I recently visited “SMPLooks”, a Milena Lardi trained temporary SMP clinic in Long Island, NY, to get the temporary SMP procedure performed for the hair thickening effect. As these forums have been helpful to me in my search for information regarding hair loss, I want to give back by writing a review of my experience.
Location
SMPLooks is located in the East Norwich section of Long Island, and is easily accessible by several means of transport from other parts of NYC. Personally, I took the Long Island regional rail in. The procedure is performed such that it is initially done on back to back days – although I stayed with family in the city for the night, there is a hotel within walking distance of the SMPLooks office which I thought was convenient. The actual office is clean, aesthetically pleasing and has a calming atmosphere which are all important in putting one at ease about the procedure.
Owner
Erik is the owner of SMPLooks and if I may say so, what a terrific guy! Having been on the other side of the chair (he has had transplants as well as temporary SMP done), he offers a wealth of personal experience. I found him to be very personable, down to earth, and honest – he frankly discussed the pros/cons of various hair loss options available today including temporary SMP, which I found refreshing. Finally, he performs the procedure himself.
Procedure
A little bit about me - I am 28 with a strong family history of high Norwood hair loss, and have started to see signs of my own journey down that path. I have some thinning at the crown, which I have noticed over the past couple of years. I have never had any other hair loss treatments. I came across temporary SMP on these forums and found this treatment option appealing for several reasons – first, it is not permanent which gives me flexibility with what I want to do with my hair if hair loss progresses; secondly it is affordable for me; and third, it provides me with a temporary way of improving the appearance of my hair density while I wait to see how my hair loss will “declare itself” over the next few years. The procedure was done over two days – 2 “passes” were performed over 3-4 hours on day 1 and 1 more pass was performed over 2 hours on day 2. On the first day, the procedure was not uncomfortable. I laid face down on a “massage type” table while Erik performed the procedure. It felt like being poked with a pencil tip into various parts of your head – nothing that caused any serious discomfort. On day 2, because there was some inflammation from the prior day, things felt a bit more tender but it was still nothing that was unbearable. Typically, patients are seen back in the office for a 3rd session, ideally within a few months to see how the SMP has “settled out” and to see if another pass would be beneficial. Since I am just a week out from my procedure, I do not yet know how I will settle out. The final result is dependent on many individual factors including one’s immune system response, exposure to sunlight, etc. Thus far, I am pleased with the procedure as it has achieved what I was hoping for which is minimization of contrast between my scalp and hair particularly at the crown where I am thinning a bit.
Overall impression
I feel that temporary SMP is a great option for guys who want to do something about their hair loss but do not yet want to take the plunge down the surgery route or lose flexibility of changing their mind about their hair. SMPLooks is a temporary SMP clinic that was trained by and uses materials originally produced by Milena Lardi (Beauty Medical) in Italy. The owner is upfront, honest and an overall good guy. I will have to see how my result “settles out” over the next few weeks but so far so good. Highly recommend this clinic! Feel free to write with any questions!
 My recent experience with "SMPLooks"Printable View
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