Filling ‘coolness’ in scanty head for those who lose hair

The one that started SMP in Korea with unparalleled technique: D-Black

D.CHRIS, CEO of D-BLACK ACADEMY, is the first generation and pioneer of scalp tattooing in Korea. Just as many people in their twenties suffer from hair loss and subsequent anxiety in recent years, Chris also suffered from his progressed hair loss in his twenties. During the search for a solution, he came across SMP (Scalp MicroPigmentation) and after testing himself for 7 or 8 years, he was able to live a new life not as a bald person but as a shaved person. He started the SMP Academy to inform more people about SMP by launching D-Black, thinking that there would be people with hair loss who had the same experience as him and were suffering. 

The world’s first new SMP technology, ASMP (Art-SMP)

Beyond the ordinary, three-dimensionally and realistically

Louis, D-Black Academy Changwon branch director, stands out among the many experts within the circle. In general, many SMP experts have worked in related industries such as tattoos, but Louis has been working in a job that is not related to the field. He also came to know about SMP by accident, and despite his short career, he came to stand at the center of the attention. He said that the biggest strength of D-Black is ASMP (Art-SMP), which was developed for the first time in the world through the long experience of CEO D.CHRIS. SMP is a method of making it look as if the hair roots remain on the scalp in the method of pointillism. However, D.CHRIS felt this was not enough. Through years of research and self-testing, he has developed a 2D SMP that can express three-dimensional hair shafts. This differentiated it from his competitors by expressing natural and realistic hair. Not satisfied with this, he devised from black curly hair and succeeded in realizing 3D stereoscopic expression beyond 2D; thus born was ASMP. The difficulty of ASMP is high as it implements hair in three dimensions beyond the plane. Louis says in confidence: “Not many people, even the heads of the business, do ASMP. I think we do the most except for the head office.” Louis is the head of the strategy promotion committee of D-Black, and is giving lectures on hair loss and SMP at Inje University Lifelong Education Center in Gimhae. Among the SMP academies in the Gyeongnam region, the D-Black Academy Changwon branch produces the most. D-Black’s technological prowess is so well known that many famous celebrities in Korea have undergone the procedure, and inquiries are pouring in. 

Filling ‘coolness’ in scanty head for those who lose hair

D-Black Academy showcases Art-SMP at the 2021 SMP EXPO

D-Black’s technology is attracting attention not only at home but also abroad. At ‘2021 SMP EXPO’, held in Arizona, USA, world-class instructors and artists from various countries, including the UK, USA, France, Netherlands, and the Dominican Republic, participated and showed various SMP techniques and courses. D.CHRIS, who stood on stage as the first Asian speaker, unveiled ASMP. Louis accompanied the event, and in addition to ASMP, D-Black also unveiled Double X Machine and Discalp Care. Double X Machine is a device for SMP developed by D-Black, and is the world’s first device that can control pressure with a button. The dot size is also automatically adjusted, and it boasts a high degree of perfection from the first work. These two products were well received by many people. In October of this year, talented directors, including D.CHRIS and Louis, presented technical education as invited SMP lecturers at the ISPMU (International School of Permanent Makeup) and D-Black is taking off as a global company by signing a contract with its branches in the US and Sydney, Australia this year.

Legal ground is needed in Korea

It has been over 30 years since various semi-permanent tattoos were introduced in Korea. There are more than 200,000 people working in the tattoo industry, and there are many people who have excellent skills good enough to attract people overseas. Despite the reality, most tattoo companies are still legally labeled as ‘illegal’. Louis points out “Celebrities and lawmakers also have both scalp tattoos and semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos. Still, the law says it is illegal. How ironic!” As a result of the poll, 52% are in favor of legalization, and in the case of the United States, where SMP is the most active overseas, the state government operates a license system for tattoo and semi-permanent makeup practitioners. In the UK, local governments are operating by issuing qualification licenses to tattoo workshops. In Japan, tattoo surgery has been excluded from medical practice by the Supreme Court ruling from 2020.