Nice to know that there’s another fellow Pastafarian around here 
Ah yes. As an Indian/desi, I have the peach fuzz on the ear lobes too.
I don’t understand genetics sometimes. Why the hell did Indians get the genes for hairiness in a hot, dry climate? What selective advantage does that give if any? Conversely, why are people in colder climates (winters) hairless. This baffles me.
I’m not sure about this. The only client from a really cold climate that I know had hairs that seem to be there especially to meet thermal function. It is, rather, was a type of hair that experts call “lanugo”, a fine hair, long and very abundant, high density per Cm 2. Similar to cats, so I guess that, at least in this case, nature did its job.
Maybe if the hairs are blond, you tend to believe that they are not there, and this should also be part of the plan. A blond hunter go unnoticed in the snow.
I am currently working (for now) on my last vellus 10x magnifier at home case. I am convinced many of these clients have one or more psychological disorders (i.e. OCD, cognitive distortion, etc.) making it difficult if not impossible to please them (regardless of how well electrolysis works). Many are chronically unhappy and will always see hair. Having realistic expectations is not part of their mental process. Personally I believe the decision to not treat is the right approach. They need good psychiatric care, not an electrologist.
Dear Hairadicator, THANKS for voicing this opinion, which I generally agree with. I work in an office with a plastic surgeon and we often see people that are “physically perfect” that want something done. Getting involved with cases like this can lead to disaster: they will see damage or will certainly be dissatisfied. My ONLY case of “nearly being sued” is a true case in point.
A lovely young woman came in with “a beard.” However, she had absolutely no hair whatsoever. I searched her “upper lip” and, to satisfy her, removed one hair; without charging her. Something told me to photograph her: I did a close-up of the lip before the treatment and afterward. A week later, I got a call from her, very upset that “now I have a scar.” She came in; the doctor looked at her and didn’t see anything. She went away in tears. Luckily, I photographed the area again … something “told me.”
A week later I got a call from her attorney: “Would you consider settling this case for $10,000, rather than go to court?”
I had 8 X 10 enlargements made of all the photos (nicely they were all time-stamped), and sent them to the attorney. I never heard anything again.
We all must be reminded that mental illness is not uncommon and can affect people in many ways. I’m a BIG supporter of NAMI and other organizations that seek to de-stigmatize mental illness. However, it’s also a good idea to be on guard too! Saying “no” is our prerogative.
It’s odd that my vellus hair 10x magnifier at home client was scarred by her previous electrologist, yet all she can see is the hair. She continues to push me to use higher current and I refuse, pointing out the scabs and damage her previous electrologist caused when this was done. She started treatment only 9 weeks ago and is now raising concerns that something is wrong. I am certain this entire situation will “blow up” and of course I will be blamed for electrolysis “not working” (they always say that don’t they?). In the beginning I emphasized I could only “improve the situation” and given the size of the job did not make any promises regarding completion time frames/number of treatments etc. since the amount of hair was abundant and going into these cases you never know how a client’s objective will change … and many times it does. Sometimes they want you to back off and just remove the obvious hair and at other times they will change the original approach and have the electrologist remove everything possible. My client requested an increase in the treatment time so I could remove more hair, now she is complaining about the money she is spending. This is a no-win situation and I have no idea how it will end (probably not well). Let this and Michael Bono’s experience be a lesson to other electrologists that in some cases it is best to say “no.” Vellus hair and a 10x magnifier at home is a recipe for disaster.
“Coming Clean”
What I also didn’t tell you is that I never really treated that ONE vellus hair. I tweezed it out! I never turned on the current. I had this “feeling” that this was going to be a problem.
Just remembering another “job.” Nicely, I refused to do this very odd woman. Months later, I saw this same client on “Judge Judy” suing a friend of mine. (She did lose the case, but my friend was in real trauma over this.) Oh, then there the “witch” and the “biker guy” with a “Swastika” shaved in his chest. (I did, however, do one REALLY interesting dude … what a story that was. However, he was not “psychological” just “political.”
Maybe it’s only “California?” But then, that’s the price we pay to live in this out-of-control creative exciting environment. Yeah, I would “die” if I had to live in the Mid-West.
Michael, what was the case of “Judge Judy” suing?
And why would you “die” if you had to live in the Mid-West?
ha ha ha … you are really wanting me to get myself in trouble here? (Of course, I did mention it didn’t I?)
Bono, I’m thoroughly convinced that every electrologist has loads of funny stories to tell. Half the crap I hear about from my electrologist i don’t believe
Well as an old guy once said: “Some of my fondest memories didn’t really happen!”
My favorite story is the client that had a bedsheet wrap around the drive shaft of her car while she was on the way to an appointment. The car stopped working just as she approached an area that was underwater from a flash flood. She abandonded her car and waded through water so she could get to her electrolysis appointment. When she showed up at my office she was wet from head to toe and had a muddy water line across her waist. She threw the door open to the reception room and proudly proclaimed: “Well, I made it”
Did you treat her after that? 
So I ended up buying a barely used, 4 year old Surgitel 2.5x loupes that cost $300 on eBay rather than getting the Medlite Prismas. Surgitel is a premium brand and their loupes go for $1400 brand new.
Turns out that the Medlites are from China (this information wasn’t readily available & through deep googling I found that Medlite loupes, which is in Columbus, Ohio gets its loupes from China). Now I’m not so sure about quality control with loupes from China, but I suspect that they’re being overpriced significantly and I have heard mixed things about the Medlites on another forum.
For anyone interested in finding loupes, I recommend, if money is an issue, getting a used pair of Orascoptic, Surgitel, Design for Visions, or Zeiss which are the big names in loupe makers as they’re ridiculously expensive brand new (~$1400 ).
You also want to get a pair of flip ups and not through the lens because flip ups are adjustable for interpupillary distance whereas the IPD distance between through the lens is fixed and may not be fit you. If money isn’t an issue, then through the lens is probably better as the loupes are closer to your eyes.
Glad this worked out for you … I think these are “just right” for you. A note about the “Design for Vision.” I had bad luck with them: they never could get the “fixed” lenses centered properly. But worst of all, on my brand new pair, a spring popped out of the stem and put a serious gash in my eyelid. Only a couple millimeters lower and I would have lost my eye! I’m not kidding! (They have probably corrected this design flaw, but I wonder.) Dr. Perkins (cosmetic surgeon I did transplants with) uses the Surgitel and they are a good product too.
I just use a magnification visor that can switch out lenses, very cheap and it gets the job done!
Sorry taco I forgot to tell you mine are in the range of 2.5-3.5 I’m not sure which, I’m guessing it’s 2.5 though.
Do you have a magnification visor like this?
http://www.telesightmagnifiers.com/catalog/i157.html
At the highest magnification it has very shit working distance
Haha! No, but it’s in the same price range. It gets the job done. I’m almost halfway tempted to show my Electrolysis franken-setup, I guess most of these DIY’ers are a little more prepared than I am, story of my life.
Luckily, I’m confident in the work I do, and that’s what gets me by doing DIY.
Yes, I think so too. Got a steal of a deal. The person who was selling it said the box & manual were missing so he ended up charging a total of $250.00 instead. Now that’s a lot of bang for the buck!
By any means necessary 
[color:#3333FF]Hey Taco, and of course, everyone else.
I really don’t show up here much. Not that it’s a completely informative place and I’m gald my old posts are doing some good, but because I just get going in all the distractions life throws at one.
To answer your questions. For lighting I have two lamps. I hae my main lamp wich I just got for around $75 dollars. Its a combination flourescent circline with a halogen bulb in the center. I turn on both when working. I like the full spectrum both give. Circline by itself, to me, is too dim and blue. Halogen by itself is okay, but a little yellow. Together its okay.
I also have the usual circline with the magnifier glass in the middle, and I just use that to light the area (machine, cart, equipment, etc.).
I've told myself, when this halogen light burns out, if it ever does, I'm going to look into an LED type light, or LED panel mounted on a swingarm. I want a cooler temperature light. The halogens make too much heat. Besides, I've turned into a big LED light guy, I love the amount of light they kick out and use almost no electricity.
As for magnification, I'd go with 3.5's. My Med-lites have stood the test of time, and magnification is the second most important buy other than your machine itself. If they're Chinese or cheap, I sure didn't know that. They do the job and then some. Thing is, with loupes, once you get a taste of a superior view, you can't go back, you know what you're missing.
Some one mentioned using the visor with the snap in lenses. Yeah, I went down that road. Still have it laying around somewhere. It was just too hot to wear. To me, the visor trapped heat. I also had difficulties with the short focal length.
In choosing your loupes, (which you have already done?) if you're DIY, focal length is a big, big factor. You will need a range that allows you access to all the areas you want to get to. Like me, you will realize staying thin helps your flexibility (HA HA!). Seriously, I would stretch alot before doing areas. Stretching is good anyway.
I still DIY alot. I had stopped for awhile because I was just so caught up in a graduate program I just finished. I had resorted to plucking, and even took back out my Silk-Epil rotary epilator. This is the electrolysis equivelent of trying to pour crack cocaine in your veins with a sipping straw. I just didn't have time to do it, and the unfinished hair in some areas drove me batty.
—Anyway, I’m back on track. My technique took about one complete hour session to come back. Before I had returned to it, I was thinking, ‘I can still do it, right?’ It was a weird feeling, I seriously thought I’d have to re-read the whole Bono book again and break out the eggwhite. So anyway, now I’m building back up my endurance, even after one gets the technique down, quality over a long period of time is the next hurdle.
Just some advice i can throw out here and now:
Good Luck, glad you got something out of my posts.
Take care everybody![/color]