Tricopigmentation: the possibilities of modern permanent makeup

Nadezhda Derzhnikele , head and leading specialist of PMC professional micropigmentation center (Riga, Latvia)

Story

Since 2007, at international conferences on micropigmentation, the industry has increasingly heard the term "trichopigmentation", which refers to a new procedure, aimed mainly at men, that allows you to visually correct the common problem of hair loss. Almost ten years have passed since then, during which time specialized equipment, pigments and methods have appeared to achieve the best results when working with complex scalps. The procedure quickly won recognition around the world. It turned out that not all men want to put up with hair loss. Many people associate this disadvantage with age-related changes, and few people want to look older than their age. The dynamics of modern life encourages a man to remain active, athletic, strong and attractive at any age.

*By the way, this important topic will be discussed at the Master Course "School of Aesthetic Dermopigmentation" , which will be held in Kiev on September 9-10. Program details and registration are on the website .

Personal experience

I confess that when I first learned about the trichopigmentation procedure, I thought that, most likely, in our country (Latvia) it would not be as in demand as, say, in countries with a more developed beauty and fashion industry. But I was wrong. Potential customers began to call themselves and be interested in trichopigmentation. In our center, all possible procedures from the field of decorative and paramedical micropigmentation are presented, and it is natural that trichopigmentation quickly took pride of place in the register of our services.

Pigmentation of the scalp visually corrects the following problems:

• alopecia (androgenetic, diffuse alopecia);
• complete or local hair loss (Alopecia totalis, Alopecia areata);
• post-traumatic, postoperative, scars after hair transplantation.

In the process of pigmentation, the dye is introduced into the upper layer of the skin with microdots using a special apparatus. Each point repeats an individual shaved hair follicle (shaved hair effect), which together creates the illusion of an evenly shaved head. This service is suitable for clients with type 3-7 baldness on the Norwood scale, and the technology can also create the effect of density of hair in places where they are thinning (thickness effect) in case of type 2-3 baldness.

After a detailed study of the market, we chose the technology provided by the Italian company Beauty Medical. More than once during professional conferences, I met with Milena Lardi, the main specialist and teacher of this company. Its international reputation and results of work spoke for themselves, which predetermined our choice of school.

Technology

Beauty Medical technology is primarily a Tricotronic device designed specifically for the trichopigmentation procedure. Special power settings are provided for working on different areas of the head (frontal, temporal, occipital, scar zone, etc.), since skin areas differ in thickness and other characteristics. All work is carried out using a dermograph and a special single-channel needle, which is called manual. The points are placed in a certain order, the specialist himself regulates the density of the points from very dense in the back of the head to translucent in the frontal and temporal zones. The next day, the procedure is repeated: the specialist applies a second layer of dots between the dots made on the first day. A month later, another corrective procedure is performed. The technology, when the specialist himself distributes the position and density of the dots, is quite jewelry and laborious, but it seems to me much more accurate than, say, a roller, when the dots will inevitably overlap each other, blurring after healing, and also create a pattern of visible dot " lines." I assume that the roller can be used only in case of creating the effect of density, when the hair loss is small and the client does not plan to shave the hair. In my opinion, the roller method is not suitable for the effect of "shaved" hair.

I would also like to pay special attention to the Beauty Medical dyes used for the scalp pigmentation procedure. They simultaneously combine the properties of hydrophilicity (for easy penetration through the thickness of the epidermal layer) and hydrophobicity (for stable fixation, without "streaks" after healing). The shades of the pigments are mostly cold, only the intensity of the tone changes (from medium to very dark). The procedure is not carried out in the case of red, completely gray and very blond hair.

The duration of the preservation of the result depends largely on external and internal factors (sun, sports, skin type, etc.) - it is difficult to guarantee a minimum and maximum period. To maintain the intensity of the effect, the procedure is recommended to be repeated periodically (about once a year or two).

Our center works closely with specialists in scalp and hair diagnostics. Determining the type of scalp and timely preparatory work (peeling, reducing oiliness or dryness) will help to achieve better results and contribute to a longer preservation of the pattern.

What psychologists say

Non-verbal communication is an integral part of the daily process of communication between people, and our appearance forms a large part of it. Clothing and haircuts convey invisible signals, and the messages they convey are extremely important. Therefore, when meeting a person for the first time, we subconsciously create an impression of him, focusing more on his appearance, identifying him with cinematic, historical or other well-known social visual images.

Experts in the field of communication features say that only 7% of communication occurs with the help of words, 38% of the perception of information is achieved with the help of intonation and voice. Most of the information - 55% - is determined by gestures, body language or posture, facial expressions, appearance and, of course, haircut.

Many people believe that hairstyle and hair are important if we evaluate the degree of attractiveness of a person. That is why men suffering from hair loss are looking for various solutions: wigs, medicines, false hair. Many also try to grow out their hair and style it in such a way that it is possible to hide the balding parts of the head.

Despite the fact that thick hair is almost always an attractive feature, there is another real fact: a shaven head image attracts women more than long hair, and these are not just words.

This theory was demonstrated by Albert Mann (Warton University in Pennsylvania, USA) in a scientific study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science (Mannes Albert E. Shorn Scalps and Perceptions of Male Dominance. - 2012).

The experiment was carried out with the participation of 60 volunteers who were shown photographs of many men: in the first photo - a man with thick hair, in the second - the same man, but completely bald. The effect of reality was achieved using Photoshop.

The results of the study showed that the participants of the experiment treated the image of a man without hair as a dominant personality, a strong and athletic individual of high stature. The complete absence of hair also gave him such features as imperiousness, masculinity and influence. As a result, observers preferred a completely shaved look to the early stages of baldness.

The shaven-headed image provokes in the imagination the concepts of authority and personality power. It seems that a man has nothing to hide and hide, that this is the image of a man who is not afraid to show himself. That is why the author of the study suggests that men who are starting to lose their hair (which happens to 35 million Americans annually) opt for such an image and not be afraid to pick up a razor.

prospects

Nowadays, one of the most famous ways to correct the problem of hair loss is hair transplant surgery. The trichopigmentation procedure perfectly complements the results of this operation, adding visual density between the transplanted hairs and camouflaging the scars left after the removal of the follicles. Tricopigmentation is also very effective as an independent procedure. This is a fairly simple, affordable, non-surgical and optimal solution to the problem of lack of hair.

Note to masters

Basic classification of the degree of baldness according to Norwood

1 degree. Normal front hairline or minimal shift back.

2 degree. The front hairline takes on the shape of a triangle (usually symmetrical).

3 degree. Deep symmetrical hair thinning at the temples: from partial hair coverage with a decrease in density to complete baldness in these areas.

3 parietal degree. Hair loss mainly occurs in the parietal zone with moderate thinning of the anterior hairline. The density of the anterior line and at the temples is greater than with the 3rd degree.

4 degree. Thinning in the anterior temporal region is greater than in the 3rd degree. Crown hair absent or very sparse. The two areas of hair loss are separated by a band of moderately thick hair that runs along the top of the head. This strip is connected to the hair-covered lateral regions of the head.

5 degree. The parietal region of alopecia is still separated from the anterior temporal region, but to a lesser extent. The stripe at the crown thins and thins. The parietal and anterior temporal regions increase in size. Viewed from above, grades 5-7 share a common feature: thinning hair on the sides and back of the head gradually forms a horseshoe shape.

6 degree. A few sparse hairs remain from the "bridge" through the apex between the sides of the head. The anterior temporal and parietal regions now form a single whole and are not separated in any way. The area of thinning hair increases.

7 degree . This is the most serious form of hair loss. The horseshoe shape of the baldness zone takes on its final form: the lateral and parietal regions continue to thin out. Hair also thins on the back of the head, neck, in the area above the ears.

The material was first published in Permanent No. 2/2016