Gearing up for Micro-pigmentation

[HatingHats]

I am saying that the correct organic ink (many are polymers) which has a large diffuse shape should be more resistant to fade than much smaller metal oxide particles as the years go by. That said, when the actual tattoo machine hits the skin and the pigment is inserted into the dermis, smaller metal oxide particles have a tendency to remain in the crevices created by the vibrating needle more easily. Just as tiny bits of sand or dust can go into a cut on your hand more easily than strands of sphagetti can. That is why, if the pigment used is a metal oxide, you need often only one session and going over the same areas would simply produce elongated dots and too dark of a shade. With organic polymers, many of them will not be inserted fully into the dermis and as your immune system closes the skin and your epidermis sloughs off, the larger organic polymers will often not remain. For a foot away, it would appear to be fading and this area can be gone over again with a tattoo machine, without 'elongating' the dots so to speak. It seems that with this type of approach, 3 to 5 sessions can often achieve the best look and match. The up side is, if you protect your dome from the sun, less smearing and fading down the road in 10, 20, 30 years etc....

Now, with that said, ... remember, this is the engineering nerd version of how things work. In the real world, humanity follows a gaussian (bell) curve and what works well in some math equation may not mean jack sht in someone with a bit unusual scalp. I actualy do not specialize in tissue engineering, so I had to contact a former professor to learn about the very items I just mentioned above. So while it is generally true, specific results in individuals in the real world will vary along a scale.

Broadly speaking, if I had to take a guess, I would say that metal oxide inks are more resistant to UV degradation but have more potential for fading down the road. Organic inks on the other hand are riskier since they are often more sensitive to UV degradation but providing you wear sunscreen and take care of your smp treatment, probably have the potential to resist fade better in the long run.

[Horseshoe]

I called the SMP clinic that I visited in NY (HIS) and asked what type of ink do they use and they said ink similar to traditional tattoo ink (I guess, metal oxide). So now the hunt is on for a clinic that uses Organic polymer ink. I also read the Cujo thread and found it really interesting. I see what can go wrong with not having the right practitioner perform the work. And when I called them, they said that all practitioners are equal in quality of work. They all meet the same standards. But clearly that is not the case just by looking at the photo gallery you could pick out the good vs not so good. It seems like the darker the skin tone the better it looks. My scalp is fair with no hair follicles on top and my horseshoe shadow is light due to low density of hair on the sides and back. But I do tan well when I can find time.

Have you found a clinic that uses the organic ink?

Have you found a practitioner that you are familiar with or knowledge of his work?

[HatingHats]

I cannot confirm exactly what any of the major smp providers are using, except GLI which I believe has told many people they use metal oxide based ink. An important note Horseshoe, it that I am not saying all organic inks are superior to metal oxide inks. Metal oxides have been around for years, hold their color well (if of the darker tones) and fade slowly. On the other hand, I have heard (but not tested or seen myself) that some organic inks fade very quickly or degrade in UV light, and you definitely dont want your head changing color five years down the road. I think a limited class of organic polymers could prove superior to metal oxides but they would have to have specific tertiary structure and be tested for UV radiation. I dont believe any of the smp clinics have the time, money (or possibly knowledge) to reach this evaluation step yet. And, to repeat, I do not know if any of them are using organics yet as a fact. The best results that I have seen from photos (not in real life) have come from Matt, Zang and Aldemar at HIS and the main gentleman (forget name) at GLI.

[Horseshoe]

In a last ditch effort I went again to see a IAHRS Doctor to see if I could at least get enough coverage for a frontal hairline and I was rejected once again due to my donor hair thinnig out. It's bad enough going bald but to be a NW7 and then being told that even my horseshoe donor area is so thin that I might even loose that hair and there is no hope of ever having hair again is really depressing. And to add insult to injury I was also told that the hair cloning/hair replication was not going to happen in my life time.

So I guess SMP (Hair Tattoo) is my only option. Of the big three clinics (AC,HIS,GLI) , I think that GLI might be a good fit for me. When I get some time off I may just get in the car and make a road trip to Minnesota and see it up close and personal...

[Horseshoe]

Took a couple months break from the site and decided to check in and see if hatinghats had his SMP procedure done and what was the outcome?

[PatientlyWaiting]

How was it?

[JudeL]

Originally Posted by Horseshoe

In a last ditch effort I went again to see a IAHRS Doctor to see if I could at least get enough coverage for a frontal hairline and I was rejected once again due to my donor hair thinnig out. It's bad enough going bald but to be a NW7 and then being told that even my horseshoe donor area is so thin that I might even loose that hair and there is no hope of ever having hair again is really depressing. And to add insult to injury I was also told that the hair cloning/hair replication was not going to happen in my life time.

So I guess SMP (Hair Tattoo) is my only option. Of the big three clinics (AC,HIS,GLI) , I think that GLI might be a good fit for me. When I get some time off I may just get in the car and make a road trip to Minnesota and see it up close and personal...

Isn't what Dr. Gho is doing hair cloning/replication?