One Milwaukee tattoo artist has developed a unique method to help people with hair loss feel more confident. This is called scalp micropigmentation. He basically tattoos hair onto people’s heads.
You can’t tattoo long hair onto someone. Two-dimensional tattooing is not possible with hair. SMP can be used to give hair volume or a new buzz cut.
Alexander Viruet, owner of SkalpX Milwaukee, said, “We reproduce the look your hair follicles looks at a quick stubble look or we use it for densifying areas that might just require a little bit more density.”
Viruet has been a SMP artist full-time for six years. He has experienced hair loss. He tried SMP and realized that it was something he could share with others.
It really gives you a boost of confidence. A lot of guys come in here like, ‘man I’m hiding underneath the hat. Or I can’t really do nothing. I can’t step out just because I’m always having to wear a hat,'” he said.
Viruet gives people a new, more confident look. He explained that SMP can be beneficial for people suffering from alopecia. It can cover scars on the head of someone, and it can also help men who are undergoing chemo or experiencing male pattern baldness.
SMP is not the same thing as tattoos. SMP is not as easy as putting small dots on someone’s heads. It’s more complex. Viruet uses a variety of inks, and different needles than a normal tattoo artist. Viruet must match skin color and facial hair.
“The kids are like damn father it actually makes one look older than a little bit younger, you know what? Justin Padilla, a client from Viruet, stated that baldness is a sign of age.
Padilla was present for his second session. He claimed that he had grown tired of his bald look and was trying to cover it.
Padilla said, “I had 95 Yankee hats in different colours,” referring specifically to the ways he would hide his baldness.
Padilla says that he already feels more confident after only one session.
He said, “Yeah it does,”
Padilla is back for the second session. The tattoo will look a little more fuller. Viruet suggests at least two to three sessions. SMP can range in price from $800 to $3500, depending on the amount of work required. Some people may need SMP done over their entire head, while others want it to fill in specific areas.
“I’ve done a lot for guys, more than 100 guys have had hair transplants, and the first thing they say afterward is that it was something they wish they would have considered earlier,” Viruet stated.
You can view more of Viruets works on his Instagram. To help spread the word about SMP and its alternative to surgery and other treatments, Viruets wanted to show the before-and-after effects.