I’m a scalp tattoo artist – people come to me when other hair growth treatments fail, it gives a thick appearance

Bald spots, hair loss and botched procedures – a cosmetic tattoo artist and doctor has seen it all.

The New York-area professional revealed details about scalp micropigmentation, which gives the appearance of fuller hair.

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Debi Barton, 58, runs Scalp dye CTa scalp micropigmentation company.

Their services restore confidence to those suffering from various types of alopecia.

Some of your customers are simply looking for some additional thickness lost over time.

Barton is also armed with the experience needed to handle even the worst tattoo jobs and shaky hair transplants.

WHAT IS SCALP MICROPIGMENTATION?

Scalp micropigmentation is a cosmetic and medical procedure to create the appearance of fuller locks.

The treatment is a longer-lasting way to get the effects of powder and spray products used to mimic thicker hair.

“I’m the next level of these colored powders or sprays that people have been using,” Barton told The US Sun.

She explained that the process typically takes about three sessions to complete.

“I apply thousands and thousands of tattoo-like microdots to my scalp,” she said.

“This is not done in one session, it is normally done in three sessions or more, but normally it is three.

“And just layers and layers and layers will give you that density.”

The tattooing technique gives the client the appearance of having more hair growing.

“If you look at a person’s scalp and when the hair comes out of the scalp, the hair is thicker. And as hair grows longer and longer, it becomes thinner in the end.

“So it’s natural for it to feel like a spot on your scalp when your own hair comes out of your scalp.”

She explained that her method mimics natural hair growth.

“It looks like maybe there will be a little growth.”

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LADIES FIRST

Although many men opt for scalp micropigmentation, almost half of Barton’s clients are women.

While men typically look for a back hairline, women look for a different desire.

“Women come in and they have really nice hair, but there’s a lot of shiny scalp,” she said of the complaints she hears.

“If a hair transplant is not right for them for any reason, or it is out of their budget, or they want something that is instant and immediate – they will have scalp micropigmentation,” she said.

“When it comes to women, it’s for thinning hair.”

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Barton often sees women struggling with a problem called traction alopecia, or hair loss due to prolonged pulling on the same hair follicles.

“I have clients who come into my studio with incredibly beautiful hair, beautiful in the middle of their back, but thin in the front or above their ears,” she said.

“A lot of people come here because they have hairstyles they’ve chosen for years, where they put their hair in braids and then put a wig in it or braid it.

“And they caused traction alopecia, so I fix that.”

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TRIED AND TRUE

Barton said she recently sought scalp micropigmentation from a professional.

“I recently had a bout of alopecia due to stress and I’m dealing with it,” she said, explaining that a colleague performed scalp micropigmentation on her.

“You can’t see the whiteness of my scalp shining through my hair,” she said.

SPOKEN AND LACKED

Barton has had his fair share of horror stories about hair walking past his door.

“I’ve had people go through a range of hair transplants, going through PRP and even onion juice on their scalp,” she said.

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While Barton acknowledges the effectiveness of some treatments, she said they don’t provide the anti-aging look people look for in micropigmentation.

“There can be hundreds of things on the market that will make your hair grow,” she said.

“Whether it’s a transplant or onion juice – for you to find that one thing, if it helps you grow, that’s great, but you’re never going to get the hair you had, like when you were 18.

“I have people in my chair who have searched for the best of the best throughout the United States, as well as people who have flown to Turkey for hair transplants.

“But they’re still in my chair. Why? They’re still looking for the density they want.”

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She’s also had a few run-ins with some jaw-dropping botched procedures.

“I think there are people out there who are very talented, extremely talented tattoo artists who work on the body,” she said.

Barton said a tattoo artist is not automatically a scalp micropigmentation professional.

“The same technique that is used on the body cannot be used on the scalp. Even the equipment used for body tattooing cannot be used on the scalp.

“The pigment, the needle technique, everything is different. However, body work is a tattoo and so is scalp micropigmentation.

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“But it’s a totally different path, from equipment to pigment, from technique to needles.”

“So, I’ve seen some tattoo artists who work on the body, thinking, ‘It’s just dots. I can do this. I can score points.’

“When body tattoo equipment is used with metal-laden body pigments it should never be used on the scalp.

“It becomes a situation where you actually put someone in a situation where they have a completely botched procedure.

“The emotional scar this causes for someone who already suffers from hair loss or hair loss is devastating.

“I have a lot of repair jobs that come to me and, you know, there are certain criteria, where I can help them with their botched procedure.

“And once it passes that criteria, I tell them I can’t help them, and what they would have to do is remove it with a laser.”

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