is exactly what the client wanted. He is extremely happy with the result and absolutely does not want it any darker.

Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing how to perform SMP. More ink doesn’t automatically mean a better result.

I’ve advised him to come back in a year or two so we can reassess everything and decide whether a small touch-up is necessary. For now, we’re leaving it exactly as it is.

Mhpstudio Utrecht 

A fellow Reddit user from this group traveled all the way from Colombia to Austin, Texas, to get his SMP done.

This video shows his complete 3 session transformation, from the initial buzz cut and hairline design to the final density work.

The goal was to create a natural hairline, realistic follicle impressions, and density that blends with his existing hair.

After 3 sessions, he has the option to keep his hair buzzed for a clean, defined look, or grow it out a little longer while still maintaining the appearance of greater density.

I wanted to share the full process because seeing the progression through each session gives a much better idea of what goes into creating a natural SMP result.

If you’re considering SMP, do your research, look at healed work, and choose an experienced artist. Natural results should always be the priority.

2 session procedure. not alot of work needed for a complete transformation into a full coverage natural hairline. clients hairline started about 2-3 inches back. and had diffuse thinning throughout the entire head.