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Thanks Dolph! Touchups are usually 1/4 the cost of the initial treatment so financially this won't even come close to breaking the bank. I tell budget-minded clients who plan to do annual touchups to figure $400-500/year. These pigments are temporary because of the way they are composed as well as the depth (.5mm/upper dermis) we inject at. This eliminates the risk of color changing over time or pigment bleeding out.

Thanks Bill! And yes, most clients will shave every day or every other day.

I'm sorry to read all you've been through. Just dealing with alopecia is tough enough, but then to have botched surgeries is a real kick in the teeth. At any point during this journey did any of the doctors suggest having a transplant might not be a good idea because of your alopecia and the unpredictable nature of your grafts? With all you've been through I agree that the pictures you are showing are not terrible. Have you considered looking into microblading in-between those hairs? I think this would give you the fuller look and shape without any further risk.

Thanks HSRP10! The pigment/system I use is designed to fade and disappear 100% from your system so yes future touchups are needed. I've been doing this about 6 years now and the average time before clients come in for a touchup has been 1.5-2 years. Some, though, come in annually, while others will go longer than 2 years. The timing of the fade depends on external factors (sun and chlorine exposure), plus how quickly your body expels the pigment. It also depends on the clients' expectations/needs.

Hi Badbeat, You can see more pictures on my web site and social media accounts although I do have a backlog of new thickening results too prepare and upload. I promise I will make a thread here as well.

A client recently visited Ahead Ink from Canada with his wife. She only spoke French, but when asked what she wanted her husband's new hairline to look like she exclaimed in perfect English, "Prison Break!" (referring to the lead characters of the TV show). Needless to say she was quite pleased with the results. **Result is shown immediately after 3 passes. The white line is from a topical vasoconstrictor which will disappear shortly after the procedure. Thanks for looking!

Another selfie from one of our awesome clients!

Wow, he must look like a new man!

On a 1-10 scale the highest number I've ever heard someone report was a 6 while most say 2-3. The 2-3 guys usually say it's more annoying than painful, or it itches. I do caution clients that the second day is a bit more painful. Typically clients report the front/hairline/temple points are more sensitive an area, crown/vertex not bad at all. Scars either don't seem to hurt at all or can be quite painful. Thankfully scars don't take a lot of time to work on if it's the latter. I have never had a client "tap out" on a procedure and have never had to use lidocaine, etc. I see many clients take a nap during the procedure (our table is quite comfy) but usually we have a nice conversation or they'll listen to earbuds (podcasts etc).

Hi Transhair, I give every client a Beauty Medical branded aftercare kit. It includes a serum (not an antibiotic ointment) and a shampoo. I also follow the same protocol as Beauty Medical which advises the client uses the serum 2-3 times daily and not to SHAMPOO for 48 hours after the procedure (the client may shower/wet his head that night). The client may then use the provided shampoo which will help normalize the PH balance of the skin. The serum will help moisturize and "lock in" the pigments. The client will use the aftercare kit for 5 days and is advised to avoid direct sunlight, swimming in a chlorinated pool, and heavy sweating (for a week). Other SMP clinics will have differing postcare directions as they are using different techniques, needles, pigments, etc. Tricopigmentation only injects at .5mm which is a superficial injection (upper dermis) and requires different care to ensure the pigments retain and last. Every Ahead Ink client gets this kit as well as printed out instructions when they are done and all of these aftercare instructions are also on our web site. Did you have your procedure done with a Beauty Medical trained technician?

This client desired a natural hairline design and to cover his crown loss. He is pictured fully healed approximately 1 year after his first 3 passes. Thanks for looking!

Thanks for all the help and support over the years my friend! I consider you to be one of the "good guys" that I've had the pleasure of getting to know a bit in the industry. Best of luck in whatever you continue to do!

This client was troubled by his deeply receded, high Norwood level pattern. He required 4 sessions of temporary SMP to recreate his hairline and disguise his crown loss. Thanks for looking!

Thanks Badbeat! Jonyny, thanks! Most, if not all, of clients who are bothered by their FUE scars are like the gent pictured here who desired to shave his head down with a zero guard. I find that when the hair is just a bit longer the FUE scarring is pretty much undetectable. I even had one client who wasn't even aware of how visible his FUE scars were until he shaved down with a zero.

Thanks Dolph.... And here's another Selfie!

This client stopped by for a fourth pass/touchup session. We made some minor adjustments to his hairline and added further density. Here is the original thread. Thanks for looking! http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188164-ahead-ink-young-nw-7-challenge.html

I've been on these forums ten years and don't ever recall seeing a post-op picture as brutal as the ones you are showing. This is clearly not normal and I would heed Dr. Bloxham's advice and seek out another medical doctor's care immediately.

Hey Spanker, I've done quite a few HT Thickening Effect clients and they look great. You probably don't see many of these because it's not as "sexy" to show off those types of results compared to Shaved Look ones. But stay tuned as I'll be making a thread soon to display before and afters.

Another Selfie.....

As a Scalp Micropigmentation artist I have the luxury of not worrying about running out of donor supply. I have had some clients come in with ideas of placing their hairline where it was in their youth. Thankfully this is a small percentage of clients, and the ones who are looking to go overly aggressive can usually be swayed to find something more age appropriate. I find that working about four to five fingers above the eyebrows is usually good place to start. Then there are different degrees of temple recession you can play around with, not to mention forelock design. The headshape also comes into play when designing a hairline. I'm actually about to start a series of videos and one of them is going to document what goes into designing a hairline and how to stay age appropriate. seven32, The placement/height of your design if doing SMP is certainly attainable (although I would tweak it quite a bit to make it look more natural). However, I must agree with the doctors and other forum members that to transplant that particular hairline would not be a good idea.

He's got the Dreads but he's not a Rasta! He is actually considering lopping them off now thanks to the SMP. He claims they are a bit burdensome and since they are down to his waist I understand why. They do look very cool though!

This client had a poor strip procedure done a few years ago to address his hairline (which likely receded from traction alopecia due to his dreadlocks). The growth from the strip was not satisfactory so he came to Ahead Ink to fill in the frontal band--which he was tired of covering with Topik hair fibers--as well as to address the temple points. He is pictured after 2 passes using a three-point needle. He will return in 4-6 weeks for one more pass. Thanks for looking!

This client had both strip and FUE surgery. He wasn't pleased with the density or the strip scar so he came to Ahead Ink to address both issues. In order to pull off a proper scar concealment we had to add pigment to his entire scalp including above and below the scar line. We also adjusted his hairline to make it a more aesthetic design. This was done over 4 sessions. Thanks for looking!

Thanks Netsky! This client spent a good deal of time in the sun as well which can accelerate fading of Temporary SMP but the treatment as a whole still held up quite well.

We decided to start a new Ahead Ink series of selfie pictures to showcase some happy clients and demonstrate just how natural the treatment looks out in the "wild." Here are a few but you can follow us on Instagram or FaceBook to see more......thanks for looking!