Hair loss is an embarrassingly tough time for men. Even if they don’t want to admit it, only a small percentage of men are indifferent to hair loss. Hair loss and baldness affect about 35 million men in the United States. Almost 85% of men have significantly thinning hair by the age of 50. It even affects many teenagers and young men — it isn’t too difficult to go to a high school or college and see one or more boys with a visibly receded hairline. By the age of 35, more than 66% of men in America will have experienced some amount of hair loss. There are several hair restoration methods, but they all have their own set of cons. There are pills and lotions that supposedly promote healthy hair growth, but (like a lot of medication) the side effects may be worse than what they’re being taken for. There are surgical options, but they’re expensive and may leave you with an unsightly scar. Scalp micropigmentation is an interesting and relatively new practice for combating hair loss and baldness.
Scalp micropigmentation is also known as a “hair tattoo.” Rather than perform a full surgical hair transplant, small dots are tattooed onto the scalp to give the look of cropped hair. This can be performed on men that have either gone completely bald or merely have a receding hairline. Your own natural hair colors are used, and typically three or four shades are used to give the “tattoo” a more natural look. The ink used is also not the same used for standard tattoos. Normal tattoo ink typically fades over time — what was once black becomes gray and washed out, for example — but the ink used here is specifically made to last. If you have naturally black hair and get a black “hair tattoo,” it’s going to stay black. However, if your natural hair starts going gray, the tattooed area can be adjusted to match.
The cost of scalp micropigmentation is also significantly lower than the cost of a hair transplant. In the United States, hair transplant surgery can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $21,000, whereas a medical hair tattoo may cost between $1,200 and $6,000. It is also significantly less painful than hair replacement and doesn’t leave you with the scars that the surgeries often do.
Receding hairlines or baldness don’t have to be embarrassing, but they often are. A full head of hair, or the appearance of one, may give a man a much-needed boost of confidence.