Hair restoration is an art of illusion trying to make a bald man look as if he has a full head of hair. Most of the times surgical hair restoration alone is sufficient to accomplish this task. However, at times other techniques like medical management can help to delay and partly reverse the hair loss process. Camouflaging products like Nanogen and Toppik are also quite effective. Scalp micropigmentation or tattooing is another method to accomplish this art of illusion in certain cases. The times that tattooing can help are in certain situations. When a donor scar for whatever reason is slightly more visible than desirable, tattooing little punctate dots to resemble hair can be quite effective to camouflage the line. In fact, any linear scar can be treated with tattooing. I typically like to put punch grafts of hair into a scar first to see how effectively I can manage the situation and only use tattooing for minor touch ups, as I believe actual hair grafts would look the best if only small areas are touched up with micropigmentation. Further, tattooing can be used for a balding scalp to simulate hair or to camouflage a previously bad result by making these small dots that resemble hair follicles. I have seen it used effectively to make an entire bald head look like a partially shaved head, for example in the rare condition of alopecia universalis in which the person has no hair on the head, eyebrows, or body. In general, micropigmentation can be an effective adjunct to hair restoration in the right patient.

Dr Samuel Lam is a board certified hair-transplant surgeon in Dallas, TX. To schedule a consultation please call 972-312-8105, or visit Dr Lam’s hair transplant forum to ask him a question.