Bump… Anyone?
Did you check with Texas Electrolysis Supply?
They would usually have a supply on hand.
I did, but they don’t have AP as a state option for shipping. I emailed them a couple of days ago, but as of now, no response. Hopefully they CAN ship to me, cuz they are a lot cheaper than the one I ordered originally.
You may do better to call them directly at (281) 486-5617
Ok, so I gave it a try finally. Did a few hairs on myself, and all seemed to go well. Was using galvanic, 6 sec, and .25 mA, and removed 4 hairs no problem. But only 1 out of the 4 had the white bulb at the bottom, the rest had what appeared to be thinning, pointed roots, as if chemically damaged. But considering the ease of insertion, and the tiny amount of pain, we decided to try it on my wife.
Moved from an F2 to an F3 needle, as her hairs are coarser than mine. First off, I had a heck of a time getting good insertions. The needle looked to be the same size as the hairs (under 5X mag), and I THOUGHT I was getting the angles right, but I could only get about 1 out of 10 insertions, as opposed to like 1 out of 2 on my own leg, with finer hairs.
I did a tolerance test, and 3 tries later, she was wincing around .32 mA, so I dialed it down to .25 for 6 secs, and she said it really hurt. A few tries later, and I figgered blend might be more comfortable, so I reset the Senior II and tried the LEGS program. She said it hurt too much, so I switched to CHIN, and she said it STILL hurt. I tried several times, and only got one good removal (white sheath & bulb attached).
I think if I move back to an F2, I will be able to get the needle in easier, but from what I learned here, the largest needle possible to insert is best. But I am worried about her discomfort. I am sure this is a combination of less than perfect insertions combined with improper settings, but where should I start to minimize discomfort, yet achieve full epilation?
The good news is that the redness was all gone in less than 24 hours, and there appears to be no scabs at all.
Any advice will be great…
If the point is comfort for the person being treated, you select a more comfortable treatment setting, maybe .15 mA and use a longer timing, maybe 15 seconds. Of course, she may then complain that it is taking too long, and you may not be able to hold the probe still enough to make this comfortable either.
Speaking of the probe, I have found that the hardest thing to teach is holding and inserting the probe into the follicle. Nurses are usually the worst to teach, because they are attempting to do the insertion as if it were a hypodermic. The electrolysis grip is a soft one, and one must get the feel of the insertion. You need to feel the top of the anchor of the follicle, the contour of the curved follicle, and the change in the insertion as you near the bottom of the bulb…
You need to work on the insertion, as this is the heart of good treatment. Poor treatments come from those who are not well placed in the follicle increasing the treatment energy to (over)compensate for their poor insertions.
As far as sensation, the good news is that when you cross over to MicroFlash, the treatment energy is so fast, that you should be able to get good treatment without much if any pain.
Seems to me like a thinner needle would make this easier, as it would follow contours more easily than a “stiffer” one.
Thinner probes are easier to insert, and are more flexible. They also tend to cause more sensation due to the “point effect” of the treatment energy. This is why use of size 5 and size 6 probes results in more comfortable treatments at lower settings. There is more contact with the surface area of the probe with the side walls of the follicle.
Makes sense. But if I am having such a hard time getting an F3 in there, I’d hate to see me try an F5. Good thing I have a willing & patient victim, errr… patient!
Trust me, the only reason I can use an F5 or F6 on these hairs is huge magnification and years of practice. You should probably stick to F3 and maybe move up to an F4 if you can later.
Students usually choose size three probes for everything. My instructor admonished us for doing so, and rightly so, however, most didn’t have proper vision aid and were at unfair advantage.
The follicle can stretch a bit and one could see that
s-t-r-e-t-c-h when using a larger probe IF one had excellent vision equipment. It is natural instinct to use smaller probes in the beginning, but do work your way up as you gain confidence and a feel for this.
The choice of a one or two piece probe will make a difference with your insertions. I have also been told by a friend with a few years of experience that a one piece gold probe will make a difference if you want to use a larger probe. I found that to be true for myself.
Dee, HOW excellent of vision equipment are we talking? I have 5X loupes, and I feel like I can’t even SEE the follicle. I hold my head at the requisite distance to focus (16-17"), and the hairs are HUGE, but I don’t see the hole.
Love2be, how will the insertions differ with the different probes? Right now, all I have are 2-piece, but I can get some gold one-pieces, if they can help me out.
Thanks all for the guidance!
Dave
You don’t need magnification significant enough to look like the probe is a sleek car driving into an open garage. You just need to be able to see the place where the hairs are entering the skin, and the angle of insertion. Once the magnification issue is solved, the next thing on the list is often the lighting. I think Dee can attest to the fact that her game stepped up a notch when she gave in to that pesky bee buzzing in her ear to upgrade her lighting and found that yet another new world had opened after the one she saw when changing from circle lamp to loupes.
As someone who is handy, you will be able to make your own light source less expensively than most people can buy one. You need something that will run a Halogen or Xenon bulb that is 12V/100W or brighter. These bulbs are used in projectors and “disco dance lighting.” You will need to build in a cooling fan worthy of the frostiest computer applications, and if you really want the best, add a fiber optic line to take the light to your work area in a smaller focused beam, without taking the heat, or the blinding glare to your subjects body.
Even with my Stereo Micrscope, I can’t see to work well if my halogen fiber optic light is not working. Using the circle lamp light in its place doesn’t illuminate the area enough to maximize the visionary possibilities.
Hey all! I just called Texas Electrolysis Supply and asked them about their used units. The owner has quite a selection, but he highly recommended a machine called “Uni-Probe Lite Epilator.” I have never heard of this brand. Can anyone tell me what they know about this machine? Thanks!
It’s a “little guy”, 5 pounds worth, perfect for a neophyte like yourself. Does thermolysis only, which is destruction of the hair follilce by heat. Has dials to adjust intensity and timing. Not very costly either. What are you paying for this used? There is a blend and thermolysis version. Does he have any used ones and how much? It would be nice to have a galvanic option as well, but not totally necessary.
All in all a good choice for you and your wallet.
Dee
My suggestion to try different probes is just something you can try. I just brought up the idea to try more than one type of probe because when I am having trouble I try switching things up. That is one of the first things I do myself. I find one piece probes better on certain ares of the body and two piece better on other areas. I do not have any trouble seeing the gold probes but I have talked to people who can not see the probe to insert it into the follicle.
This is where optics and lighting are important. The same with seeing the hair shaft clearly.
My suggestion is go for the full Uniprobe with blend option, that way, you can do galvanic, blend, and thermolysis. It is hard enough for a newbie to get the probe in the follicle. Expecting them to do an insertion good enough to make thermolysis work without excess damage is a lot to ask for.
Yes, having a galvanic option would be safer and slower until you figure this out.
I have recently purchased a Rio Electrolysis machine and am wondering if it is safe to use on the nipples? I have a few hairs there that i find terribly annoying and really want to get them removed! It really shatters my self-confidence. They started growing because i shaved them, even though they were blonde. Now they are dark and grow quite long so i keep having to trim them. What should i do? Can i use a home-electrolysis kit?