Protocol 02
Scalp Micropigmentation in Gibraltar
Thousands of pigment points, matched to your own hair and placed one at a time, until a thinning scalp reads as density again. Built up over two to four visits.
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Reviewed by Dr Natalie Olivera, BDS (Hons) MFDS RCS (Eng), general dentist and Level 7 aesthetics clinician · August 2026
The Specification
The specification
- Treatment length
- 90 minutes to three and a half hours
- Number of visits
- Two to four, ten days apart
- Downtime
- None. Redness for a day
- How long it lasts
- Three to five years before a refresh
What It Does
It does not grow hair. It changes what the eye sees.
A thinning crown stops reading as scalp and starts reading as hair.
A receding hairline is redrawn where it belongs, softly, not as a line.
A widening parting closes visually, which is usually what people actually want.
A scar from a transplant or an injury is broken up and disappears into the surrounding density.
This is a cosmetic treatment, not a medical one. It does nothing to the follicles and it will not slow hair loss. If your hair is still receding, the pattern will keep changing underneath the pigment, which is why we plan around where you are heading rather than only where you are.
How It Works
The scan comes first because a plan drawn from a photograph is a guess.
Scan first. Then a plan. Then pigment, in layers.
The scalp scan, which is free.
Fifteen minutes with a magnified camera reading density, follicle health and where the thinning is actually travelling. You see the same screen we do. It is also how we tell whether pigment is the right answer at all.
We agree the hairline before anything is placed.
Drawn on, looked at, adjusted, and looked at again in a mirror. A hairline that suits a thirty-year-old rarely suits the same person at fifty, and the one we draw is the one you will still want in ten years.
The first pass, deliberately light.
Pigment matched to your own hair colour is placed point by point into the upper layer of the skin. We go lighter than the target on purpose. It is straightforward to add density at the next visit and very difficult to take it away.
Two to three more visits, ten days apart.
Each one deepens the tone and fills what the first pass left open. The gap matters: the skin needs to settle so we can see what the pigment actually did before adding to it.
Point by point. There is no fast version of this treatment.
Is It Right For Me
It suits more people than you would think, and not everyone.
It works well for diffuse thinning, a receding or uneven hairline, a widening parting, patchy density, and scars from transplants or injuries. It works on every skin tone, and on shaved heads as well as on longer hair.
It works less well if you are in the middle of rapid, active hair loss. The pattern under the pigment keeps moving. We would rather see you again in six months than place pigment into a hairline that is still retreating.
We will not treat over psoriasis, eczema or folliculitis that is active in the area, or where you have a keloid scarring history. If you are on a medication that affects healing or clotting, bring the name of it.
The Tariff
Priced by how much of the head is treated, not by the hour.
Priced by coverage.
| Coverage | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small area or temples | 1 hr 30 | £370 |
| Crown, parting and hairline | 2 hr | £420 |
| Half head, two areas | 2 hr 30 | £550 |
| Three-quarter head, three areas | 3 hr | £580 |
| Full head, four areas | 3 hr 30 | £720 |
Which line you are on is decided at the scan, not over the phone, because “the crown” means something different on every head. The scan costs nothing and you are not committed by having it.
Aftercare
Sun fades pigment faster than time does. This is Gibraltar.
Four days of care, then a lifetime of sunscreen.
Keep the scalp dry for the first four days. No washing, no swimming, no sauna, no steam and no heavy sweating. Water in fresh pigment points is the main cause of patchy healing.
Do not pick, scratch or scrub. Small scabs are normal and they will lift on their own. Taking one off early takes the pigment with it.
SPF 50 on the scalp, permanently. Ultraviolet light is what fades this treatment. A head that lives in Gibraltar sun without protection will need refreshing in two years rather than five.
Shave with a foil or electric shaver once healed, rather than a wet razor, if you keep your head close-cropped. It is gentler on the treated skin.
Questions
Scalp micropigmentation, answered.
Is it a tattoo?
It uses a needle and pigment, so mechanically it is related. It is not the same craft. The pigment sits shallower, the points are far smaller, and the colour is chosen to fade in the same direction your own hair does rather than turning blue over the years.
Will it look obvious?
Not if the hairline is drawn properly and the density is built in layers. The two things that give it away are a hairline that is too low and too sharp, and a first pass that went too dark. We plan against both, which is why it takes several visits.
How long does it last?
Three to five years before it wants refreshing, and a refresh is one shorter visit rather than the whole plan again. Sun exposure is the single biggest variable. In Gibraltar, sunscreen on the scalp is the difference between three years and five.
Does it hurt?
Most people describe it as scratchy rather than sharp, and duller than a body tattoo. The crown is usually the least comfortable area and the sides the most. Sessions are long, so we break them up, and you can stop whenever you want to.
Can I have it if I still have hair?
Yes, and most of our clients do. Pigment placed between existing hairs closes the gaps the eye reads as thinning. On longer hair it works on the parting and the crown. You do not have to shave your head to have this treatment.
What if my hair keeps receding?
Then the pattern under the pigment changes and it will need adjusting. That is why we ask about active loss at the scan and why, for some people, the honest advice is to wait or to treat medically first. We would rather say that than take the booking.
Can it cover a hair transplant scar?
Usually, yes. Pigment placed into and around a strip scar breaks up the contrast so the eye stops finding it. Very raised or very pale scar tissue holds pigment differently, so we test a small area first and tell you honestly what to expect.
Do you treat women?
Yes. In women the work is almost always the parting and diffuse thinning across the top rather than a hairline, and it is some of the most satisfying work we do. The approach is the same: scan, plan, and build density in layers.
How much does it cost in total?
The figure on the tariff is the treatment plan, not a single visit, so the two to four sessions are included. Small area or temples is £370 and a full head across four areas is £720. There is no VAT in Gibraltar to add.
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