Scalp Micropigmentation Touch Up & Maintenance

The cost varies depending on the extent of maintenance required. We provide a transparent quote following a detailed assessment of your SMP during the consultation.

The frequency of maintenance varies based on individual factors such as sun exposure, skin type and lifestyle. Generally, clients consider a touch-up every 3 to 5 years to maintain the vibrancy and definition of their SMP. Some go longer, particularly if they protect the scalp well from UV. There is no fixed schedule; the right time is when you notice the definition softening, not a date in the diary.

SMP is long-lasting rather than permanent by design. The pigment is placed relatively superficially in the skin, and over the years the body gradually breaks it down, so the deposits soften and lighten. Ultraviolet exposure accelerates this considerably, and skin type, how quickly you exfoliate and the products you use all play a part. That gradual fade is what makes the work adaptable as your hair loss changes.

SMP maintenance can range from minor adjustments to refresh the look, address fading, or redefine areas that have changed due to further hair loss. It ensures your SMP remains consistent with your natural hair and your scalp's evolving condition. In practice that usually means re-establishing depth of colour across faded areas, tidying the hairline and blending pigment into any newly thinned regions.

Yes. At Foli Sim we specialise in repairing and enhancing SMP results, regardless of where the original work was done. We know the quality of SMP varies widely between clinics, so whether you need a small correction or extensive maintenance, our experts assess your current SMP and propose a customised solution. Bring photographs of how the work looked when fresh if you have them, as it helps us plan.

The technique is the same, but the scope is smaller. Maintenance is similar to the initial application and typically involves fewer sessions, since it focuses on refreshing or enhancing existing work rather than building a result from nothing. The approach is customised to what your scalp actually needs, so a light refresh across a faded crown looks very different in practice to reworking a hairline.

If you notice fading, discolouration, or changes in your hairline that affect the appearance of your SMP, it might be time. Other common signals are the treated area starting to look lighter than your remaining hair, the hairline losing its crispness, or new thinning appearing outside the original treated zone. Scheduling a consultation with our team helps determine the best course of action.

Protecting your scalp from the sun is the single most effective thing you can do:

• Wear a hat or apply SPF on high UV days
• Avoid harsh or heavily exfoliating scalp products
• Keep the scalp moisturised and avoid excessive scrubbing
• Limit prolonged sauna, steam room and chlorinated pool exposure

General health and hydration help too. None of this stops fading entirely, but it noticeably slows it.

Touch-up sessions vary in length depending on the extent of work needed. Minor adjustments may take one to two hours, while more extensive maintenance could require longer sessions or more than one visit. Our team provides an estimated duration after assessing your current SMP. As with the original treatment, expect some redness for a day or so afterwards and follow the same straightforward aftercare.

Yes. From the completion of your 3rd session your treatment includes a 12-month quality guarantee, and any touch-up needed within that period is free. This covers situations such as an area not retaining pigment as expected once healed. Maintenance beyond that first year, as pigment naturally softens over the following years, is assessed and quoted separately based on how much work is required.

It can. A maintenance session is a natural opportunity to adjust the design rather than simply restore it. Hairlines can be softened, raised slightly to suit your age, or reshaped at the temples, and overall density can be lifted or lightened to sit better with how much hair you now have. Tell your artist at the assessment what you would change, and they will advise what is achievable over existing work.

In the great majority of cases, no. Faded pigment provides a usable base and new work is layered over it, matched in shade so the result reads as one consistent treatment. Removal is generally only considered where previous work was placed too deep, sits at the wrong depth or colour, or where a hairline was set badly enough that it cannot be worked with. Your artist will tell you if that applies.

Your artist examines your existing SMP, checks how the pigment has faded and shifted, looks at how your hair loss has progressed since the original work and discusses what you want changed. From there they outline what the maintenance involves, how many sessions are likely and provide a transparent quote after that detailed assessment. Consultations are free, in person at our Perth, Sydney and Melbourne studios or by phone or video.