MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee tattoo artist is using a unique technique to help those suffering from hair loss feel more confident. It's called scalp micropigmentation (SMP). Basically, he's tattooing hair onto people's heads.
Obviously, you can't tattoo long hair on someone. Tattooing is two-dimensional, and hair is three-dimensional. However, SMP can either give the look of a fresh buzz cut or add volume where hair might be missing.
"We replicate the way your hair follicle looks at a short stubble look, or we use it to densify areas that might just need a little again more density," Alexander Viruet, the owner of SkalpX Milwaukee said.
Viruet has been a full-time SMP artist for the past six years. He experienced hair loss himself. After experimenting with SMP, he realized it was something that he should offer to others.
"It's really a big 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 look that makes them feel more secure about their looks. He said that SMP can be good for people with alopecia, to cover scars on someone's head, for men going through chemo, or just experiencing male patterned baldness.
SMP isn't the same as a tattoo either. It's not as simple as making small dots on someone's head. It's much more intricate. Viruet uses different inks and needles than a typical tattoo artist. Viruet must match the pigmentation of the person's skin and facial hair.
"The kids are like damn dad it actually makes you look your age instead of a little bit older, you know what I mean. Once you shave it down and you're bald you look a little bit more older," Justin Padilla, a client of Viruet, said.
Padilla was in for his second session. He said that he was tired of the bald look and trying to cover it up.
"I got about like 95 Yankee hats in different colors," Padilla said referring to the ways he would try to hide his baldness.
After just one session, Padilla said that he already feels more confident in his look.
"Yeah, it actually does," he said.
Padilla is in for the second session. That will make the tattoo a bit fuller. Viruet recommends having at least two to three sessions. In total, SMP can cost anywhere from $800 to $3,500 depending on how much work a client wants. Some may be fully bald and want SMP all over their head while others just want certain spots filled in.
"I've done a lot of guys, over 100 guys have had hair transplants, the first thing they say is I wish I would have thought about this earlier," Viruet said.
You can see more of Viruets work on his Instagram. He wants to show people the before and after effects to spread the word about SMP as an alternative to other treatments and surgeries.
