Tricopigmentation: correction of alopecia of various etiologies

There are several types of alopecia : androgenetic, diffuse, alopecia and cicatricial. The causes of the disease can be both external (stress, infections, scalp injuries) and internal (hormonal, autoimmune, genetic). The majority of patients complaining of increased hair loss are women. Eliminate the cause, as practice shows, is not always possible.

A universal and safe drug that could solve the problem of alopecia forever does not yet exist, and the choice of treatment sometimes requires a careful comparison of real benefits and possible harm. At the same time, in the arsenal of modern trichology there are many means of treating alopecia: external preparations that stimulate hair growth, and preparations for general therapy, physiotherapy, surgical correction with the help of hair transplantation. There is a special decorative cosmetics, as well as hairpieces and wigs. Tricopigmentation to camouflage lack of hair is one of the cosmetic solutions to the problem.

Features of working with the scalp

The presence of seborrhea (dandruff) always complicates the work of a dermopigmentation master. Due to the presence of dead horny scales, it is much more difficult to evenly apply the pigment, which ultimately affects the quality of the work done. In addition, the presence of dandruff distorts the color of the pigment, it acquires a colder shade and becomes cloudy (blurry).

The scalp suffers from active insolation (especially with baldness), which also affects the quality of work, since exposure to UV rays “leads” the injected pigment into a colder bluish color.

When working with the scalp, it is necessary to pay attention to the zone bordering on the baldness zone, to the presence of hyperemia, peeling, altered hair, follicular pustules and inflammatory nodes, crusts, small scars.

Before proceeding with trichopigmentation, it is necessary to refer the patient to a consultation with a trichologist for an accurate diagnosis.

Tricopigmentation techniques

Tricopigmentation with a needle

There are several techniques for performing the procedure with needles. At the same time, the goal of any technique is to maximally and aesthetically camouflage the lack of hair on the head.

The dot technique allows microscopic dots to be applied to the skin with a single needle, which give the appearance of follicles or slightly regrown hair.

The linear technique is used to create the effect of having hair. The lines must be very thin, so a unit needle is also used to draw them.

The shading technique is used to paint over scars in the area of baldness to match the color of the surrounding skin.

Tricopigmentation with a roller

A roller for working in the scalp area has appeared on the market relatively recently. It was created by Israeli dermo-pigmentation specialist Moshe Alul. The roller is equipped with a large number of needles located at a certain angle and in a strictly defined order, and accurately and quickly paints over the entire area of baldness, creating the effect of hair follicles and short hair.

With severe or total alopecia, the roller is the method of choice, which is able to paint over the baldness area evenly. Performing such camouflage, the specialist has no right to make a mistake, because it will be impossible to correct any work errors due to the absence or too little hair.

The density of applying the pigment to create the effect of hair follicles depends on the amount of hair remaining on the head: the less hair there is, the greater the coloring density should be.

For example, with diffuse hair thinning of stages I and II in the frontoparietal region, dermopigmentation should be carried out with a lower frequency of coloring than with complete alopecia. With a not very pronounced diffuse thinning, even a small paint roller is enough to get the illusion of thick hair.
The maximum effect of cosmetic camouflage with the help of a roller is achieved during the diffuse stages of normal baldness: hair thinning after the procedure becomes almost imperceptible.

To create more naturalness along the hairline, the coloring frequency should be sparse. Otherwise, a clearly defined artificial shape is created, which does not give a camouflage effect, but the opposite - focuses on the problem of baldness.

Combination of techniques

When choosing between a roller and a needle, or a combination of them, you need to consider the pros and cons of both. For example, due to the large number of special needles on the surface of the roller, work can be done about 80% faster with it than with a single needle. In addition, the energy consumption of the master himself will be much lower. However, if we have in mind trichopigmentation of small areas, hairline, scar tissue, then preference should be given to working with a needle.

Pigments

High-quality trichopigmentation implies the correct introduction of the pigment and the correct color scheme - these two components are equally important. The introduction of the pigment at the wrong depth leads to an incorrigible result in the form of blurred spots (usually bluish in color). The pigment should be matched as accurately as possible to the color of the roots of the remaining hair or, if there are none, to the patient's phototype. Human hair color depends on the activity of melanocytes and is due to two pigments - yellow-red pheomelanin and black-brown eumelanin. Hair color options depend on the cops. So, black hair contains more eumelanin, and light hair contains more pheomelanin. Red hair in white-skinned people contains only pheomelanin.

The pigment introduced into the skin is refracted depending on its color, and this must be taken into account when choosing a palette. Working on the scalp requires the use of pigments designed specifically for trichopigmentation. They are stable: the technology by which they are produced excludes the possibility of their change - redness or "turning blue". But working with such pigments requires additional training.

With phototypes I and II, experts do not recommend using black pigments, since the result looks unnatural and only draws attention to the existing problem. But for fair skin it is easier to choose a color, because. its refraction is less than in dark skin.

With III (European) and IV (Mediterranean, South European) phototypes, all dark brown color options are usually used.

V (Indonesian, Middle Eastern) and VI (Negroid) phototypes are different variants of dark skin. In these cases, the complexity of trichopigmentation lies, on the one hand, in the fact that the pigment must be selected from a dark palette (to be clearly visible), on the other hand, the use of black pigment in such phototypes often leads to the color becoming bluish and even greenish shade

Tricopigmentation, like any other dermopigmentation procedure, requires correction, which is carried out after about a month. During the correction session, you can increase the density of the coloring or refine some unpainted areas. However, it is impossible to completely cover the unsuccessful color of the drawn follicles, as, for example, in the case of permanent eyebrow makeup. This is the complexity of trichopigmentation, therefore, only certified trichopigmentologists should carry it out.

And, of course, you need to remember that before starting work, you need to inform the patient about what the final result will be, show photos, and explain all the nuances of the procedure. It is important that he does not have high expectations that can aggravate the psychological problem caused by premature hair loss.