SMP - How effective is it?

[mars]

No nothing yet..i dont know if they understand english??

As for scarring,i dont see a problem if a person is treating just their ht scarring from fue or strip,the entire head is a different story for sure..

 

[Bigmac]

I'd of thought they do understand English given the recent publicity. Maybechase them up with another email.

 

[mars]

If i dont hear anything back this week i will email them again next week..i dont like emailing more than once so i will give them another week.

Bm could i get your email address again please?if i send you a pic of my donor area could you resize it and add it to this topic,i would like people to see my fue scarring and why i think smp could do wonders for this type of scarring especially,thanks

 

[Bigmac]

Hi Mars.

Its [email protected].

Once i get your picture i will add it to this thread.

Cheers Bm.

 

[hairtech]

Here is one example of SMP in combination with an FUE performed here at SMG. This picture is posted on a thread created by Janna.

 

[SMP]

Thanks Hairtech.. Will watch for the final result at 12-15 months.

 

[mars]

Here are two pictures, the first shows my Fue dots and the second one has been photoshopped by myself to show how the SMP may look on my head.

 

[mars]

Slightly larger picture of how it may look.

 

[bullitnut]

Please mind my ignorance Mars but why would you only want the white dots done with Smp and not the little scar.

 

[mars]

The scar is from a fall,thats easily explained not emabarrassing but the white dotts are impossible to explain,the white dotts arent so much the problem because my scalp is white so they are not visable,its the missing hair is the problem it looks patchy,i am hoping the smp will fix this,the second pic shows it has the potential to work pretty well i think..

 

[topccat29]

Mars just curious, do you know what size punch was used?

 

[mars]

def over 1mm i would guess 1.2,extractions were next to each other making larger dotts,i had a few dotts that were like old plug scars!that big.

 

[mars]

Topcat what do you think of this new non permanent smp in milan?for strip and fue scars?and would it be something you may consider too?

 

[topccat29]

Well so far what I think it that it looks good from faraway but not so much up close and for the price they are charging for something that last 8 months the money is probably better spent extracting head hair using a smaller punch and filling in those spaces or in my case body and beard hair. Or course in my situation I am limited with the donor so I will have to see how far it can be taken.

It would nice to be able to get away from using the concealer. They work really well but it does get messy and become a pain.

With an average strip scar it requires such a small amount of fue €™s to fill it in I don €™t even see why this would be a consideration so when I see this promoted for small strip scars I have to start asking why. Unless you cut your hair to the bone or close to it you will still have a gapless area with no hair and it will look like the barber cut that one area too short. Of course if you wear your hair longer than that wouldn €™t be a problem but then you wouldn't need the SMP either.

In fact your Photoshop picture is a good example. The surrounding hairs need to be cut much shorter for a match.

I also try to keep things in perspective and the recent thread on diabetics is a good example. What they have to go through on a daily basis just to stay alive must wear them down at times, so me having to use concealer once a day is insignificant by comparison.

 

[mars]

Good points i agree.

The last pic where you said the surrounding hair would have to be cut much shorter was a kind of reality check for me,my hair is cut to 3mm in that pic and i wouldnt be going shorter in fact i would leave grow for a week before buzzing again.Maybe my expectations of smp are too high..

 

[janna]

Here are Dr. Shapiro`s thoughts on Smp.

 
**notation by Dr. Ron Shapiro**

I have been following the results of SMP for the last 2 to 3 years and I think it is a good tool. It is still in its infancy and we are learning more and more about it as time goes on. Having said that, I €™ve seen a number of people who have had SMP done to conceal their scars and the majority were very happy. The degree of camouflage varied slightly but in all cases the scar was much harder to detect even with the hair short.
One pearl when doing SMP in the donor area is €œdo not just do the scar € but to blend it through the entire donor area fading away as one gets near upper and lower borders of the donor area. I have seen SMP scar repairs done by Dr. William Rassman €™s Clinic, Good Look Inc. and Bella Medical. The patients in all three clinics were happy they have had it done.

Last month when I lectured at the Italian Society of Hair Restoration annual conference in Rome, Bella Medical was there. They gave a one half day seminar and demonstration on their technique using temporary ink and I was quite impressed. I am even considering going over to Milan for a course they are offering to learn how to do it and bring it back to the states.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the fact that the pigment will slowly fade over time. The main advantage is, in the remote chance that the patient does not like the results, he knows he will not be stuck with it forever. Also you don €™t have to worry about the issue of the ink changing color. The negative is that it probably has to be repeated every couple of years.

If I start to offer SMP I would probably use the temporary ink on patients that are very nervous about the permanency. On patients where this was less of a problem I would consider using more permanent ink. However this is all theoretical as most of the companies except for Bella Medical and very secretive about their techniques and it €™s been hard for me to learn as much as I would like to so I can relay the information to patients.

Dr. Ron Shapiro M.D.







 

 

[bullitnut]

Thanks for posting Dr Shapiro's thoughts on this Janna, I really like the idea of blending throughout the donor. Would be great if SMG were to offer this down the line in the future.

Regards BN

 

[Bigmac]

Thanks Janna for posting Dr Ron Shapiros thoughts on SMP and Bella Medical in Italy.

 

[Bigmac]

Topcat, you raise some valid points regarding hair length and the benefits of tattooing.

I myself see no point in having it done unless your hair is very short or maybe an obvious thinned area that may benefit.

 

[headofhairagain]

MSP, MHT or SMP depending on which clinic you look at can look great and can look awful, I did see a guy from HIS in London that looked pretty poor, blue and not very natural but I have also seen other that look great.