Scalp micropigmentation: what it costs, and why it is legally a tattoo

Scalp micropigmentation, or SMP, has become a visible service on British high streets: pigment is deposited into the skin in tiny dots to mimic closely shaved hair. The usual question is what it costs. The more useful question is who is allowed to do it.

What it costs

Price depends on the area of hair loss and the number of sessions, and clinics publish it. Taking Scalpology's published price list as an example, starting prices per session step up through £200, £300, £400, £450, £500 and £600. Scar work is priced separately: £300 for an FUT scar and £350 for FUE. Alopecia is priced on application.

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The detail that wrecks budgets: these are per-session prices. The clinic states the treatment is typically a two-to-three session process, and sometimes one more is needed. On that list a full course starts around £600 and runs to £1,800 or more for a large area. Ask for the price of the course, in writing, before starting.

Why it is legally a tattoo

The law does not distinguish artistic from cosmetic pigment. Part VIII of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 covers tattooing, semi-permanent skin colouring, cosmetic piercing and electrolysis — and micropigmentation falls under semi-permanent skin colouring.

The duty is twofold. Under section 15(1) a person must not carry on such a business unless registered by the local authority for the area, and under section 15(2) the business must be carried on in premises registered for that purpose. Both practitioner and premises must be registered. Operating without registration is an offence under section 16(1)(b), with a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale. These provisions apply where the local authority has adopted them, under section 13.

Who may not have it done

Anyone under eighteen. The Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 makes tattooing a person under eighteen an offence, with the sole exception of tattooing for medical reasons by a qualified medical practitioner or under their direction. A practitioner has a defence if they had reasonable cause to believe, and did believe, the person was eighteen or over. The penalty is a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale.

Three questions before booking

Are you and the premises registered with the local authority, and which one? That is a checkable fact, not a matter of trust. How many sessions does the quoted price include, and what will a top-up cost in a few years? And what exactly does the consent form describe — the procedure, or only the practitioner's protection?

What does not exist

A single national register of practitioners, or a mandatory professional standard. Registration under the 1982 Act is local-authority registration covering hygiene requirements, not skill. Portfolios, healed work a year or two on, and reviews carry as much weight as the paperwork — look at both.