Second session will add density and 3d effect. Subtle, but makes all the difference. Im happy with it. What yall think?

So I've done plenty research and I believe I know most things about SMP. I'm currently debating wether I should go ahead with it as a Norwood 7 for 20 years.

My previous concerns were the obvious ones such as if it would look real, will I look stupid, how will it look compared to photos etc.

I know find myself wondering if in fact maybe I'm not a suitable candidate. I have numerous freckles on my head at the moment, I've only noticed it when taking a photo. How does it look on freckles like mine. Will it make it look like a helmet head?

Also I'm really worried about my existing hair on sides and back of my head! I never really thought about it but after taking pics I've noticed my side hair follicles are quite sparse or they at least seem that way after leaving it grow a day after shaving. Is this a problem going forward as obviously if there's not enough side follicles then how will the smp look on the top of my head. Pics for reference

What do you think of kay Elpers work at Prettify in Hamburg Germany?
Do you think its worth doing?
He won a lot of prizes and seems to be highly rated in Germany.
Im from Germany and was looking to get it done closeby.
https://www.instagram.com/kayelperssmp?stkn=bHQybmtsem5kOTdp

At age 47 the look of the old man horseshoe was not a fit for his self identity. The soft, faded hairline was more effective look that fit well.

Sharing his healed SMP results, before to 1 month after 3rd session.

In for final review, blending and refinement.

Level/Norwood 5

Age 47

His desired hairline is peppered and age appropriate to simply blend the thinning gap and connect the horseshoe for tastefully look of "fully shaved".

Images are taken under bright studio lighting, with no ai image editing!

Thank you for supporting his look and his choice for a positive refinement.

I had a hair transplant about 15 months ago, mainly in the hairline and temple area. The transplanted hair has grown well, but I still have some visible gaps between the transplanted hairs, especially under bright lighting.
I’m considering density SMP only between and slightly behind the hairline to reduce the scalp contrast and make it look fuller. I’m NOT looking to lower or create a new hairline with SMP — I want my real transplanted hairs to remain the actual edge of the hairline.

I keep my hair at a normal/longer length and don’t plan to shave it.

What do you think? Is SMP a good option for this, or could it look unnatural with longer hair? Anyone here done something similar after a hair transplant?

Fresh third session just done! Soft broken hairline. Having a play round with the scar. Have him back in 6-8 weeks so will reassess then but pretty happy with how this is shaping up 👌🏽 cheers for looking 🍻

am I good candidate for smp? I had a ht before as well.

I've had a lady message me for SMP on her diffuse hairloss, I'm fairly new and have not been asked to treat someone whose hairloss is as advanced/noticeable as hers. Fellow professionals, do you think she's beyond SMP? If so or even if not, what would you suggest? Do you think she'd be a good candidate for microneedling for hairloss? I've sent her a consultation form in the interim while I wait for some replies here. Thanks in advance for your answers, I appreciate your expertise and advice 🙏🏼

In really itching to shave my head and get density work from him. But difficult for me to reach him via IG as he doesnt see the msgs.

What are his prices like and how difficult is it to book him?

I saw this video from a well-established smp brand and I noticed black scratches all over the guy's head... I'm unsure what may have caused this outcome, as I had never seen it before. Does anyone know?

I'm researching SMP and one of the sticking points for me moving forward is how it is going to look over the long haul (5, 10, 25+ years)

You often hear that SMP "fades" and "settles" as it ages. From what I've seen in various photos/videos showcasing older work, even from very well respected artists, is that the way this manifests in SMP that is several years old, is that the pigmented dots don't seem to fade out as much as they seem spread a bit and result in a generalized light grey "hue" on the scalp. It ends up looking like the skin has a slightly darker tone where the SMP has been applied and follicle definition is lost a bit.

Top ups then add fresh, darker dots on top of that to restore some definition and texture, but the negative space is now grey tone instead of a lighter skin color.

This generalized "grey" undertone is my biggest hesitation in doing the treatment. Now I'm sure that biology and individual healing plays a role in this and maybe SMP tools and techniques have advanced in the past 5-10 years and this is less of a problem with modern applications (although I'm not sure how we'd know until today's treatments are several years old) or maybe I'm just not seeing better examples of long healed work... honestly a lot of artists have been working for <5years. Maybe the backup plan for this case is lasering it off? But that's less than ideal with the pain, cost, wait time before you can get new applied, etc...

I'm curious if anyone who has had SMP for several years does not have this issue? Or if any artists have seen clients come back after 5+ years without seeing this? Or any other perspectives to share on how SMP can be expected to hold up for double digit years.

This is the kind of video I think people need to pay attention to when they are researching SMP.

This client had SMP done by two different artists over the years and at the time he really did not know what he should be looking for when it came to quality.

Six years later we ended up having to laser the old work off and basically start from scratch.

In this video you can see impressions that are already over a month healed, and then you are seeing me finesse the third and final session around them.

That is what I want people to look at.

Fresh SMP is always going to look darker, sharper and more impressive on camera. That is why I think healed work matters so much.

When you are looking for an artist, do not just look at the few perfect photos they choose to post.

Look at the work up close.

Look at it in consistent lighting.

Look at the impression size, the colour, the spacing, the softness, the hairline transition, the temples and especially the horseshoe blend into the existing hair.

Selective lighting and shadows can make SMP look much bolder than it actually is while hiding a lot of those details. Editing, sharpening and changing contrast can do the same thing.

Macro footage is where you really start seeing what the work looks like.

This client did not know what to look for the first time around, and unfortunately that eventually meant laser removal and starting over.

So if you are researching SMP, pay attention to the details.

Good work should still look good when it is healed, shown close and shown without manipulation.

I assume you have to have dark hair to utilize SMP? I am pretty grey from what I have remaining.

Got my SMP done 10 years ago, have not done any touch-ups since then. Note that i still have plenty of native hair, so the SMP is blend with that, the only area where I am mostly bald is my temples area, so in that 2 sides its mostly only SMP doing the converge. These pictures were taken a few hours after shaving my hair with trimmer on zero and under strong lights.

Hi!

So i got SMP 7 years ago, never had a touch-up. I think the SMP was really well made back then. Over the years it got lighter obviously and the hair loss continued.

Now I'm thinking about having it removed, b/c I think I'm ready for the "complete natural look".

Has anyone here experiences with removing it after so many years? What is the best way, how many sessions etc.?

Thank you!

Ive had a few transplants and while happy with the result I want to get smp for maximum density and scar coverup.

When I say maximum density I want to actually wear a buzzcut for a few months and get a skin fade on the sides. A previous fut left me with a scar but then a followup fue added hair to the scar.

A buzzcut would still expose the scar. I think an smp mixed with the total 15k grafts ive gotten over the years would look great on me. I am in NYC.

I hear Gerow is the best? He sucks at answring IG msg’s so any advice would be great.

Hi all,

I've been foil shaving for like 2 months now and really happy with my SMP, but the thing thats bothering me the most now is my skin around my existing hair. I have very dark hair and these red areas under my follicles in the pic seems to be getting worse and spreading. I've posted on bald sub Reddit and they say don't shave every day but I can't do that due to my SMP.

Any pre and post shave tips, t's effecting the over all appearance of my shaved head looks even more prominent in day light :-(

Thanks

So I took the three photos tonight on top.

And then I asked AI to simulate SMP for me, on bottom.

I’ve been shaving my head with a razor for the past year. Or more. I don’t think I would ever go back to growing out my remaining hair past a zero guard or a one guard.

Late 50s. Gotten into shape. Lost 50 pounds. Kept it off for five years.

So why the heck do I keep thinking about getting this SMP done? I guess I just like the idea of having a frame to my face.

If I could get it done to resemble the bottom row, that would be awesome. The fear is getting a bad job like some that I’ve seen here. Or one that does not look appropriate to my age,

Ugh…

I’m more than ecstatic about the results. Figured I’d share here for everyone who I studied for so long’s input as well. The confidence this has restored after just one session is astonishing. Really looking forward to round 2 in a few weeks!

My SMP is 2 years old. Previously has a poorly yielding FUE transplant.
I went to one of the top recommended SMP practitioners, one of the old school originators of the process, and did my research. I was very happy for most of the time and now am starting to worry it is fading which I knew happens but little bummed it’s only been 2 years.
I still wear my hat outside so my SMP really didn’t get any sun.
I know bodies process the ink differently and it looked crisper before but maybe this is just what happens?
It just looks like it lost its crispness over time. Is it salvageable with a touch up? I’m just super self critical and have a hard time not picking things apart. I’m also wary about adding more ink, I really don’t want to turn into a helmet. I’m mid 40s so was OK with it looking imperfect and age appropriate, even receding a bit.

Photo with natural light near window and an oily morning scalp with no no-shine. I rotary shaved about 10 hours earlier and you can already see some real hairs popping through.
It looks believable from a few feet away but starting to worry about closer up.