The average hair system is a world away from what it once used to be. The bad hairpieces are long gone, assuming of course that the wearer uses a little common sense when selecting their system. They require no surgery, no donor hair and provide the customer with the appearance of a full head of hair. A quality system correctly fitted is usually undetectable.

However, they are still laborious to live with and expensive to maintain, hence why so many hair system wearers contact us about making the switch to scalp micropigmentation. There is undoubtedly a significant demand within the hair system community for something…. well, better.

For the sake of clarity, wigs, toupees, hairpieces and hair systems are all the same thing. The industry calls them ‘hair systems’ because it sounds more advanced and terms like ‘toupee’ have negative connotations associated with them.

What’s the issue with hair systems?

No matter how advanced your system, they are still taped or glued to your scalp and are only removed from time to time for maintenance. This creates comfort and hygiene problems as skin exfoliates and sweat gathers under the system. Over time this can make the scalp feel unclean and uncomfortable, and can even release an unwelcome odour.

Systems are very expensive. Most clients require two systems, so they still have one to wear while the other is being cleaned from time to time by the supplier. The ongoing costs can top £80 (about $120) per month. Perhaps an even greater issue is maintenance. Quite frankly, they’re a pain in the ass to live with and after a few months, drive many users to search for alternatives.

Making the switch

If you’re a hair system wearer and considering scalp micropigmentation, you’ll be pleased to know you’re in a really great position to do so. You see, the single biggest hurdle is explaining your new look, and if you’ve been sporting the appearance of a full head of hair using your system, you simply won’t have this problem.

Imagine the difficulty experienced by those who are totally bald, trying to explain how they suddenly have a full head of shaven hair. There are some trusted excuses, but the bottom line is they usually have to come clean.

On the contrary, if you’ve been wearing a full system, all you’ve got to do is tell people you decided to shave your head. The worst case scenario is you have to answer the occasional criticism from those who think you looked better when your ‘hair’ was longer.

Considerations

I have a couple of nuggets of advice to offer those making the switch from a hair system to scalp micropigmentation.

The first is to prepare for your return to work, by dropping into conversation that you’re thinking of cutting your hair much shorter. Just say you’re fed up with your current style and fancy a change. This will lessen the ‘shock’ factor when you head back to the office after your procedure.

Second, don’t turn up to your treatment sessions wearing your system. Take your system off as early as possible, ideally a couple of days before, and moisturise your head like crazy. This is important because so many former hair system wearers turn up at their clinic with sore and damaged skin, which can really compromise the quality of the end result.

The bottom line is that the transition from hair system to scalp micropigmentation is really easy, as long as you follow these pieces of advice. Like most clients, compare how you feel before and after your treatment, and you will almost certainly feel liberated from the day to day drudgery of system usage, and will be relieved that you don’t have to worry so much about your hair anymore. Not to mention the fact that you’ll save a considerable amount of money in the process.