Should I tattoo my head?

[PatrickH]

I have been talking to a company based in Spain offering this service. In fact they dont call it a tattoo.. they use organic pigent which is inserted much shallower into the skn than a traditiona tattoo. It means I would need a touch up after 3 years or so but the photo's I have seen are really impressive, it leaves you with a crewcut. I have an appointment booked with one of their people who has had the treatment himself. They claim a 100% record for successful treatments in terms of negative reactions (starting out by taking care of people who had surgical scars requiring coverage). Comparing it directly with alternate therapies it is significantly cheaper than transplantation... for which I am unsuited anyway as I have hair only below my ears in a stripe across the back of my head. It also provides full coverage whereas I have always had the concern that using potions might simply return me to the worst place of all... where I look like I am "going bald"... so much worse than "being bald".

Is there anyone out there who has had the treatment and can offer me some good questions to ask?

[JohnS]

I have been seeing this on a number of forums, at first glance it appears to look pretty good, not sure how good if it was in person. Personally I would not do it, seems weird to me. It's your head.

[splitting hairs]

This is interesting....I had considered this last year, but I remember Spex posting up a patient who had had this done, but it turned purple after a few years. The guy then went for a transplant with Dr Feller.

 

This seems like a decent option, but the question is whether it looks natural or not. You would have to shave your remaining hair like twice a week for it to look right. The other thing you have to think about is will a shaved head look suit you when you are 50?

[aska]

I would like to see pictures if you can post PatrickH. Ty.

[From Bald To Bold]

Never heard of this. Sounds interesting though. I would like to see photos as well!

[youngsuccess]

I've seen impressive results with micro-pigmentation when it's used to mask donor scars. I don't know about trying to create the illusion of having stubble over the entire scalp though...

 

Check this out: http://www.headstyl.com/gallery.html

 

Some of them look pretty good, but some of the hairlines/temple points are way too straight. That poor black guy's work is disastrous looking in the pictures, IMO. I suspect even the more impressive "after" results may look strange in the flesh like JohnS suggested. There is no undoing this shit, either.

[youngsuccess]

Actually, some of the results might look worse if they used full-face shots.

 

Look at their model in the banner at the top of the page. The "afters" look strange.

[1973kop]

I think it looks weird and false on the hairline but may work well in hiding your liner scar after a transplant.

[aska]

Looks kinds weird, but may be good for the scar area.

[splitting hairs]

Part of me thinks this looks kind of good and part of me thinks it looks kind of weird.

 

I think anyone considering this needs to see it in person. What about in direct sunlight, will it be easily noticeable? How well does it blend with the patients remaining hair? These can only be answered by seeing it in person.

[vincehair]

This has been talked about before. I think it is seriously stupid unless you plan on living your life 5 feet away from everyone and never let anyone touch your head.

[PatrickH]

Thanks everyone for your input. I had my first consultation with them on Friday. The guy I met, Justin, had the treatment. It looked pretty good, I even made him come out front so I could see it in direct sun. It may be that because he has gone for a light shade that it works well... Would need to see someone with a darker version to be certain. Justin had his treatment a few months ago and said that afercare was important.. much use of creams and balms.. and he needed to avoid direct sunlight for 5 to 7 days. Still seems like a small price to pay.

As for anyone running their fingers through it... I will be honest and say it has been over ten years since anyone could do that with me anyway.

I have gone away to think about it with a view to going back for a follow up consultation in a couple of weeks by when I hope to have clarified my questions for them... your contri's here have been a huge help so lease keep them coming. I have certainly picked up on the importance of getting the hairline right.. it sort of defines the overall outcome as good or bad - not completely convinced yet but the practioner spoke to me about "bevelling" the edge which would give it less of a stark appearance... I dont want to end up looking like a hop hop wannabe now do I?

[dakota3]

I cant imagine how this could look even remotely close to real hair. I could see tattooing your head to add the illusion of density if you have existing hair but if you are slick bald then all it's going to look like is tattoo'd dots on your head

[Raphael84]

Interesting,

 

whilst some of the photos on this website are somewhat impressive, I feel that others do not look natural. Obviously most difficulty seems to be around the hair line. The hairline design seems much too suited for a black guy, too sharp and definate.

 

Whilst for me, feeling genuine and real, not hiding behind anything (concealers right now for me), and a pure sense of freedom and peace of mind in any situation are the motivations for my upcoming HT. I do not believe that this process would relieve those issues. As already mentioned, if somebody were to touch your head, or question you about it.

 

Having said that, some of the results do look okay (for me, more so on darker skin), but I feel that the hairline design should be reconsidered, and without doubt, some of the patients will be extremely happy. Much like a HT, it is a hugely personal decision!

[Dr. Raymond Konior]

I have seen dozens of men over the years with tattooing on the scalp. Although this method can effectively help camouflage scars in the donor area, many of the patients I have seen expressed concerns about pigments changing color and progressive bleeding or smearing of the individual tattoo marks with age. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the experience of the tattoo artist. Many of the photos shown on the website were taken with different lighting techniques so it would be advantageous for you to see someone in person with skin/hair characteristics similar to your own.

[PatrickH]

Thank you for your valuable insights Doctor Konior. Can I ask you specifically about the potential for smearing with time - I raised this very point with the consultant and was assured that this is a "paramedical" procedure as defined by the General Medical Counsel in the UK. The organic pigment (as opposed to tattoo ink) is inserted into the layer of skin which exfoliates (again very different to a normal tattoo of which I have several). So there may be some fading over the 3 year life of the treatment but smearing I am told will not occur. I was also told that beyond the designed hairline the skill of the practioner owes more to the advanced nature of the equipment they use than to their own artistic ablities.

I would appreciate your feedback.

Thanks in advance.

[Dr. Raymond Konior]

I would inquire about the nature of the 'organic' dyes and pigments that are used. Although many people tend to think of something 'organic' as being beneficial in some way, benzene is an organic compound and I sure wouldn't want too much exposure to it. Don't get me wrong ??“ the materials may be perfectly safe ??“ but it is your right to know exactly what the materials are and what studies have been done to substantiate their long term safety. The description of placing the dye into the exfoliating layer is a bit confusing since that would imply that it is placed into the epidermis rather than the dermis. Tattooing traditionally involves placement into the dermis where the pigments become trapped. The epidermis undergoes regular turnover and regeneration which would result in a very short lived color deposition if the dye is only confined to this 'exfoliating' layer. With respect to the uniqueness of the tattoo device - I doubt if there are many traditional professional tattoo artists who would attribute a great tattoo more to the machine rather than their own artistic skills. Finally, the tattoo dyes that I have seen bleed, fade and alter color may have been produced with different compounds, by a lesser skilled individual or with an inferior device. With that in mind I really can't comment on the bleeding and fading properties of these materials. What are the longest follow-up cases that they have shown to you? It would be very advantageous to see a case with several years of follow-up so that the fading and bleeding characteristics of these materials can be better appreciated.

[PatrickH]

 

 

This is a great insight into the process. Love the guys reaction at the end.

[..]

The guy on the website id have to say it doesnt look natural the lines are as stated earlier are to harsh and linear, maybe the tattoist needs to add arcs and recession curves when drawing in some of the hairlines. the guy in the video didnt look to bad, he did have a lot more hair tho, he would also have to have it cleaned shaved every day to keep that illlusion of shadow scalp hair

[aaron1234]

Holy cow, I just looked at that headstyl website and the guys hairline is like an inch above his eyebrows. Yikes! I could see why someone would do this for a scar.. but a hairline?!? No thanks.. I'll stick with the concealer powder. Not a bad idea for habitually slick bald guys... just could be more artfully done. And probably better for those with a darker skin complexion.