Laurie DowningSMP Debate, the world’s first independent advice site for all things Scalp Micropigmentation, has been providing sound support for those curious about the treatment since 2012. The world of SMP has changed considerably since then, we decided it was about time SMP Debate reflected those changes.
There At The Beginning
When this site published it’s first post back in 2012 the world of Scalp Micropigmentation looked very different. There were a handful of clinics, almost all of them located in the UK where HIS Hair first bought the treatment to market.
It is fair to say the industry, and that is what it is now, has been through some growing pains during that time. Many clinics sprang up, the result of over-ambitious tattooists and semi-permanent make-up artists discovering the technique on-line and deciding to have a go. Others took a more serious approach, either training at the established clinics to learn their craft, or putting themselves through a series of related training courses to build their expertise… much as Ranbir Rai-Watson of HIS Hair Clinic did when she set out to develop the skills and equipment required for a reliable result every time. That process took Ranbir fully five years before she was confident enough to open the doors on her first clinic in Birmingham, in the heart of England.
Raising The Bar
Since then we have seen Scalp Micropigmentation clinics open at an incredible rate, many have never got off the ground – The process of attracting clients to a new clinic is a huge challenge for SMP clinics with no trading history and no convincing story for how they have become qualified to deliver the treatment.
The good news is that over the years the cream has risen to the top and has become far easier to identify. There are a number of excellent clinics providing robust training and ongoing support for practitioners that come through their courses. Some clinic owners have really gone the extra mile and trained with more than one provider, as well as taking ancillary related courses, much as Ranbir did, to bring a raised level of expertise and understanding to SMP.
This new version of SMP Debate will be reaching out to all our clinics to establish their credentials for appearing on our site, they are asked questions about their background and training, as well as their procedures and after-care. We aim to provide a definitive list of the clinics in your area that we believe are reliable venues for your treatment.
Always Here To Help
One thing that has not changed in the years we have been writing about Scalp Micropigmentation… the number of questions we get asked about the procedure. We believe that pretty much any question can be answered by using the search function on our site and trawling through the hundreds of posts you will find here. Just the same we are always happy to take the time to answer in person when someone takes the trouble to write to us. We understand that if you are just discovering Scalp Micropigmentation for the first time you are likely to be highly suspicious of its ability to really recreate a shaved head, or add density, or camouflage a scar. Fortunately there is enough content on the web now for those doubts to be assuaged and once convinced that it is an option leaves you only to make the choice of clinic. That decision will usually be informed by those that are closest to you, and Scalp Micropigmentation clinics are far from everywhere. This understandably leads to concerns that a lack of choice, without hopping on a plane, might mean you have to settle for an inferior treatment.
The fact is that excellent treatments were something that most people had to travel to get as recently as three years ago, go back six years and your choices were extremely limited. But for some time the established clinics have been producing highly trained practitioners, they stay with the clinics where they trained and quickly build a reputation under the brand. Some have chosen to move on and establish their own clinics. Through experience gained in training their own staff the practice has been extended to offer courses, the best ones are detailed and thorough coming with ongoing support beyond the end of the official training… an absolute necessity given that it is impossible to see the whole gamut of journeys any individual SMP treatment might take on their way to perfection.
So, a warm welcome to our new site. We hope you find everything you need here but look forward to hearing from you if we can be of help.
