Disposable probes vs Insulated needle?

I went for a consultation, and the electrologist said that she uses insulated needles instead of disposable probes. The reason being - disposable probes are usually made out of stainless steel and she feels that the insulated needles allow the heat to really center in on the papilla wheras the stainless steel tend to lose some of heat.

She did say that I would have my own needle every time, and that it would be replaced accordingly.

Does her reasoning make sense, to those of you with more experience in electroysis? Or should I find someone who only uses disposable probes? What are the pros/cons? Thanks!!!

The reasoning sounds bogus to me. The probe generates heat in the surrounding tissue. Yes, maybe a tiny amount escapes up the probe, but it’s very thin.

The electrologist seems to be confusing electrical insulator with heat insulator, and the mechanisms of DC and RF electrolysis.

Insulated needles were typically used for galvanic, in order to concentrate the lye at the tip and help prevent lye generation at the skin surface. In RF the insulation doesn’t do much at all – the RF goes right through the insulation.

RF is naturally concentrated at the tip of the needle. This is just the way RF works.

DC is biased towards the tip because the tissues are typically drier toward the top, and the DC needs water to work.

Anyway, I don’t know that there’s anything wrong with using insulated probes, but standard practice is to not use them, as far as I know.

  • Eric

Dear 110604, What ever probe is used it should be disposed of after each treatment. Disposables are available in gold, stainless and insulated. Saving your probe is like saving your dirty dinnerware until you dine again. Even if it is your probe, do you want bacteria that has collected on the probe inserted into you?

If probes are properly sterilized they pose no risk. As far as I heard the standard used to be to reuse the probes. Now, however, the standard is not to reuse them. The cons are that one must make sure that the probes are handled properly.

But you can ask your tech how you may buy your own box of probes and use them. If you found otherwise a good tech, the probes are not a big issue.

Hi all

Thanks for your input. Since I am new to all this, I’m not sure what the standard protocol is for probes. The electrologist I have found has been practicing for 15 years and I liked her a lot. I don’t really know what to do.

As long as the needle is sterilized properly, reusing a needle is ok? Or would it really be in my best interest to find someone who uses disposable probes??

If your practitioner is using insulated probes, they are single use. Although one could buy reusable stainless steel and gold probes, resterilize them between uses, and treat the next client, the nature of insulated probes is that they must be disposable. The insulation is not resterilizable, and tends to break down from use and flake off. Even with stainless and gold, the probes tend to break down after a number of uses, but an insulated is usually toast after just one use. I have had to change them out in the space of one treatment, but then again, I have an average treatment time of 3 hours, so my results are not typical. :stuck_out_tongue:
You have most likely misunderstood when she said something like, “I have disposable stainless steel and insulated probes” to mean that one was single use, and the other reusable. I am sure that both are single use. At least until one is comfortable with one’s electrologist enough to not be checking up on their every move, most electrologists make a point of showing you the moment when they break open a package to insert your probe in the probe holder on the machine so you know it is brand new. In some states this is a legal requirement each and every time one has treatment. You will find that 99.9% of electrologists are using disposable probes (rather they are disposing of them after one use or not) because it is just too expensive and time consuming to purchase the reusable one’s, clean and resterilize them, and deal with the client’s reluctance to believe that you really have done so.
Just for the record, you don’t want to just store a probe used on you and reuse it later. Even overnight the build up of bacteria and germs would pose a health risk. Did you know that most bodily fluids, when properly fermented create lethal poisons?

In the unlikely event that your electrologist IS using reusable probes, (or reusing disposable ones) you have the perfect right to request that she buy you a box of your favorite probes (have her try out stainless, insulated, and gold on you to see what you find most comfortable) and just use your own every time you come in. :wink: Hint, most of my clients find the Ballet Gold Probes to be the most comfortable.

please help…

here is what the electrologist said:
“I don’t use disposable probes because they are made of stainless steel and don’t keep the heat localized on the papilla as well as the insulated ones do. (and a few other reasons). I use insulated probes because they keep the heat from dispersing. I don’t throw them away because they are too expensive. You will get your same needle every time, and it will replaced accordingly.”

I’m just really confused!! Are insulated probes really that expensive that she can’t replace them every time, or am I just not understanding the difference between disposable and insulated??

Insulated probes cost about $0.90 each! This is a small amount to pay for the added comfort and security of having a sterile, new probe used everytime. If I were you, I would insist that a new probe be used each visit (where you can see her opening a new package) even if it costs you a dollar more! I would not trust anyone to sterilize a used probe each time or not mix it up by accident with someone else’s. Do not take chances with your health - AIDS and hepatitis, etc., are real concerns. Besides, as I understand, the insulation on these probes wears away after using it a certain amount of hours, especially if the blend method is being used.
If your electrologist will not work with you on this issue, I would run away quick like a bunny. A call to the state medical board would certainly be in order to report this, as this is a totally unacceptable practice.