It does not grow hair. For a shaved look, a depleted donor or camouflaging scars, it can still be the better answer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Done with correct needle depth and pigment dilution, no. Poorly done work blurs into blue-grey blotches within two years.