The first couple of days set the tone for the rest of your healing.

• Keep it dry: No washing, sweating, or soaking the scalp.
• Hands off: Avoid touching, scratching, or testing the dots with your fingers.
• No products: Skip oils, creams, and hair products unless we’ve explicitly approved them.
• Sleep clean: Use a fresh pillowcase so your scalp rests on a clean surface.

Right after the session your scalp may look a bit red and darker than the final result; that is normal and usually settles quickly.

Once we say it’s okay to start washing, think “gentle, quick, and no scrubbing.”

• Use lukewarm water, not very hot or icy cold.
• Wash with gentle pressure — fingertips, not nails, and no hard scrubbing.
• Pat dry with a clean towel instead of rubbing back and forth.
• Expect some light flaking as the top layer renews; do not pick at it.

If your scalp feels tight or itchy, that’s often a sign of normal healing. Picking is the fastest way to disturb dots before they settle, so we avoid it completely.

Sweat, UV, and long soaks can all rough up fresh work if you go too hard too soon.

• Workouts: Avoid heavy sweating for the first 4–5 days; light walking is fine.
• Sun: Keep the scalp out of direct sun while it heals; use a loose hat outdoors.
• Swimming: No pools, hot tubs, or long baths until we clear you — usually after the first week.
• Long term: After healing, using sun protection on the scalp helps slow fading.

Think of your scalp like a fresh, shallow wound pattern: too much heat, moisture, and friction early on can work against the clean, even finish we’re aiming for.

Healing has a predictable rhythm for most people.

• Day 1–2: Mild redness, dots appear darker and more defined.
• Day 3–5: Redness fades; some tightness or itch; dots begin to soften.
• Day 5–7: Light flaking or dryness as the top skin layer renews.
• After 7 days: The colour relaxes into a more natural shade that reads as stubble.

Between sessions, we look at how your skin healed and how much the first layer softened so we can adjust density and depth at the next visit.

It’s better to ask early if something doesn’t feel right.

• Reach out to your artist if you’re unsure whether a reaction looks normal or not.
• Contact a medical professional urgently if you notice:
  • Spreading, hot redness that gets worse instead of better.
  • Thick yellow or green discharge from the area.
  • Severe pain, fever, or feeling unwell.

Most SMP healing is smooth and uneventful when aftercare is followed, but your health always comes first if anything feels off.