I’ve done a search on Ebay for Surgical Loupes and notice there are a number of various styles and magnifications…not to mention prices. I know that the answer for picking which type would be to go for the best you can afford. As there are a number of experts here, what would your choice be if you were on a budget?
The elements one needs are the highest level of magification, with adjustability so that more than one person can use them, and a working distance that is good for use in this job application. For example, it would do you no good to have something with a 3 inch working distance, as that would make it impossible to do work on yourself, and any buddy working on you would not want to be bent over to put his or her face 3 inches from your skin. I would say the minimum magnification would be 3 times life size (not to be confused with 3 diopter, which is totally something else, it only equals one and a half times life size) and a working distance of at least 12 to 14 inches. As for the adjustability, the distance between your pupils is the measure of where your loupes need to be set apart, so for me, if the rig can’t be set at 72 I will only be able to focus one eye in the loupes. On the other hand, if it can’t come down to 50 something, most women won’t be able to us them either.
Wow thanks James…so many factors to consider, I thought it was just a question of choosing magnification!
I would have to try them on in order to figure out something so personal. My surgical loupes cost me a little over $1,800 (how many pounds is that?), but they are customized and I chose 5X magnification. I ordered them from a company that supplies dentists and surgeons with their vision needs. A field rep came to my office and showed me all the different options even the ones with the newer LED (light emmitting diode) option that are powered by a battery.
In a progressive nation like the United Kingdom, there have got to be suppliers/companies for surgical magnification that would be glad to supply electrologists as well as all those other medical specialists.
With that said, are asking for yourself or your electrologist?
There are cheaper brands that may serve one’s needs well and there are more expensive ways to go as well. It’s just terribly tough for me to know about every product since I haven’t tried everything offered. I know that a $40 pair of plastic lenses I tried in the beginning of my career didn’t make the cut. One needs a 12"-16" distance factor in place for ergonomic reasons.
So I can’t be forthright and honest with you about all the varieties of magnification that is offered.
Dee
If one is really on a budget and in need of loupes. An economical means might be to look at the microscopic loupes that one can get from Texas Electrolysis Supply for about $75. It has a headband and can be used with or without glasses. The magnification is 3X and the focal distance is about 17 inches I believe.
Anyway, something you might want to look into.
(If you don’t mind me hijacking this thread…)
I have been going to somebody who (in my own assessment) is pretty good - pretty skilled, speed and attitude - but uses a circle lamp (or should I say struggles with a circle lamp, since my hair grows in all directions and the lamp is never were it should be). And the person is very open for suggestions.
Do you have any recommendation on
a) how I could approach my electrologist about alternates to circle lamps
and
b) what would you recommend to do
For example, is there a way to try this out or is there a reasonable low cost option as a trial step coming from a circle lamp?
Thanks for all your feedback…it sure is a jungle out there!
I’ve sent emails regarding surgical loupes to Sterex and KDElectrolysis here in the UK. Sterex is yet to reply, but KDElectrolysis kindly did yesterday.
Here’s the email I sent:
-QTE-
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a lady who has for the past 6 years been troubled with fine excelerated blonde hairs on my chin, upper lip and cheeks. Also for the the same length of time I’ve been looking for treatments with an Electrologist that has good visual and lighting…and it has become the bain of my life…you have no idea how exhausting this is! I’ve had treatments with 5 Electrologist over these 6 years, and have given up because it is obvious that they can’t actually see the target. All of them say they just can’t see the hair under the standard mag lamp, as blonde hairs seem to disappear. I myself can see them quiet blantly sticking out at vertical angles in bright sunlight, so much so that others have commented. I’m just wondering if while training these people to epilate…do you actually stress that good visual equipment is essentual!!!
Would it not be beneifical to promote surgical loupes?? Why is it that the American’s have already seen the benefits…and yet the UK as usual are still living in the dark ages.
This email was in no way meant to be a jab at your company…but just to raise awareness that there are many consumers in my situation that are finding it considerably frustrating trying to find an Electrologist that has the right equipment for their needs.
If you have a few moments I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.
Many thanks for your time!
Mrs Clarke
-UNQTE-
And this is what KDEletrolysis had to say:
-QTE-
Hello and thank you for your email. I’m guessing you have spent some time reading the forums at Hairtell, then googled for electrolysis training in the uk and found my details, clicked on the email address and vented all your frustrations that have built up over the past 6 years.
I have spent thousands (and I do mean thousands) of pounds buying from companies all over the world in the pursuit of the best equipment for my business, and as far as I’m concerned it is absolute nonsense that surgical loupes should be used for all electrolysis. I found them to be no better than an average beauty magnifyer when it came to finding the hairs. Good light is certainly needed, but frankly that is a moot point as an electrologist will not perform a treatment if she/he cannot see what she/he is doing. She/he cannot randomly stick the needle in after all. But if an electrologist thinks that loupes has made them better at treating people then hooray for them.
I will concede one point, which is that some beauty therapists performing electrolysis may not realise that angling the light will improve visibility of blonde hairs, but that is something that comes with practise. However if you visited full time electrologists or very experienced beauty therapists then this doesn’t apply.
Even the most flawlessly beautiful woman with no noticeable facial hair will suddenly have a covering of fur all over her face in sunlight. It highlights everything. And if someone has no hair at all then they are removing it, even if they claim they aren’t.
So all I can suggest to you is that if you have visited a professional electrologist (by which I mean someone who performs nothing but electrolysis and has done so for more than a year CONTINOUSLY) and they cannot treat these blonde hairs then it’s worth taking into consideration their opinion.
If you have only visited beauty salons then please visit www.electrolysis.co.uk and try someone who does electrolysis full time. (Not all those on the list are full-time electrologists.)
I can’t say anything more without seeing the hairs myself, so I’ll leave it at that.
Regards
Pamie
www.kdelectrolysis.com
0118 9567720
-UNQTE-
Any comment???
On the subject of getting your electrologist to try out some magnification and lighting upgrades, Ziess offers free trials that last 30 days (if they have not changed anything on that recently). If one found something good and affordable, one could gift their practitioner with the item, as the major reason most don’t get them is they don’t want to pay for them.
For myself, I like my stereo scope better than loupes, but I like loupes better than circle lamps. The only way I can see anyone saying that they have tried “all that’s out there” and come back to circle lamps is the fact that using loupes and stereo scopes takes some getting used to, furthermore, without the addition of a better light source, vision is not improved as what one sees is actually dimmer. Even with perfect lighting it is in fact disorientating to look through them the first time. The brain is not used to having its field of vision reduced to one to two square inches and one’s fingers looking like those on holiday parade balloons. Once one does get used to it, and the brain adjusts, one can then enjoy the better clarity and increased sight that it offers.
I shall never forget the crap I went through when I was a student. I was made to feel like I would never be a good enough electrologist, and I was starting to believe that as well, because my instructor repeatedly told me that I was “making my own holes” as I looked through the flourescent circle lamp. I couldn’t see. One day, she requested that I demonstrate hair removal by removing hair on her thumb digit. Do you know how tiny those hairs are? Take a look at your own thumbs right now!!! So, it was just me, my probe and a useless circle lamp. Talk about miserable failure. Scabbing occurred two days later on her digit and she just had to hold her thumb up in the air and show the class what damage one could do if their insertions were not accurate. All eyes were on me. Well, I’m thinking, why didn’t she just offer me a blindfold, tie one hand behind my back and stick an apple in my mouth. Soon after that, to her credit, she actually did the right thing and called a rep from a company who specializes in surgical magnification to come to the school and talk to the students. He measured us and surgical mags were ordered and that was the beginning of being more successful and relaxed for many of us who couldn’t see the target. I didn’t stop there, though. A couple years later when I was in practice, I ordered a higher power of surgical mags because clients were complaining that I missed the longer, blond hairs that did not stay close to the skin no matter what. They were ticked at me. Call me anything, but I am not bull-headed. I don’t try to talk clients out of what concerns them by minimizing their concerns. It is my personal belief that if one see’s a pattern of discontent with the customer, then a good business person explores and go in another direction to correct the problem to lesson the consumers frustration. It’s a good economic decision for many reasons, but it is the concern for the weary consumer’s end result that should drive one to endlessly seek the best setup possible.
Maybe you should become a client of Pamie’s, since she seems to think that quality magnification and a quality light source is “absolute nonsense” for electrologists. She may be your ticket to resolving your problem.
I’m telling you with all sincerity that it is essential, if one desires to be the best full service electrologist one can be to have these tools. Otherwise, electrolysis may only be a proceedure for some hair structures, but not other hair structures. By the way, every electrologist knows the technique called “shadowing” that Pamie refers to. Shadowing is essential for seeing difficult hairs, especially. Throw in a halogen light source and surgical magnification and the difference is unbelievably better when the shadowing technique is used!! Pamie would not have to spend thousands of pounds for surgical magnification for the students she trains, at least I’m understanding that she trains students, right? The information about better vision wear and lighting could at least be offered to the those in training and they would have to decide for themselves what their needs are for now or in the future and then pay for the better vision equipment themselves. At least tell them about these possibilities. I would have never known there were other choices if my instructor did not take the steps to introduce the class to a company that specializes in taking care of the surgical magnification needs of certain professions.
I have experienced the vision part of this both ways. Cheap magnification and circle lamps put me at an extreme disadvantage in the beginning of my career. Halogen lighting and surgical loupes spurred me up to higher levels where I was satisfying the consumer much, much better. Referrals abound. I don’t really need to advertise anymore. It’s that good.
So, I respectfully disagree with my British colleague about surgical magnification and lighting being “absolute nonsense”. I just read the FAQ’s section on her website that she provided. It is very, very good information, but I must also respectfully disagree with the information about the first clearance information and flash thermolysis being unsafe for treating hairs that are tougher than the surrounding skin. Specifically speaking, that is not true anymore. A high-end computerized epilator that is capable of MicroFlash or PicoFlash thermolysis does nothing of the sort when a well-trained professional is in control.
You are are not the typical consumer Mrs.Clarke. I am really awed by your persistence to ask these questions of people that have the power to bring it up several notches. Whether they listen carefully to you, the consumer, or defend what they have always done and refuse to believe there may be something better for electrolysis client, it is their profound right to do so. It is good to offer all kinds of information and people will always agree or disagree. This is what makes Hairtell so vital and special to consumers who can in the end make up their own minds.
Now, I’m back to the fact that you are a consumer that is unable to get the OFFENDING longer, blonde hairs removed after seeing five electrologists in six years. The common denominator seems to point to vision and lighting choices. Thank you for the energy you are putting forth. You just might be the force of one to make a difference that will help many.
Dee
I agree with Dee, you really have put your all into this. What I think would really make people sit up is if someone with the skills and equipment James and Dee have would set up or upgrade in somewhere like London and watch the potential clients go to them rather than others. Then they may finally think “Oh, maybe there is something in this whole visual malarky”.
I have to admit, I’m taking a year out in June between A levels and Uni and going to train part time down in the college nearest to me in electrolysis (along with a ocuple of other things I want to do) just to give me a foundation on which I could build on in the future (for example, looking into training afterwards in institutes that seem to support the ideas that are most prevelant in Hairtell, like Dectro and so on).
Hopefully you, me and the others in the South East will eventually find what wev’e been looking for.
Best of luck hun,
Benji
Psst, you would not be the first person to go from HairTell Reader, to HairTell Poster, to HairTell SuperFriend Electrologist 
Our Benji Boy is a good stick, I think he has sampled most of the Electrologists around London…bless him!
All I have to say to you Benji Boy is…good for you!
Hello:
I thought I would chime in on this topic since I use these products.
Sincerely
Sabrena Smith
www.sabrenasmith.com
I am a fan of indidual loupes. Get them fit for your face and your eyes. I bought mine through Orascoptic and have loved them. It doesn’t hurt to get a consultation from one of the major companies that can explain everything to you again.
Well theres a suprise…Sterex hasn’t replied to my email!
It has a large part of the UK market and I guess the company is just too big to bother with little ole me.
Here another one that you might want to try. Delasco in IA, U.S.A. Medical supplies available at your fingertips!
1-800-831-6273. The company carries a variety of them.
Hey, James, this is where I got my exam Light Brewer-Floor. What a great device!
Maybe someone warned Sterex about Maxine the Trouble Maker and they are afraid of submitting a written reply that will be shared over the internet???
Free economic markets are ruled and modified by the consumer. Businesses always wake up eventually if consumers keep the pressure on by demanding a better product. That is, if they are smart and really care about improving.
Definatley, although unfortunatley were battling against the old Enlgish mentality; Change? Absaloutley not. Tradition? Now that’s something I’m comfortable with.
(Sorry, I know I sound like the bitter old poster in the corner, tis’ just a good place to get things off my chest)
Regards,
Benji
Ok, just resurrecting an old post! I’ve become a bitter old poster…I just wish I could find someone in the UK that would be willing to try/use surgical loupes. My self esteem, mental state and my family are suffering severely & unnecessarily just because all the electrologist I’ve tried just can’t see well enough to successfully treat my situation. Some even point blank refuse to acknowledge that fine hair can be treated! Any ideas anyone???
Sadly, all I can say is, now you know why so many HairTell readers have become actual electrolysis practitioners. Their simple eagerness to learn, combined with their willingness to use the better equipment gives them an instant edge over their well established competition.