Advice for an Objective guy going for Scalp "Tattoo"?

[alanrudy]

Hello, have been an active reader of the forums in the past and recently created another account and became an active reader again. I have done research on this scalp "tattoo"ing (MHT) and have a consultation this week. I believe I have found a reputable company with good case studies and have been an active reader of their forums as well which have been very helpful (although of course biased to present it in a positive light). I feel I am an excellent candidate for several reasons:

 

1. I am quite happy shaving my head and to continue to always keep it short. My pics on my profile are to show my hair loss level (currently NW 5 at 31y/o) and 4 days out from my last head shave with a Mach 3 so it looks pretty good when it is the day of/day after shaving. Most people say my hair looks better short than when I had it longer (and used Dermmatch).

 

2. I have a slightly dark skin tone which seems to make someone a good candidate for this process.

 

3. I don't have a ton of money, thus much desire, to spend $25k for a FUE transplant with a good doctor. I technically do have reserves to pay but would rather use that money for my life needs.

 

I have attached a couple pics of a before/after from one of the best case studies. I know my results may vary but their website is full of case studies and forum posts of satisfied customers. They seem very professional, experienced, and reputable in the service they offer and I have yet to see disgruntled customers on their website or other websites, they seem committed to having every customer satisfied and offer free touchups if needed for 1 year.

 

One of the most common complaints about it is that it will fade or turn blue/green over time. I have that same concern however they have told me because of the difference from a regular tattoo (the needles, the pigments, the penetration depth and angles) that it is not an issue. I of course take that with a grain of salt and they told me that because of trade secret reasons of divulging that in an open forum, they will wait for my consultation to give me the details on how fading/turning to blue/green are not a concern.

 

At about $3k, even if it did fade after 5-10 years (which they claim no, and I haven't found any, customers have complained of), I figure I could laser it off if it starts looking bad or if somehow there is a cost effective cure for baldness at that time (always 5 years away, right?). The negatives of someone feeling my head for some reason and potential for it looking bad if I have future hair loss remain. But for $50 a month for 5 years, it doesn't seem like a bad investment.

 

During my consultation, I will be able to see in person people who have had the procedure done. And just for reference, my mother has permanent tattoo mascara (hair company claims to use better process than permanent makeup) that very few people can tell that she has it done and it only has faded a little and still looks good after 10 years.

 

So please give me your opinions/advice with this reputable, experienced company based on my situation. Thanks for your help.

Edited February 13, 2012 by alanrudy

[TakingThePlunge]

alanrudy,

 

I wish I could give you some valuable feedback. While scalp micropigmentation (SMP) seems to be a quite popular subject, there are currently very few recipients sharing their experiences and photos.

 

I would like to see more patient-driven results shared and would also like to see some long-term results.

 

I do wish you the best of luck and if you follow through with the procedure, please return to share your experience.

[alanrudy]

Thanks for your reply takingtheplunge. I agree. It would be great to see it on this forum too, but there do seem to be many very satisfied customers that share photos/experience from start to finish in their forums, almost seems too good to be true so I look forward to seeing some in person. In writing my lengthy post above, I thought, what if I just got a small FUE job (less grafts than I need if I wanted to grow it out) and keep shaving my hair close, that way I'd still have the illusion of a full head of hair like a SMP and just keep it short. However, I did some research on the forums and it seems people are saying it's likely the small scars/skin signs of a HT will show if you cut hair that close and if you are going the shaved/buzz route, do it before/instead of any HT, do you agree?

[Shampoo]

alanrudy,

 

Please do keep us updated. For someone that wants to wear their hair at medium or longer lengths I am curious if this tat approach could be used in conjunction with a hair transplant to give the illusion of more density. Transplant first then do tats. Can you post or PM me the web site you are speaking of where I can go take a look at the pictures and discussion forum? Thanks and good luck.

[N-6]

Shampoo that can certainly be done. Check out goodlook ink in Minneapolis they have some good case studies. Yes Rudy fue scars will show if its that close. Fue isn't a scarless procedure.

[Blake Bloxham]

Shampoo,

 

I personally think SMP can be used in conjunction with surgical therapy to incraese the appearance of a hair transplant. Dr. Rassman has several examples of using SMP to increase the density of thinning hair, so I have no reason to believe that using SMP on a "thinner" transplant procedure wouldn't create the same appearance.

[Shampoo]

Thanks guys....something I could consider down the line.