Scalp micropigmentation: tattooed density and when it beats surgery
It does not grow hair. For a shaved look, a depleted donor or camouflaging scars, it can still be the better answer.
What it actually is
Micro-deposits of pigment placed in the upper dermis to mimic the shadow of a shaved follicle. Done well, it reads as a close-cropped hairstyle rather than a tattoo, and it is completely non-surgical.
Three situations where it wins
A depleted donor area that cannot support more grafts; a patient who genuinely wants the shaved look; and camouflaging a strip scar or over-harvested donor. In all three, surgery cannot deliver what pigment can.
Its limitations
It provides no length, no texture and no coverage if you grow your hair. Pigment fades over 3-5 years and needs a top-up, and colour matching must account for greying.
Combining it with a transplant
Pigment placed between grafts creates the illusion of greater density on a thin scalp, a common and effective combination for patients whose donor cannot deliver full coverage.
The Ones People Actually Ask.
Does it look like a tattoo up close?
Done with correct needle depth and pigment dilution, no. Poorly done work blurs into blue-grey blotches within two years.
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