Gearing up for Micro-pigmentation

[HatingHats]

About the providers - If you are considering having this done, do research and think it over. Then, when you have decided. Go out for a good night with friends, and think it over some more and keep reading. Each provider I have phoned, emailed or texted has had some degree (from very very minor to fairly large) of shadiness. This includes mis-quotes on pricing, time (or number of sessions) it takes to achieve the look you are after, the pain level or general scientific knowledge. This smp is fairly new stuff and it preys upon the desparation that many younger balding men feel. Obviously, laying out three to six grand large, to get a smurf head is like a huge nail in the confidence coffin. Fortunately, for me, these crap balding genes have taken their toll slowly and I was already with my future spouse before thinning started. But if you are 21 years old and already a Norwood 3 or 4, these places are ripe to take your money. Some will work with you quite dilligently over many sessions to get the look you paid for, and others are a one shot and your out on your azz deal. And that is not factoring in hundreds or thousands in travel cost and lost work time.

Research carefully. Call and ask detailed questions like:

1 - (Obviously) How much is the price? (most places say the cost starts at around $500, but in reality, even if you are a Norwood 1, it starts at about $1200, but for most folks it is roughly $2800 to $6600, not couting tax)
2 - How deep does the needle go? (they should be going about 2mm deep)
3 - How big is the follicle dot, the needle makes ? (in most cases it is about ~300 Um, which is the same as 3/10ths of a millimeter)
4 - How is the needle operated and how many needles are there? (in all places but two, a standard 3 round needle is used and it is operated with a slightly special tattoo gun)
5 - How many sessions will I need? (unless the Virgin Mary comes down and rubs her nether regions on your smp scalp and you turn out to be that one guy in 300 who looks set with no fading after only one session, you will need more than one session, and sometimes up to five or six. Scars are even harder to treat and take pigment very unevenly).
6 - Do you use special proprietary needles or pigment ? (many will claim to do this but in actuality, the truth is likely they are taking standard pigments that are widely available and abasing them slightly with a minute amount of something else to claim their ink is special. Same for needles or needle techniques. Do not fall for the 'patent pending' line. Many tens of thousands of patents are filed for every year, but only a small percentage are actually approved by USPTO).
7 - etc.... make sure you educate yourself and prepare before any email, phone or Skype consultation.