How do the rest of you remove “gunk” from the probe as you work?

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#1

I know some use the portion above the tips of tweezers to remove gunk (slide the probe between two closed tips) but never liked that method myself as it scratched the probe & I imagine even more so as I wish to move to insulated.

My go to tweezers are rounded & the working tips are “stepped”. I am thinking of supergluing two small rubber tips right above the working ends so I can wipe them off during treatment. I imagine it’ll take some tinkering to ensure I can close them normally for normal metal gripping below that for the hairs.

Do let me know your methods.

#2

Take a cotton ball/pad and wet it with witch hazel or alcohol and swipe your probe against it with very light pressure.

#3

Consider that your energy level is too high and avoid having tissue debris stick to the probe in the first place. No wiping necessary if you balance the intensity and timing correctly.

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#4

I rarely get the “fry” gunk I think you’re talking about, but I do get plenty of “wet gunk” too

#5

I don’t know what you mean by wet gunk. The probe should go in clean and come out clean. If that is not the case, I like the previous suggestion of wiping it with witch hazel or even sterile water.

#6

Said in advance, I only do electrolysis DIY with a professional machine from EMG.

At least to your question about how to get dirt from the needle/probe. There are a few possibilities.

1.If you wear medical gloves, do it away with your fingers. As well as I have here spray for the probes to get the , sterile again. It works wonderfully.

2.Whatever you could try, buy Distilled Water. As well as pack something in a small container and try to clean the needles. Distilled water is also used in medicine.

@Deedra That happen by myself DIY sometimes. Even by my Professional too, sometimes the Machine is for some hairs a bit too Strong or you it a Sensitive area where you have veins (think was the name). If i DIY my throat like directly under the chin works all fine. But more left , i have a area , i need be careful, it bleeded there 3x times for minutes. And not that less. The Probe was after that also some with blood/gunk.

But i noticed it happen just , in facial Area (Mostly).

I DIY myself Legs/Hands/feets/arms some too and even Belly/chest some , if im in mood. I have it there Zero.

#7

With galvanic and blend there is definitely some “wet gunk” buildup over time with frothy lye buildup.

#8

Yes, that’s true. I do thermolysis mainly, so that was my point of reference…

#9

Yes my Machine got other Modes , but there its the same.

I have no Galavanic Mode , no Blend Mode.

I have by my Machine some Options.

  1. Flash
  2. Flash + Blend = Some Gunk is than on the Probe too
  3. Thermolysis , i never used it since i have the machine
  4. Thermolysis+ Blend = I have there some Gunk on the Probe too.

But pure Blend , dont work there.

#10

Traditional blend (and galvanic) operators often use needle “gunk” as a depth gauge. The gunk being dehydrated chemicals that sometimes “froth-out” of the follicle during the treatment (a complicated soup of follicle moisture, Hydrogen bubbles and Sodium Hydroxide (a relatively soft material).

This “DC gunk” presents no problem and is not necessarily an indicator of over-treatment. With thermolysis (only) the “hard gunk” is usually desiccated tissue from the follicle … and could be an indication of potential over-treatment. “Follicle spitting” is another key indicator … to avoid.

If you’re using your “soft gunk” as a depth gauge (traditional blend), be sure to remove the gunk from time-to-time. The material builds-up and will thus cause you to accidentally make more shallow insertions. When I see this material building-up, I simply insert the needle a fraction deeper (i.e., to the original depth) and … most of the time … the material just drops off; no need to wipe or scrape.

Of course, in the old days, we were taught to lick the needle to clean it and ensure a properly sterilized probe! (Best done with the current OFF!)

#11

The licking part must have been before the pesky AEA standards on sterilization? :joy:

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#12

i bet in the Old days you had a Goat , close to you. And the goat licked the Probe clean :yum: :grin: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

But do talk serious… in the Past they used Heat /fire to make things Steril, if you would have a candle or so, and do the probe inside the fire for a while . Would work too. But its old medicine… very old one.

You could certainly also take a small bowl. Since medical alcohol is packed in. A medical sponge, so pack a small piece in there.Then sucks the sponge, always full of alcohol. then you only need the probe, wipe it off.

#13

Big difference in cleaning-off a needle during a procedure and using a sterile probe.

When I worked in surgery, the instruments would get bloody … however, the instruments didn’t have to be sterilized because of some “gunk” that got on the instruments.

Of course, we had a goat in the OR to lick the instruments clean.

I don’t understand your last paragraph, but alcohol does not sterilize … and in some cases can make viruses more lethal. Alcohol works well for cleaning (skin oil, etc.).

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#14

Yes you are right , i was wrong there its not for make something sterile but , like i google for

Alcohol is a disinfectant. It does not sterilize. Disinfection and sterilization are not the same. These words, therefore, are not interchangeable. Disinfectants such as alcohol kill pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms including bacteria. However, there are bacteria that are resistant to disinfectants such as spores.

And 60-90% Alc is enough for Disinfectant.

in Physic we learned this. (the Alc doesnt matter now).

The sponge sucks itself with the liquid that is always full in the container. So the sponge for cleaning would always be damp as long as there is liquid in it. If you had something liquid to make the probe sterile. And a sterile sponge. So you could wipe the probe, because just always briefly.

#15

The quickest way to clean the needle is as follows. You will need a tampon (yes, for periods) and a small plastic lid (think of a screw-on plastic cap off a medicine bottle, small enough to hold a tampon if you insert it vertically). I know it may sound weird now but I find it’s much quicker than wiping the needle with a wet cotton wool.
What you need to do is to cut the tampon in about 4-5 pieces horizontally (easier to do it with a sharp knife). Then put a piece in the plastic lid and saturate with some rubbing alcohol or the skin prep liquid. As the tampon is very dense you only need to dip the needle up and down a couple of times, and there is very little risk of bending the needle. Works nicely.