Scalp micropigmentation FAQs

Most clients rate it around 3 out of 10 — a light scratching sensation rather than pain. SMP needles sit much shallower in the skin than a traditional tattoo, and numbing options are available if you're nervous. Plenty of clients scroll their phone through most of the session.

Typically 3–6 years before it needs refreshing, depending on your skin type, sun exposure and aftercare. Fading is gradual and even — a single top-up session restores it to day-one sharpness. It will never wash out overnight or peel away.

Done properly, SMP is undetectable at conversation distance and holds up close-up. We use specialist carbon-based SMP pigments (not tattoo ink), diluted and tone-matched to your skin, placed at follicle depth with follicle-fine needles. That's what prevents the blue-green tint and blurred dots you may have seen from cheap work — and it's why we invite you to inspect our results up close before booking.

Usually 2–4 sessions of 2–4 hours each, spaced 10–14 days apart. The first session builds a light foundation; later sessions add density and definition. Building gradually is what makes the result look like hair rather than a print.

At SMP by Jack, treatments run from £500 for hairlines, scars and small areas up to £1,400 for a complete scalp — all sessions included, fixed in writing before you book. Nationally you'll see anything from £300 to well over £3,000; be cautious at both extremes. Send photos on WhatsApp for your exact price.

Far easier than people expect. Keep the scalp dry for the first 4 days (no washing, heavy sweating or swimming), then gentle washing from day 4–5. Tiny scabs flake off within a week — don't pick them. Most clients are back at work the next day looking like they've had a close haircut. Long-term: sunscreen on sunny days keeps it sharper for longer.

Yes. Micropigmentation practitioners and premises must be registered with the local authority in the UK, and both our clinics operate registered, insured and to strict hygiene standards — single-use sterile needle cartridges, sealed pigments and full barrier protocols, every client, every session.

They solve different problems. A transplant regrows real hair but is surgical, costs several times more, takes 6–18 months to show, and needs enough donor hair — which advanced loss often doesn't have. SMP is non-surgical, finished in weeks, works at any stage of loss, and is often used after transplants to conceal scarring or boost density. If you want to keep longer hair and have good donor supply, a transplant may suit; if you want a guaranteed result without surgery, SMP wins.

Absolutely — women's SMP is one of our most requested treatments. For female pattern thinning we shade the scalp between your existing hairs, removing the pale scalp-show that makes hair look sparse. No shaving, no downtime, and your styling routine doesn't change.

Yes. FUT strip scars, FUE dot scars, and injury or surgical scars can be blended back into the surrounding scalp. Alopecia areata patches can be camouflaged individually, and totalis/universalis can be treated with full-scalp coverage. Scar tissue takes pigment differently, so these treatments are built up gently over an extra session where needed.

Grey blends surprisingly well — at shaved lengths, grey hair reads as light stubble against the skin, and pigment tone is chosen with your future hair in mind. If your look changes down the line, top-up sessions can adjust tone and density.

Whichever is easier for you; it's the same practitioner, pigments and standards at both. Digbeth (Custard Factory) is a short walk from Birmingham New Street. Fazeley has free parking right outside and is minutes off the A5/M42 for Tamworth, Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield.