Tattooing after Transplant?

[TomA]

I've seen people asking about hair tattoos. I think ONLY a tattoo would be ridiculous looking.

 

However, I'm wondering if anyone has had any success with a tattoo as permanent shading after a transplant? (Sort of like permanent Dermmatch.) It would make things much cleaner and easier, and it's not that expensive.

[OxyHair]

I was just meditating on this myself. It seems that the biggest problem with the tattooing is the hairline (it just looks too symmetric/artificial, which admittedly could be solved with a bit better artistry). But I feel like a combination of the two could yield some decent results. Certainly at least as a Plan B kind of thing if you don't mind short hair.

[Hairy Godmother]

lol!

I was talking to Dr. Brad about this a couple of weeks ago (the perm dermmatch concept). I think it could work, but only if the hairline was create by a hair transplant surgeon. I have seem some decent results, but yes it does seem that the weakness lies in the frontal hairline design...

Like eyebrows, the tatooing looks better if you have some existing hair in that area.

[TakingThePlunge]

This thought has also ocurred to me but one thing that concerms me is, if you get brown dots on your head, what happens when you get older and your hair turns gray or white and you've got all these dark dots on your head? Yeah, you can dye your hair for a while but it's just gonna look odd when you're 65-70 years old, don't you think? Just something to think about.

[hairthere]

the ink they use for micropigmentation is not permanent and fades over time.

[Hairy Godmother]

the ink they use for micropigmentation is not permanent and fades over time

 

Correct. I have to have my eyebrows touched up at about every 18-24 months. And with all the sun exposure to the head, fading is inevitable.

[Cam Simmons MD ABHRS]

Originally posted by Hairy Godmother:

 

Correct. I have to have my eyebrows touched up at about every 18-24 months. And with all the sun exposure to the head, fading is inevitable.

 

I am certainly not a tattoo expert but I have seen other doctors' patients who tried tattooing donor scars and recipient areas.

 

Some staff members and female patients tattoo their eyebrows and they have to get touch-ups just like Jessica.

 

Black ink turns blue and brown ink fades.

[Sparky]

if this would further assist me shaving down after I have had FUE into my scar I would consider it, I wouldnt want it to be permanent though, because my hair wont remain brown forever.

[scar5]

concepts

I have a fair complexion, fine, graying brown hair and wanna buzz at number 1, but I have several HT scars and low density areas behind a reasonable hairline. I wonder what you make of these statements

 

a) dots turn into blobs with time

b) a shading effect is better than blobs

c) Tatts look darker and lighter than the surroundig hair depending on the light conditions. Simply by twisting you neck the scar looks lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. How do you address this?

d) All blacks, greys eventually go blueish

e) given that tatts lose up to 50% of their color after a few weeks, there is no sense in trying to match the tones during the consultation. You have to estimate the fade and then compensate for it. As each person is different, how to you get around this? A test patch?

 

MY Story

A few years ago, Ht'd but running out of grafts, hoping to shave or buzz, I had fine dots tatooed on my scars. The dots dissolved into bigger blobs which were noticable. I was called out on them several times. Not good - so I lasered them off. Some remained and the the remaining blur does help. It gives me the impression that a graduated effect maybe better than dots - a kind of shading. As my hairline is fine, and being HT hair should remain so, the area behind it, as well as the scars is my target area. I haven't given up on the idea that tatts could considerably help me, especially with greying hair.