Is my scalp pigmentation bad? To dark and "dotty" in areas! (pics)

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

Hey guys, I live in Boston MA.. and had a scalp micropigmentation procedure done by one of if not the only clinics in Boston called microscalpclinic..

 

I had the sessions payed the $... I wanted a straight but natural hairline look.. I feel like for the most part I achieved that.. problem is, I feel like in some areas my SMP looks "dotty" and I mean some of the black dots placed on my frontal hairline and temples of my head are very black compared to the rest of my SMP.. that was done.. he also did a little on my actual front of my head.. placed a few dots here and there.. but definitely didnt go crazy. I went from hours of sessions to less than a hour after and.. I just felt rushed out if that makes sense.. I have had zero people say it looks fake or that somethings wrong with my head.. but I have high standards.. and I want it to look right. pics are attached

 

I guess my question is.. will these dots "blend" in over time? I know obviously as time goes on they will not be as dark.. it's been a few weeks since he "finished up" my hairline and lazered off some dots off the front he said were "to dark" and it hurt alot.. I feel like a professional shouldnt have to go to those lengths.. I just feel like because he had gotten payed I lost the effort on his part. I'm not saying it looks FAKE at alll.. but I am saying that in certain areas it doesn't look like it should.. what can I personally do? The key areas are the right temple a little above.. and a few dots in the very middle front.. and on the left side temple area its still there.. just not as dark and as noticeable as the right.

 

I don't feel like that is acceptable.. but theres nothing I can actually do on my part. It haunts me.. am I overthinking? I know clearly cause I had this done I am going to be my own worst critic and over analyze it.. but ive seen alot of procedures done by very famous clinics sadly I can't go to.. and I want my stuff to look the best it can.. and also not fade away in a short amount of time. I would feel very played.

 

What do you guys think? I feel like im going crazy..

[ArochaAngel4247]

Yo Bro!

There is nothing wrong with having high standards. I would go back and let them know you have some concerns. Any legitimate business wants happy customers. They should at the very least, make an attempt to bring the work already done- come up to your standards.

 

ArochaAngel4247

[BHilt]

If you want work that is similar to the best treatments you've seen online then you need to actually go to them. A good treatment is 99% about who the technician is.

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

Yo Bro!

There is nothing wrong with having high standards. I would go back and let them know you have some concerns. Any legitimate business wants happy customers. They should at the very least, make an attempt to bring the work already done- come up to your standards.

 

ArochaAngel4247

 

I would hope so.. but there's not much im sure he can do besides lazer some more off my head. which again.. hurts very badly. Idk what else he can personally provide for me. What's your personal opinion? Does it look good to you? Am I overthinking it?

 

If you want work that is similar to the best treatments you've seen online then you need to actually go to them. A good treatment is 99% about who the technician is.

 

I understand that, but living in Boston & not having the means to travel across the country or to NYC.. (I can't afford it) those "professional clinics" are only located out of Boston.. it's a sad reality I had to face being 23 years old and running out of options.. I don't know what else to do. What's your personal opinion? Does it look good to you? Am I overthinking it?

[BHilt]

You're overthinking slightly but youre entitled to as its on your head and youve paid alot of $$$. But youre not helping yourself by holding the camera that close (nobody is getting that close to your head). It looks ok, I'm not a technician but id say you need more density to hide those dark dots? What worries me is that he has actually lasered off his own work!?

Even though you cant go to new york etc, it will do you no harm to ask for the opinion of other companies.

[Spanker]

It doesn't look that great honestly. Sorry bud.

[MarkWestonHair]

Firstly, I would give it more time to "cure." But what I see as an immediate concern here is the same thing I say over and over; NEVER reproduce a hairline that is not based on the original one lost. When pigment is placed outside the scalp skin into the forehead skin, the pigment takes and cures differently. The hairline is way to straight and chiseled-looking for a Caucasian man. The tech admitted the points were too dark and lasered them off. As BHilt commented above, that is scary that some of these companies have a laser tech available for their own work. But the fact remains that the tech did not know why they turned dark in the first place and why the natural hairline should not have been compromised; hence your results. What I would not do is let them apply more pigment; you may end up with a solid fill and numerous more trips to the laser clinic.

 

This is a partial quote from another post I made on this forum:

 

"The scalp pigmentation tech should have NEVER lowered your hairline below your natural line. This is because pigment "cures" differently in scalp skin than it does on the facial (forehead) skin. The color will never match and you will end up with an off-color stripe around the front of your hairline. So many techs are more interested in their pocketbooks rather than the customer's own best long-term natural look. So they readily make rash decisions. You should have been advised of this."

 

You can see the full thread here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188080-smp-removal.html#post2513520

Edited October 27, 2017 by MarkWestonHair

[hairthere]

Hi NSH,

Unfortunately I'd have to agree there are problems with your result. It appears the tech went too deep with the needle and possibly injected too much pigment. While the hairline appears to be the most egregious part, I do see large deposits throughout. As Mark recommended, I would not continue adding pigment to this. Rather, I would try and lighten it with a laser. The laser targets the pigment and breaks it down into smaller particles so your system can absorb them. The upside is it will work; the downside, as you already noted, is that it can be rather painful. I have seen laser removal techs use ice or a blower-type device to help ease the pain a bit.

 

I do not agree necessarily with Mark about your hairline design, though. Attached is someone I worked on with the same design. He is actually Dominican but his skin appears very light. The edge up design worked well for him.

[MarkWestonHair]

An edged-up hairline is appropriate on men of color, those of Latino decent, middle-eastern and some Asian. Most of the time, that is in their genetic makeup and that is what their Mom gave them. What I am saying is that the tech ventured out of the natural hairline and created a hairline that is unnatural looking to this Caucasian man. Very few Caucasian men are born with this type of hairline. While this may be attractive as a young man, just think when you are middle-aged and looking ridiculous. Since my system is permanent, I make sure my clients are well-versed before they insist on such a hairline. In most cases, I deny them as a client as I know they will not be happy years down the road.

 

The first picture is a young Asian man I did with an edged-up hairline. This photo was taken immediately after my one-session completion. The redness disappears in about 24 hours and the color will mellow to match his remaining hair and the hairline will soften in about two weeks. This man originally also had a natural widow's peak which I reproduced. The second photo (also immediately after) is of an older Hispanic man. While his natural hairline from his youth had the "harder" pronounced temples, both the client and I agreed that would not have been attractive on a man his age. Again, the color will mellow to match his remaining hair.

Edited October 27, 2017 by MarkWestonHair

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

An edged-up hairline is appropriate on men of color, those of Latino decent, middle-eastern and some Asian. Most of the time, that is in their genetic makeup and that is what their Mom gave them. What I am saying is that the tech ventured out of the natural hairline and created a hairline that is unnatural looking to this Caucasian man. Very few Caucasian men are born with this type of hairline. While this may be attractive as a young man, just think when you are middle-aged and looking ridiculous. Since my system is permanent, I make sure my clients are well-versed before they insist on such a hairline. In most cases, I deny them as a client as I know they will not be happy years down the road.

 

The first picture is a young Asian man I did with an edged-up hairline. This photo was taken immediately after my one-session completion. The redness disappears in about 24 hours and the color will mellow to match his remaining hair and the hairline will soften in about two weeks. This man originally also had a natural widow's peak which I reproduced. The second photo (also immediately after) is of an older Hispanic man. While his natural hairline from his youth had the "harder" pronounced temples, both the client and I agreed that would not have been attractive on a man his age. Again, the color will mellow to match his remaining hair.

 

 

Do you think my color is going to 'mellow' to match my remaining hair? If the dots fade slightly into the color of the rest of my head over time I wouldn't mind.. but right now it doesn't look right.

 

 

 

Hi NSH,

Unfortunately I'd have to agree there are problems with your result. It appears the tech went too deep with the needle and possibly injected too much pigment. While the hairline appears to be the most egregious part, I do see large deposits throughout. As Mark recommended, I would not continue adding pigment to this. Rather, I would try and lighten it with a laser. The laser targets the pigment and breaks it down into smaller particles so your system can absorb them. The upside is it will work; the downside, as you already noted, is that it can be rather painful. I have seen laser removal techs use ice or a blower-type device to help ease the pain a bit.

 

I do not agree necessarily with Mark about your hairline design, though. Attached is someone I worked on with the same design. He is actually Dominican but his skin appears very light. The edge up design worked well for him.

 

 

This is actually stressing me out to a high degree, I have payed this man $4800 dollars that I barely could afford now.. and now im stuck with this.. what can I do? Do you think the pigment will 'blend' in with the rest of my hair over time? It has only been a few weeks.. im hoping it will lighten up.. because I don't think it looks bad with the rest of my head if the colors matched. that's my concern. what can I do? I got this to wear less hats now it seems like I am wearing them now more than ever.

[MarkWestonHair]

Give it some more time. I have had some clients take almost 6 weeks to "mellow" out. But my System is entirely different that the multi-session method you received. Just be patient; but I feel that the dark points in the hairline will never mellow out. Again, the tech ventured out of the natural hairline.

 

Depending on the tech's level of experience, a damaged needle may also be the cause. Commercially-purchased needles can come out of the wrapper already damaged. If the tech doesn't check them initially with an eye loupe one could slip by.

 

Another case may be that the needle will start out fine but pick up a hook resulting from being run accidentally against the bottom of an ink cup, or possibly against some other object on the work station. If there’s even a tiny hook on the needle tip, that’s enough to cause a larger point than desired. The tech may or may not notice that the pigment isn’t going in as it should and that there seems to be bleeding. There should never be any bleeding with scalp micropigmentation. All this is the sign of an inexperienced tech.

 

Even with my patented needles, I constantly check them during the application process. Being the size of a single point needle but are a three-point, they can pick up hairs and become readily damaged. Sometimes I can use as many as three to five needles on a scalp with severe HT scarring.

 

Attached is a photo of a similiar case that came to me that was done by a multi-session company. Very much like your dilemma. Photo taken 6 months post and the dark points never mellowed.

Edited October 29, 2017 by MarkWestonHair