Scalp Micropigmentation Before & After Images

Yes. Every pair shown is work carried out by Foli Sim artists at our Perth, Sydney or Melbourne studios, published with the client's permission. We do not use stock imagery or supplier marketing photos. If a particular result interests you, ask at your consultation which artist did it and what the treatment plan involved: that context is more useful than the photo alone.

Lighting is the single biggest variable in SMP photography. Hard overhead light exaggerates contrast and can make density look heavier than it is; flat, diffuse light can make good work look faint. When comparing any clinic's gallery, look for pairs shot in similar conditions, and be sceptical of afters that are noticeably brighter or more flattering than the corresponding before.

After images are taken once the work has settled, not immediately post-session. Freshly applied SMP looks darker and slightly raised for a few days before the scalp heals and the pigment softens to its intended tone. Photographing at that early stage would misrepresent the result, so our afters reflect what the work looks like once healed.

Extensive hair loss is one of the situations SMP handles most convincingly, because a fully shaven look is uniform by design: there is no partial coverage to blend. What SMP will not do is create the appearance of long hair on a bald scalp. The realistic outcome is a sharp, natural-looking shaven or closely buzzed head, which the buzz-cut section of this gallery illustrates.

Start with the three categories on this page (buzz cut, thinning hair and scar treatments), then look for a before image with a similar hairline recession, crown size and hair colour to yours. Matching the before image matters far more than liking the after. If nothing matches closely, send us photos and we can point you to comparable cases.

They should, and that is worth checking in any gallery. A result photographed only from the front may be hiding an unresolved crown or a hard edge at the temples. Good SMP is planned in three dimensions, with density graded across the crown and the hairline softened so it reads naturally in profile as well as head-on.

Density SMP works by darkening the scalp showing through thinning hair, so the contrast between hair and skin drops and the hair reads as thicker. Up close you can see individual pigment impressions between the existing follicles: that is expected. At normal conversational distance, which is how anyone actually sees you, the effect is simply a fuller-looking head of hair.

Reduction, not erasure, is the honest framing. Pigment can bring a pale scar much closer to the tone of the surrounding scalp so it stops catching the eye. How far it can go depends on the scar's texture, width, age and whether it holds pigment evenly: raised or shiny scar tissue behaves differently from flat scarring. Our artists assess this in person before promising anything.

Your result will be built for your head, not copied from someone else's. Hairline shape is dictated by your facial proportions, existing hair pattern and age; density is limited by your skin tone and how much hair you still have. Bringing a reference photo to your consultation is genuinely useful, but treat it as a description of the style you like rather than a target to be matched.

Because SMP is used for two distinct goals. Shaved-head images are buzz-cut work, where SMP replaces the appearance of hair across the whole scalp. Images with visible hair are density work, where pigment sits underneath your existing hairstyle to reduce see-through areas. Neither is more advanced than the other: they simply answer different hair loss situations.

Yes. Foli Sim offers free digital SMP simulations: send through a few clear photos of your hair loss and our team produces a mock-up showing how a proposed hairline and density would look on you. It is the closest thing to a preview and costs nothing. Call 1300 668 490 or email info@folisim.com.au to request one.

Yes, and that is normal. Immediately after a session the pigment looks darker and more defined; over the following days the scalp heals and the tone softens noticeably. This is why sessions are spaced roughly 7 to 14 days apart: your artist needs to see the settled result before building the next layer of density on top of it.