SMP Removal and Repair

Story

This client had his girlfriend's PMU artist do his hairline. She told him she could make him look like he had hair.

Once the SMP was done, he lost his confidence. He was embarrassed, he couldn't speak with clients face to face, and he had to quit his job.

He came to Studio Kiku for laser SMP removal. The artist had used permanent makeup pigment that contained iron oxide undertones, not a carbon-based black pigment. That is why you see brown in the photos as the laser removed it. It finally did come out, but it took extra work.

After several sessions with the PicoWay, he was able to get SMP done again.

Billy DeCola did his new SMP. The goal was to achieve the appearance of some stubble without it being obvious.

Results

The old hairline before laser, the same scalp after several laser SMP removal sessions, and the new SMP. Tap any photo to see it full size.

Good vs Bad

What Separates Good SMP from Bad SMP

Scalp micropigmentation is a cosmetic tattoo. On a bald head it creates the look of stubble, and on thinning hair it adds the look of density.

Good SMP is soft and delicate, and it isn't obvious. Bad SMP goes in too deep, so each dot spreads into a splotch. It gets oversaturated, or the hairline is simply in the wrong place and nothing can hide it. Covering mistakes with a flesh-toned pigment makes it worse, because that pigment contains white, which can't be removed and darkens under the laser.

Done well, SMP can be a life-changing experience. It can give back the confidence that hair loss took. Done poorly, it can do the exact opposite. The laser can remove most of that pigment, or lighten it enough to be covered with good SMP.

Billy has been tattooing since 2009, SMP included, and has trained hundreds of SMP artists. He knows what SMP should look like when it's put into the skin.

Podcast

The Faded Podcast

Billy talks about SMP removal, and how bad SMP can destroy someone's confidence, in this episode.

SMP Laser Removal Can Change Your Life

Watch the episode