Once clients have researched HIS and SMP and have decided that this is the best option for them, they often come to the first appointment filled with anxiety and apprehension. Unsure about how the treatment will go, how their new hairline will look or how dark their scalp will become. Below are some honest answers to these most common concerns.
During the first few minutes you will often meet the office manager and your practitioner for that day. You will sit down with your practitioner and discuss some of the basic paperwork, the general legalities and make sure you understand how the treatment will progress. This will generally take about thirty (30) minutes.
Next, the practitioner will discuss in detail with you about your new preferred hairline and the areas where you wish to be treated. The practitioner will use a white wax pencil to mark areas with you as you detail how you want your SMP to look. He or she will mark out your new frontal hairline, your temples and back crown. The practitioner will also discuss the density of SMP to be applied and overall shade you are seeking. This process often takes about one hour and when you are fully finished and are happy with the new outlines, you will sign your name on the treatment documents agreeing to your new changes.
During your first treatment, your practitioner will make suggestions. Because the practitioner has likely treated hundreds of clients, he or she is aware of common pitfalls and early mistakes that can mar a positive end result. For this reason, during the first treatment, the practitioner will be more forceful is making suggestions so that you experience an attractive end result. The ultimate decisions will be up to you but will be moderated by the practitioner more during the very first treatment. During later treatments, when density, shade and fading levels can be assessed from the first treatment, the practitioner will be less forceful in making suggestions and the client will be in the driver’s seat.
Yes. Because once SMP is applied, it cannot be easily removed, the practitioners by their training are instructed to be somewhat conservative during the very first treatment in particular. They will often go a little bit lighter with the initial SMP shading on purpose and will likely place the frontal hairline a tiny bit higher than where a client may eventually want it. This is done on purpose to assess fading and density levels and to allow the client to adjust to their new look. And, to prevent them from making rash mistakes. During later treatments, once the client is sure of their decisions and has adjusted to their new look, the practitioner will be more lenient.
The practitioner will indicate to you what he or she believes the best initial SMP shade is to begin your treatment and will then go to a side room to mix the proprietary pigments. He or she will then come back and insert a brand new fresh needle on the SMP needle machine. The practitioner will then begin to place pigment into the scalp. Typically, practitioners start at the front and move back to the crown because some frontal areas are more sensitive and most clients wish to complete the more painful sections first.
As the practitioner treats your scalp, he or she will often take small breaks every ten to thirty minutes. They will also be watching you closely to see if they are over a sensitive portion of the scalp and if you need to take a small break. And about once every hour to hour and a half, they will likely give you a longer ten minute break to stretch and relax.
It depends upon the scalp area to be treated. If the client is only touching up a hairline the treatment time can be thirty minutes or less. If the client is at the Norwood VII level, then the treatment time can be more than five hours.
The practitioner will encourage you to stretch and relax. He or she will then take some photos of your newly completed treatment and will make some notations in your records for future treatments. The client will then be given an After-Care set of instructions about how to treat your scalp in the forthcoming days. The practitioner will then complete the payment process and see if you have any final questions. The client will then be told of their next appointment or schedule their next session and will be ready to head out into the world with their new look.
We suggest that clients bring some bottled water or their favorite beverage with them (nothing alcoholic) for rest periods during their treatment. Clients should also bring a legal prescription from a licensed physician with them for pain management if they are sensitive to low pain levels. And, they should also consider bringing a loose fitting hat with them to wear immediately after any treatment as their scalp will be red and a bit sensitive for the first 12 to 48 hours.
Contact us today to arrange a free consultation and one of our UK clinics. We can also offer digital or remote consultations via Zoom, Facetime or WhatsApp video.
Download our brochure to read more about our SMP® treatments.
