Show Notes
Billy breaks down laser removal for scalp micropigmentation, explaining why so many people come to Studio Kiku to lighten, adjust or fully remove SMP that was done poorly. He covers the common reasons SMP goes wrong, including pigment placed too deep, oversaturation and a bad hairline, and walks through what the removal process actually involves. Along the way he shares a client story, sets realistic expectations about session counts, and explains what to look for in a studio and equipment before booking.
Topics Covered
Why poorly done SMP lands people in removal
Billy explains that scalp micropigmentation is meant to build confidence, but when it is done by someone without the right skill it can do the opposite. Depth, oversaturation and a badly placed hairline are the most common problems he sees.
A client story about concealed mistakes
Billy shares the case of a man whose SMP was done by a brow artist and turned out so poorly that he quit his job for a year. The artist had tried to hide errors with a flesh toned pigment, and white pigment darkens when lasered, which made the job much harder to correct.
How SMP removal works on the scalp
Removing SMP uses the same process as laser tattoo removal, where the pigment shatters and the body absorbs it over time. A soft, delicate job can come out quickly, but deep, saturated pigment can be even more difficult than a regular body tattoo.
Session spacing and what to expect
Billy recommends six to eight weeks between sessions so the skin can recover and the body can metabolize the pigment. The scalp and area around the ears can be more tender, so numbing cream, ice and cold air help, and he suggests keeping the first day or two low key.
Hidden colours and other challenges
Warming colours added to SMP pigment can surface after the dark layer is removed, similar to permanent makeup and brow removal, leaving behind red or yellow tones. Billy notes there is little colour theory behind this practice and it can complicate the removal.
Choosing the right studio and equipment
Billy stresses setting realistic expectations, since deep, saturated pigment will not clear in a single session and anyone promising that should raise concern. He recommends a studio experienced with SMP removal, before and after photos, and the use of the PicoWay for its short pulse duration and reduced skin damage.
Full Transcript
Welcome to the Faded podcast. In this episode, I'm gonna talk all about scalp micro-pigmentation, laser removal scalp, micro-pigmentation, otherwise known as SMP, is a cosmetic tattoo that can either add the illusion of stubble to somebody's head like mine, who has no hair at all, or it can add the illusion of density to somebody with thinning hair. It's a treatment that's marketed as something that can boost your confidence, helping you feel better about your hair loss. But if it's done poorly, it can do the exact opposite.
It can destroy somebody's confidence. I've seen it happen. We're getting tons of people coming in to Studio Kiku, look into either lighten, adjust or completely remove scalp micro-pigmentation so let's talk about some of the reasons why people are looking to get it done, and let's talk about some things that you need to know if you are looking to get it done so you can prepare for the treatment. My name is Billy De Cola.
I'm the owner of Studio Kiku, one of the most trusted and well-known laser tattoo removal studios in the world. And not only do I do laser tattoo removal, but I tattoo, I've been tattooing for the past 15 years, and within that time I have also done. Scout micro-pigmentation. I've done thousands of treatments.
I've trained hundreds of students who have gone on to become scout micro-pigmentation artists. I've done an online course, and that course is still out there right now. com if you're interested. let's just say I have a lot of experience applying SMP, so I know what it should look like when it's put into the skin.
With the trend of scalp micro-pigmentation on the rise, we're also seeing a higher demand for laser tattoo removal for scalp micro-pigmentation. If you think about it, the head is one of the most difficult spots on the body to tattoo. When I learned how to tattoo, I was tattooing calves for the first year before I was even allowed to tattoo any other parts of the body. We're seeing tons of clients coming to us who have gone somewhere to get s and p and the s and p ruined their confidence.
Let me tell you a story about a guy who came to us two years ago with a big problem on his hands he ended up getting SMP from his girlfriend's friend, who was a brow artist, and she told him that she would easily be able to create the illusion of a hairline and stubble, and it would be undetectable. Well, it didn't quite turn out that way for him, and he ended up feeling so insecure about himself that he quit his job. He didn't work for an entire year. He came to us after he quit his job, looking to get s and p removal done.
The pigment was deep, it was dark, it was oversaturated. It took several sessions before some of that pigment would break up. A lot of it disappeared right away, but the deeper, darker pigment did not. It lingered around and we hit it several times with.
All types of wavelengths and depths and spot sizes. We played around with the settings so much. not only did he get a bad s and p job, but the person who did it tried to conceal. Some of her mistakes with a flesh toned pigment.
So he had white pigment on his head, which cannot come out. It actually. Darkens when you laser white pigment. So the poor guy ended up getting like six or eight sessions of laser, I forget what it was.
Um, and then we finally ended up doing a new layer of SMP over top of what was there. Moral of the story is SMP can destroy somebody's confidence if it's done improperly. Luckily, we have the laser and the laser can remove most pigment. it can definitely lighten it enough so you can cover it with a nice scalp micro-pigmentation job, Let's talk about some of the common reasons why people want to get their scalp micro-pigmentation removed.
First of all, we have depth, so if the pigment's put in too deep, the dot will become bigger and it'll look like a big splotch of pigment on the person's head. That definitely isn't a good look. So too deep is one reason. Oversaturated is another reason we see it.
All the time where people just go crazy trying to over please the client, and they end up putting big, you know, mud stains on somebody's head. another reason why people come in is because their hairline is just completely whack. It's just off and there's nothing you can do to conceal it. So they come in to get laser removal.
sometimes we only remove the front part and the back is fine. And then we'll just redo the hairline. Last but not least, maybe somebody just grows out of it and they're just like, you know what? I just want to be back to normal again.
But I've seen so many people after they get scalp micro-pigmentation actually feel less confident about themselves than before they got it done. And it's not because the service. In general is a bad service. It's because there are many people out there who aren't skilled enough to do that service properly.
Let's talk about how SMP removal works on the head. Laser tattoo removal for scalp micro-pigmentation is the same exact thing that you would get if you were getting a regular tattoo removed. The only differences really are depth, so sometimes if it's a nicely done SMP job, sometimes it'll come out in one session. If it's a soft, delicate looking tattoo, it'll come right out.
But if it's deep It'll be very, very difficult to get out. So in some cases it's easy, and in other cases it's very difficult. Even more difficult than a regular body tattoo in some cases. What to expect during the removal process?
S and p, like I said, is, is a tattoo, so it's gonna be the same reaction when the laser hits the pigment. The pigment's gonna shatter. Your body's gonna absorb the pigment. Over time, the light pigment usually fades right away, leaving behind all the deep, dark oversaturated follicles that were placed in your scalp.
The number of sessions depends on the same variables, how deep the pigment is, how saturated it is, and the type of pigment that was used. Spacing out the sessions is pretty much the same. We recommend anywhere between six and eight weeks in between laser sessions to allow your skin to get back to normal and to also give your body a little bit of time to metabolize that pigment. Let's talk about some of the possible challenges that you may have with getting your SMP laser removed.
Sometimes artists will put colors in the pigment to warm it up, and in that case, it's pretty much the same as brow removal, where the first session will remove the dark pigment and it will leave behind whatever's left behind. If it's a red or a yellow, I've seen it happen a million times. You remove the top layer and surprise, surprise, there's some red pigment in there. I really don't know why s and p artists put red or orange in the pigment.
There's really no color theory in my opinion, but that's another podcast episode altogether. Another challenge that you may have when getting SMP is the skin. The skin is a little bit more delicate on the head and definitely around the ears, so sometimes it's a little bit more painful. Uh, we do have numbing cream and ice for that and cold air, but.
It can be a little bit tender, a little bit more tender than, let's say, getting your arm or leg lasered. So sometimes we do recommend spacing the sessions out a little bit longer, and it's definitely important if you're getting SMP removal to make sure that you can chill for the first day or two. You don't want to get s and p removal and then go to your lifeguarding job and sit out in the sun all day or go run a marathon or something like that. Definitely don't do anything else, but just relax ice a little bit here and there to cool your tissue down.
Let's talk about managing expectations. I know I mentioned that a lot of times SMP can come right out and a lot of people think that that's the case, even if they have very dark, saturated deep pigment. If you have dark, deep pigment, it is not coming out in one session. There is no way.
I've seen some people have eight sessions of laser and it still didn't come out all the way. So if you have deep, dark, saturated pigment, do not expect to come in here one time and have it removed. That's not gonna happen. If somebody does tell you that they can do it in one session, then you better beware I've seen people with scar tissue on their head.
Because they used the laser that shouldn't have been used on their skin tone, or it was just used improperly. The settings way too high. So what you wanna do if you're looking to get SMP removal is find a laser studio that has experience doing SMP removal you wanna see before and after pictures. You want to talk to the laser technician and make sure that they have an understanding of what they're dealing with.
And also you want to check the equipment that they're using. I would not get laser removal done. On my head with anything other than the Pico way. The Pico way is the cream of the crop.
When we're talking about pico lasers, you can check out an episode that I did all about the differences between. Pico lasers, but uh, the Pico Way has the fastest poll duration, so there is less damage to the skin than with any other laser on the market. It's best for darker skin tones, and it will remove the pigment without creating any damage, and that's what you want. So I would recommend finding a studio that is experienced with doing s and p removal and who is using.
Proper equipment. if you have questions about scout micro-pigmentation removal, you can book a consultation online or you can give us a call and we'll be glad to go over the options with you. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to seeing you again next time on The Faded podcast.