formertrackstar

Here are some things to consider regarding the permanent tattooing of scar tissue:

 

1. It is time consuming. Depending on the individual's skin or scar texture, a single line may require two or more passes with the needle before it takes.

 

2. It can be and often is more painful than the average tattoo. Scar tissue is very sensitive since the nerve endings are closer to the "new skin" (unless the nerve ends were destroyed when the damage occurred).

 

3. Once set within the scar, black ink will stay. Colored ink can be set within the tissue; however, it may bleed or fade from the skin, and this possibility should be anticipated, but not expected. There is always a slight possibility that the black ink may blot or run beneath the tissue, but if a very fine line is used this problem can be virtually eliminated.

 

4. It may be a good idea to have a small test area done first to determine if your skin will accept the pigment before committing to a larger session.

 

5. Last but certainly not least, it is very important that the scar tissue be at least one year old before tattooing is attempted (the older the scar, the better). Destroyed tissue takes a long time to heal, so the older the scar, the better it will take the pigment.

 

It may be that all 5 points apply to temporary tattooing as well to some degree. However, the advantage of temporary SMP is that it's temporary. If things do not go well, you are not stuck with it for life.

 

Beauty Medical's site says the optical effect could begin to decline from the sixth to eighth month post treatment. After two years, not a trace will remain. Therefore, one will have to get regular touch-ups to maintain the optimum illusion consistently. My guess is once per year on average, but that will vary from patient-to-patient.

 

If one has the desire and resources, then it's much safer to experiment with temporary SMP. Spex and others are bringing attention to Beauty Medical's services. As a result, many more people, at varying stages of hair loss, will undoubtedly try it out. We will get more reports about their experiences in time. It has to start somewhere.

 

SMP (permanent or temporary) for strip and FUE scars is not like the typical tattoo design applied to a different kind of scar. SMP are small "dots" which resemble zero guard hair, not elaborate designs with multiple colors. Also, the scars which are left after strip and FUE are controlled. They're usually better, smaller, tighter scars when done by a good doctor. Consequently, perhaps there is a better chance of success with SMP on strip/FUE scar tissue. That's just a guess, though.

Formertrackstar,

 

One thing to keep in mind... SMP, the way Beauty Medical appears to practice it, is an art. I'm sure it's taken Milena a number of years of daily practice dedicated solely to her technique to become as proficient as she is. Even if Dr. Shapiro discovers a natural talent for SMP and brings the technology back to the states, he will probably be unable to reproduce Milena's level of proficiency for quite some time. Part of the reason is micropigmentation is probably all Milena does day-in, day-out, whereas Dr. Shapiro would be juggling SMP with his surgeries. The other option would be for Dr. Shapiro to hire a full-time and very skilled SMP practitioner trained and recommended by Milena.

 

If all goes well with Spex (and I assume it will), then you may consider a nice trip to Italy.

 

z

Zenmunk,

You are completely right about that.. It is an art and it would take years and years to master it.. I've never been to Italy-but we'll see how Spex turns out with Melina from Beauty Medical... I would love to visit Italy.. I hope it goes well with him.. His head has been through alot.. He deserves a great job..

Well,

I am a business owner and I must say that I deal with alot of people on a daily basis.. I am a hair looker! I can spot out a hair transplant from 10 feet away.. You may not know that I'm looking but from the corner of my eye I can spot out the bad ones.. I have a client of mine that comes into my business and he has one of the worst transplants I've ever seen.. I never would say anything to him due to the fact that it would hurt his feelings.. But shit who the F hacked this guy?! I feel very uncomfortable myself due to the fact that this guy is staring at my hair and I have a transplant.. I always wonder if that GUY can tell if I had a transplant.. I seen guys walk into my business doors with shaved heads.. I always had a little jealsousy towards a good looking framed face guy with a shaved head.. I never could pull it off.. I tried it and had my balls broke by friends and co-workers.. Sometimes I feel a little bit nervous when that GUY"S eyes roll up to my hair.. Can he tell if I had it done? There is no answer.. What guy has the balls to say to your face dude what is up with your hair?! I was with a buddy that is completely bald and we where walking in Loews Home Improvement and there was a guy wearing a rug on his head.. My buddy said to me yo, "did you see that rug on that guys head". Of course he isn't going to have the nerve to say it to him.. Usually that is what happens people will comment to their friends but not to the persons face.. I seen guys that came into my doors of business shaved down with their strip scars revealed.. It must take alot of courage to shave down with a strip scar on the back of your head.. When I look at someone that has had a bad transplant the first thing you think is wow.. This guy had a lack of confidence with his baldness.. I did.. I hopped in the chair at the age of 24 years old and had my first transplant.. Now I'm 34 and still chasing hair around.. It is a battle..

I did speak to Dr. Shapiro over the phone about the different options that I can do. I will keep you all posted on this.. Since Dr. Shapiro is considering doing SMP at The Shapiro Medical Group in the near future I may wait until they learn how to do SMP.. I also may have a scar revision in the winter time.. I would have to wait until the winter due to the fact that I do alot of running, weight lifting, and training in the summer.. I would want to take at least 2 months off from working out to have a revision.. I know that I said in a earlier post that I kinda frowned about having a scar revision-but this may be the best move to get a smaller scar-it is a gamble. We shall see how I feel about this in the winter.. Hopefully by September Shapiro Medical Group learns the SMP technique and does it well.. I would have to see the results. I also want to see more results from Milena from Beauty Medical.. Hopefully she gets on the Hair Restoration Network.. That would be great if she posted her before/after photos of her work on this forum.. Another option that I have would to fue body hair into my scar as well.. I hope that Spex takes plenty of before and after photos when he gets his scar filled by Milena at Beauty Medical..

Formertrackstar

Great results.. Big difference from the older work. A+ job..

Hey guys yeah my scar revision with Dr. pak really reduced the size of the scar originally was about three quarters of an inch wide something about that and now it's much smaller although it wasn't a pencil line like I anticipated. But, to Dr. Paks credit I think if I would've followed his postoperation protocol my scar would not have stretch as much as it did. I very stupidly started to work out with very heavy weights and did various exercises which put a lot of strain on my neck my head and my scar, and I'm confident that had a pretty negative effect on the healing. On top of that, I was drinking alcohol and smoking medicinal marijuana and both of those things are not good for the healing process. I do think that Dr. pak procedure is state-of-the-art as well as his facilities. His staff and he himself is absolutely great I would go back to him in the future for another scar revision, but this time I'll be sure to follow the postoperation protocol big time. If you have any specific questions regarding this please send me a private message or reply to this thread and I'll be happy to answer any specific questions. With regard to any pictures unfortunately Dr. paks office took all the pictures and if you gave him a call I'm sure he would provide you with all his recent scar revision surgeries and you can see from the multitude of his work that he consistently does high-quality work

You should of took photos for your own good.. Especially when you are going through the amount of procedures that you had.. I think you should have Dr. Pak email you the photos and start posting them on this forum. If you don't want to show your face that's fine your cover your face in the photos.. Photo shop in pretty easy. It would help others like myself that are in the same situation that you are in.. I would love to see the photos of the revision and the SMP since I am considering a scar revision and SMP.

Thanks,

Formertrackstar

Wow.. Big improvement.. He must be very happy with the results.

The company is called BeautyMedical s.r.l. You can google it. I recommend using google translate unless you can read Italian. On their site it says that the optical effect could begin to decline from the sixth to eighth months post treatment thus requiring a touch-up. After two years without a touch-up, not a trace will remain.

I did discuss a scar revision with them-but I am thinking that the tattooing at this point would probbally be the best option.. I just don't want the back of my head cut open again unless down the road I need more donor hair due to more native hair loss. Everytime you take more skin or scar tissue your head just gets tighter and tighter.. Plus the healing time sucks.

I have to do something about this.. It is really bothering me.. I'm sick of putting concealer on the donor area.. It is a quick fix that usually lasts 5 hours...

Spanker,

I also think that there is a possibillity that SMP would improve the scar.. I am afraid if I go with a scar revision that it may stretch.. So that being said I would go with the SMP.. There are too many risks cutting more skin from the back of the head.. The scar is this wide due too the fact that I had 2500 grafts taken from the donor area. Everyone heals differently.. My scar is wider than I'd like.. I really am limited to hair styles. It just is a bummer.. When you have to be careful every time you cut your hair and tell your stylist or barber it kinda gets old.. Sometimes I just wish I shaved down and never had a transplant..

I am considering having my donor scar on the back of my head revised (revision).. Has anyone had a scar revision and got a pencil line scar? Who is the most respected surgeon on this forum or the world that consistently has pencil line scars or undetectable.. I don't know if I should go to a board certified plastic surgeon or a hair transplant surgeon... I know that there is a plastic surgery forum out there but most of the discussion on there is about breast implants, face lifts, ect. Who is the BEST for scar revisions?

I am considering having SMP to my donor scar.. Has anyone had this procedure done and are you happy with the results? My question is when they tattoo the scar with these dots is it going to blend in with my hair when it is cut down to a 1 grade clipper or shaving head.. Has anyone tried Good Look ink in Minnesota? I was on there website and the before and after pics looked great but how long is the ink going to last before it discolors to a blue or different color? I basically want to cut my hair shorter on the sides without having a scar revision... I had 3 surgeries and don't want tampered with again unless I loose more natural (native) hair.. My scar is about 12 inches long and I called Good Look ink yesterday and asked for a ball bark price to do smp tattooing of the scar.. They said it would run about $250 an inch! Wow.. That is pretty expensive. I need to know how many people on this network had there scar tattooed and how short could they cut there hair with looking normal.. I know Jotronic said he know s a woman in Italy that does the tattooing and it fades over a period of time.. What is the period of time?? Especially when your spending this amount of money and airfare.. Anyone have before and after photos of there scar tattooed? I know that there is also Dr. Rassman that does it in his clinic at Nu Hair. There is also HIS Clinic in the United Kingdom. There are 2 pics of the donor scar.. Do you think scar tattooing would work for me?? Answers please!

Jotronic, A while ago you posted that you know a woman that does SMP that you met in Italy that does excellent work with very minimal fading with the ink in the long run.. What is the woman's name, phone number, website, ect.. If you want you can PM me the info. I am thinking about getting SMP into my donor scar..

Jotronic, Wow.. That is awesome he has that much donor... Did this patient do scalp exercises before the procedure with H&W if you recall?

A+.. Great work! This is a World Class result.. Thank you for sharing.. About how much donor does this patient have left in the bank? Is he on any meds?

Looking good orlhair! Very natural results by SMG.. Are you on propecia or rogaine to keep your native hair intact?

Not a big fan of his hairstyle... I think that he would look better with a shorter hairstyle.. I agree with Spanker though-he would look great with a shaved head.. Great result by Hasson and Wong as always..

These pictures where taken right before the procedure and right after the procedure at The Shapiro Medical Group on February 7th of 2011... Sorry it took me so long to post these pics..

I would just contact SMG with whatever concerns you have. It is possible that it is just cut way too short, but when you contact SMG they will be able to tell you what if anything you need to do.

Orlhair, I am going to contact them.. Thanks

More pics 17 months post op taken indoors of Dr. Ron Shapiro"s work..

Well, you have acknoledged what everyone can clearly see: your front repair work looks great!

 

The thing with the scar is that you've had several goes now and while there it is visible you note that you have a reaosnable number of grafts left in the bank, so any revision at this point may compromise your capacity to grab all of those in the future. You may just want to wait a few years and see how things progress.

 

If you were absolutely dedicated to not having another HT strip surgery, you can look at putting beard hair into the scar. See Dr. Umar's work for example. You might be a candidae for beard/body hair FUE, which if you get lucky would allow you to cut much much shorter. But it will take several more surgeries and lots of cash to gamble on it working out.

I will definitely keep it shorter on the bottom and fade it to the top.. Thanks Levaris

How short is your hair in that picture? What size guard did the barber use??

Here are a few pictures that I took today with my Nikon Digital Camera outdoors at 17 months post op of Dr. Ron Shapiro's work 17 months post op.. I will post more pics..