The SMP Treatment Process

Appointments

We will walk you through the process of SMP, step-by-step. Treatments typically are 2-3 sessions. It is VERY important to trust the process, as SMP is a layering process to saturate the scalp with the SMP impressions. It takes MULTIPLE sessions to achieve the final result.

1. First, our business manager will be scheduled to see us for an initial consultation. Consultations are typically done face to face at our center. For those not local, we can also do consults via FaceTime, Skype or a video chat so that we can gain an understanding of your concerns and what you would like to achieve with SMP. We will guide you through your options and the process of what is best for you. From there, a treatment plan will be generated and gone over with our business manager. Typically, your entire SMP treatment visits will be scheduled to make the process more efficient.

2. Next, treatment will begin! We always start conservatively on your first treatment In order to achieve an optimal end result. We are laying the foundation your new look. This visit is important to start conservative so that we can see how your scalp responds to the SMP. When designing a new hairline it is important to be age appropriate and start slow.

3. The second treatment session is when your new look starts to REALLY come to life! This session allows us to darken areas that need it or fill in any areas that did not take after session one. Any questions or concerns are also addressed during this session as minor adjustments can still be accomplished.

4. On occasion, but not always, a third or even forth session may be needed. This is dependent on how much area of the scalp we are covering with SMP. The more area to cover, the higher likelyhood of additional sessions to achieve the final look with adequate coverage. Sometimes a client requests to go a little darker or denser now that they have adjusted to their new SMP look which may warrant additional visits.

Hair Transplants -VS- SMP

Did you know that when an individual decides to get a hair transplant that scars will remain from the area in which the hair follicles have been harvested? The two surgical procedures most often used for hair transplant are follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT). Both surgeries begin to produce visible hair growth within three to six months.

FUE: This procedure uses hair follicles extracted from the back and sides of the scalp (the donor areas). Your surgeon will remove each hair follicle graft individually with a micro-punch tool. Each extraction leaves a tiny round scar, up to one millimeter in diameter. Based on how many hair follicles are extracted, this can add up to many hundreds or even thousands of puncture mark scars. These scars may look like tiny white dots after healing. Each follicle contains one to four hairs. The hairs are then grafted onto the recipient areas of the scalp, where small incisions have been made for each individual hair. Given the painstaking nature of this process, many hours, or even days, may be required for surgery. The procedure may also be repeated several times over the course of two or three months to achieve the best result. FUE is done on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia. No stitches are needed, and recovery time is typically short.

FUT: This procedure requires the surgical removal of a strip of scalp that contains hair from the donor area. This is typically located on the back of the scalp. Once the hair strip has been removed, the area is sutured together.

This leaves a linear scar of varying lengths, based on the size of the strip extracted. In some instances, this scar might extend from ear to ear. The hair follicle grafts are removed from the scalp strip, and readied for grafting onto the recipient areas of the scalp, where small incisions have been placed for each individual hair.

This procedure also uses local anesthesia and is done on an outpatient basis. The stiches are removed approximately 10 days later. The FUT procedure may produce more pain and swelling than the FUE procedure. Results vary from person to person.

Often times, people do not realize the extent of the scarring and are often left unsatisfied because with further hair loss, the option to shave the head as many men elect to do, reveals the transplant scar areas! Now, the client is left with spending additional money to have the scars tattooed to better match the scalp and areas where hair has been transplanted to adjacent to areas of new thinning or baldness.

With SMP, because there is no areas in which hair is harvested, there is not need to have additional procedures in the immediate future. The SMP treatment can always be added to if the hair was to continue to thin or recede. There is no scars, no surgery, minimal to no post procedure discomfort and all at a cost significantly less than hair transplants. SMP is both a safe, effective and relatively easy solution for all types of hair loss.

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The Details

Random SMP Facts

For a standard treatment for the hairline, front, top and crown with blending, a treatment can have as much as 14,000-15,000 "hairs" tattooed.
SMP needles are extremely small, up to 75-80% smaller than a standard needle.
The look of SMP is so unbelievably authentic, most people will have no clue its a tattoo.
The concept of SMP is more than 10 years old. North State Scalp Center first provided this service in 2011.
There are currently less than a dozen SMP clinics in California.

North State Scalp Center

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