Recently we had a situation: A man with balding patterns came for Scalp Micropigmentation. Unfortunately, his scalp skin was so dry that the needles couldn’t get through it. We had to send him home for initial scalp preparation.
Scalp care before and after the treatment set the tone of the results. The gentle, softer, and healthier your scalp is, the better the results will be and the longer they stay.
Fortunately, we never initiate an SMP session before making sure your scalp is 100% ready. So please, don’t be mad when we reschedule your sessions – it’s for your good and for the sake of being happy with your results.
Let’s see together how you must prepare before each SMP session.
What to do before my first SMP session?
We’re not going to lie – preparing a balding scalp is much easier than formulating a scalp with long but sparse hair. Your main goal for the preparation is exfoliation and hydration.
Scalp exfoliation before SMP (suitable for all hair lengths)
From 7 to 10 days before your first SMP session, start to exfoliate your scalp when showering. You can do this by rubbing your fingers onto the scalp when you pour. This action will remove dead cells from your scalp. Your scalp’s skin will become much thinner and softer – ready to absorb the tattoo ink by removing dead cells.
If you do an SMP session with dehydrated skin with a thick layer of dead cells, the ink won’t penetrate deeply into the skin and absorb.
This will lead to:
- fast fading of the results of the ink;
- painful session;
- wasted money.
How to exfoliate?
A simple finger rubbing will help. You can also use a silicon scalp brush or any tool that will be effective and yet – gentle to your skin.
Please, don’t use baking soda – it can damage your skin and follicle.
Scalp hydration before SMP (suitable for balding scalps)
Hydration is very simple – after exfoliation, please apply natural oils that will soften the skin on your scalp. For example, coconut oil, argan oil, avocado oil, macadamia, jojoba, marula.
Make sure you do this step because this will amplify your results when the session is done.
Scalp hydration before first SMP session (suitable for long hairs)
Women and men with long hair can’t apply oils to their scalp after a shower. This will make their hair look greasy. This is why we recommend you to do oil therapy every night.
Every night apply oils on your scalp and then wash your hair with shampoo in the morning. This will deeply hydrate your scalp and will make sure ink penetrates the skin to stay for a long time.
Necessary: For long hairs, the process is reversed – first apply an oil mask, then shower and exfoliate.
Stop using any scalp solutions before your first session
If you are undergoing home therapy with hair growth solutions, please stop using them 7-10 before your initial SMP sessions. They also can add up to the scalp’s skin and become residue.
- Minoxidil;
- Hair sprays;
- Scalp creams;
- Serums;
- Infused waters;
- Hair growth treatments – Mesotherapy, PRP, Hair fillers.
You will be able to start using the again two weeks after your last SMP session.
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Forget about the sun.
It’s essential to keep your scalp away from the sun before, during, and after the SMP therapy. 7-10 days before the first session, avoid exposing your scalp to the sun.
Instead, use hats, umbrellas, scarves, or else to cover your head. Sun can damage your skin, make it extra sensitive and dry it. We must avoid these outcomes to bring good results.
Necessary: Every time you go out, please apply 50 SPF sunscreen over your scalp to protect the skin. If your hair is long, please use hats, scarves, umbrellas to protect your hair.
Right before the session – cut and wash.
If you have concise hair (buzz cut, razor cut, or crew cut hairstyle) – please shave your head and wash your scalp right before the treatment. This will help us apply the ink quickly. After the therapy, you’ll be able to grow your hair as much as you want.
If you have medium size hair or long hair – please wash your hair thoroughly. Scalp grease can also undermine the session’s results.
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How to take care of my scalp after each SMP session?
Steps are very similar to the preparation for your first SMP session. There are several DOs and DON’Ts after your sessions. Let’s see them.
What you can’t do after a session:
- during the first 24 hours after the session – don’t touch your scalp unnecessary; it can get infected;
- Four days after the session – no water over your scalp during this period;
- Seven days after the session – no shampoo or chemicals over your scalp;
- no sweating for the whole therapy because this can cause ink fading.
- No sun exposure at all.
What you can do after the session:
- One day after the treatment – if you have a shaved scalp, start applying moisturizing oils (coconut, argan, or else) twice a day, for long hairs – no oils yet;
- Four days after the session – start washing your scalp/hair with lukewarm WATER ONLY (no hot water) and exfoliating with finger rubbing twice a day – morning and evening;
- Seven days after the session – start adding baby shampoo to scalp washing. Make sure you don’t use any commercial shampoos with chemicals and aggressive ingredients. Baby shampoo is your best option. This is the time when people with long hair can start applying moisturizing oils every night and wash them in the morning.
Wash, exfoliate and hydrate your skin every day until your next SMP session. This is critical if you want to get great results in the end.
Necessary: The time frame between sessions varies for men and women. Men can do their next session after seven days IF they’ve done their homework – washing, exfoliating and hydrating daily. On the other side, women need more time to recover and remove dead cells from the scalp – at least 2-3 weeks gap between sessions.
How to deal with no sweating during your SMP therapy?
For the whole length of the SMP therapy, you’ll be unable to run, train, weight lift, go to saunas, beaches, or anything that can cause excessive sweating. Sweat consists of salt, and salt can make tattoo dots fade away.
You can get back to working out 2 weeks after your last SMP session.
If you’re a sports fan, we can offer you to maintain your weight and muscles with two very effective treatments: SculpSure for fat reduction and StimSure for muscle building.
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These treatments can become your best friends while you’re taking care of your scalp. They cannot replace training sessions, but they can for sure help you maintain your body weight and muscle tone while you can’t train.
You can read more about both treatments in this article: The ultimate body fat reduction – SculpSure or StimSure?
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