by Marcin Adam, MicroHair Liverpool

We regularly receive enquiries about SMP density treatments from people wanting fuller-looking hair without shaving their head. Many concern the crown, particularly after a hair transplant has not provided the expected coverage.

At MicroHair™, I generally do not recommend density SMP for substantial exposed areas surrounded by longer hair. I am especially cautious on fair skin, where achieving a noticeable difference may encourage an overly strong application of pigment.

What Density SMP Can and Cannot Do

SMP places small pigment impressions within the skin to imitate closely shaved hair follicles. Density treatments use these impressions between existing hairs to reduce the contrast between hair and visible scalp.

It does not add actual hair, thickness or volume. Reducing scalp visibility beneath existing hair is very different from making a largely bare area look as though it contains longer strands.

Why Pigment May Not Match Your Hair

The standard (premium) black SMP pigment I use appears black in the bottle but settles into different shades of cool grey, depending on its dilution and how it heals within the skin.

Closely shaved hair can appear softer and lighter overall. As the surrounding hair grows beyond approximately 0.5 mm, its natural colour, such as ginger, brown or light brown, black, can become more apparent. These tones may not blend with the cool grey pigment beneath them.

Even black hair has texture and reflects light differently from pigment within the skin. A treatment that blends convincingly with closely shaved stubble may therefore become noticeably different as the hair grows longer.

My usual recommendation is around 0.3 mm or shorter, with approximately 0.5 mm acceptable in selected cases. These are practical blending guidelines. Hair already contains its natural pigment; its colour simply becomes more apparent as more of the strand is visible.

Why Brown Pigment Is Not an Automatic Solution

Brown formulations, including Folicule’s, are available. However, choosing brown pigment does not automatically produce a match with brown hair.

In my assessment, matching it convincingly can be difficult. The healed appearance depends on the skin tone and undertone as well as the pigment. A shade that appears suitable in the bottle may look noticeably different within the skin.

An unsuitable match can look unnatural, and changing pigment colour cannot recreate the texture, movement or volume of missing hair.

Why Crown Patches and Previous Transplants Need Caution

Relatively even thinning may leave enough strands to help cover the pigment. A larger crown patch may not.

Treating an exposed patch while leaving the surrounding hair long can create the appearance of one shaved section surrounded by longer hair. Even someone accepting camouflage needs to understand that a visible cool grey tone may remain when the hair separates.

Further hair loss can expose previously concealed pigment. Following a transplant, scar tissue also requires assessment. Disappointing transplant coverage does not automatically make someone suitable for density SMP.

Why Increasing Pigment Strength Can Create Problems

A subtle application beneath longer hair may produce little visible improvement. Trying to compensate with darker or denser pigment can leave the scalp looking visibly pigmented.

On fair skin, excessive intensity can create an overly cool or blue-looking appearance. Pigment formulation, concentration, implantation depth and technique all affect the outcome.

The concern is either paying for insufficient improvement or receiving conspicuous dots that do not resemble the surrounding hair. Making pigment darker does not replace missing hair.

On brown or darker skin with dark hair, lower contrast may make camouflage less conspicuous. However, suitability still depends on remaining coverage, hair colour and thickness, scalp condition and the intended hairstyle.

Why Fresh Photos Can Look More Promising Than Healed Results

Many clinics share density photographs taken immediately after treatment. These show the immediate change, but not the settled result.

Fresh impressions can look darker, sharper and closer to black. Temporary swelling around the needle sites may also give a slightly raised, “3D” impression. This does not represent lasting hair-like volume.

As the skin heals and superficial pigment is shed, the impressions soften. With the black pigment approach I use, the cool grey tone becomes more apparent.

A fresh photograph may therefore suggest a stronger blend than remains after healing. Always ask for fully healed photographs, ideally in natural daylight.

My Recommendation for Longer Hair

For significant hair loss, I generally recommend a consistently closely shaved look when choosing the SMP I provide.

If keeping longer hair is essential, my recommendation is to consider cosmetic hair fibres as a temporary camouflage option, provided enough existing hair remains for them to attach to.

In the longer-haired cases I am reluctant to treat, density SMP may look promising in fresh photographs yet fail to deliver the expected appearance once healed. It does not increase actual hair density, and the settled pigment may not match the colour of longer strands.

At MicroHair™ Liverpool, I would rather explain these limitations beforehand than offer treatment I do not believe will look natural.