I see some of the machines have an “air” feature. What is this for?
“Air” works somewhat if the pump is strong enough. The early Hinkel machines had a separate “blower unit” that practically blew you off the table — THAT one worked (a bit). I have not found one unit today that has a suitable air unit. So, as Rhodensenger says — pretty ineffective. (You would laugh if you knew what those pumps really are!)
A real air unit would work with any modality, even super flash: the pump would be on continuously and you would “poke” away.
I always wanted one the the manufacturers to add an alcohol (maybe 20%) spray to the air: this rapid evaporation could cause actual cooling. My idea was a bit much to engineer and there never were any “takers.” (Also the problem of inhaling the evaporating liquid — but there could have been a return flow?)
I also designed a doughnut shaped “thing” with gel inside and a refrigeration unit. I hooked it, with lines, to a “mini” frig. The idea was to work through the “hole” in the doughnut that cooled the surrounding area. I didn’t have all the tools to make it work, but it did, somewhat. Again, none of the manufacturers wanted to try. The “lazy suckers!”
The air feature is supposed to distract and desensitize, but mostly, people thought it was annoying. I had it added to my Gentronics digital MC160D years ago and paid almost $400. I used it and no one ever asked me to disable it, but when I got my new Sil-tone VMC with no air, that is when I was told that the air feature really bugged them and they were glad I did not have that feature on my new epilator.
The air feature should be combined with moisture. The electrologist should keep a moistened cotton ball ready and every once in a while wipe the treatment area. It can be moistened with water, alcohol etc. As the air hits the moisture on the skin it begins to evaporate and cools the area. Simple and effective technique.
In my earlier days, I took an Hinkel air (about the size of a large bread box) and put it in the ceiling in the next room. I ran 1-inch diameter Tygon (a plastic tube) through the ceiling and down to the epilator. The pump was (finally) quiet (you couldn’t hear it at all) — the Hinkel air sounded like a tiny jet engine and actually was a turbine-type fan “pump.” They never broke down and blew like crazy — it was a nice feature.
And I would dab on alcohol during the treatment. If the needle wasn’t tightened down, the air could blow the needle out and impale it in the wall. This WAS one powerful sucker and I loved it. This unit seriously worked! (A little inside info: most air pumps today are aquarium air-pumps. GREAT for fish! Just not powerful enough to do anything but annoy the patient. Ah, progress!)
Has anyone thought of using “air” to suck the hairs and give some rest to our Electrolysis fingers?
Rhodesengr, you maybe?
I think sucking the hairs out would be difficult. It would not be too hard to design a small vacuum unit but think about what happens if you stick the end of a vacuum hose on your hand. It just pulls on your skin but there is no air flow. A hair in a follicle would just stay there as there is no air behind it to expand and push the hair out. Water does not expand (very much) when the pressure is reduced. So the only way it could work is by air drag rushing past the hair to pull it out. You would need very fast air flow and some means to maintain a small gap between the vacuum tube and the skin. If an epilator company would like to fund me to try and develop this, I would be happy to do so on a best effort basis. Otherwise, with respect to hair removal I remain an amateur screwing around at home 