What do members of the board feel about an electrologist who uses a swing arm flourescent magnifying lamp rather than optics to do all the work?
Just my opinion, but magnification is essential for good work - along with adequate lighting. The amount of magnification, contrast, and optical abberations in the average swing-arm lamp is not equal to the task. My loupes are the second most expensive part of my equipment - after my epilator. That should say something about how I rate the value of good magnification.
Joanie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
BTW: For those that would like some info on custom made surgical or dental loupes, here is one that I recommend. I will not work with anything less.
I was never comfortable using a circle magnifying lamp. That is what I had to use in school and I was very frustrated most of the time. Thinking I would never be able to do electrolysis because I couldn’t see well, I just didn’t realize that it wasn’t a personal flaw but rather a wrong choice in equipment. It’s like wearing someone else’s prescription glasses. The instructor finally brought in a representative from an optical company to assess and talk to the students about their specific needs. That was the beginning of success for most of us!
With the mag lamp, I found that I was not seeing everything a client can see and I knew my insertions sucked. What a new world opened up for me when I could actually see all those tiny hairs when I put on a quality pair of surgical loupes. I am very satisfied with wearing surgical telescopes, like a denstist or surgeon would wear, that are customized for my eyes. I can work 13"-16" from the client, which is good for my back and general body mechanics.
I can see very well and that is what clients expect of me, along with having the skill to remove hair properly. I am an avid proponet of investing in good equipment not only for my comfort, but for the comfort and good of the client who puts their trust in me.
Dee
How important is my magnification system to me?
The TSA gorillas (or is that guerillas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) destroyed my Stereo Scope by apparently dropping it, in addition to taking it apart hap hazardly, and then repacking it improperly.
Let’s see, it was a $12,000 iteem when new, the current version is $15,000 and the estimated cost to repair it was quoted as “Well, $7,000 to start, and we will tell you if it goes higher”.
I canceled my schedule of work (sure I could have just used a circle lamp) searched for a used scope like mine, and drove 1,000 miles to puchase a replacement that was a little less than the quoted lowest possible repair cost, and have found that even with helpful clients voluteering to do some work on the broken scope, there is still a piece that needs to be replaced that would cost $2,500
I have been spoiled. I will not work without my sugical grade magnification and adjustable intensity halogen fiber optic light. Without it, the insertions are not as precise, and I am not able to work as fast.
Oh, and the TSA, you guessed it, they say it was the airlines fault, the Airline says it is TSA’s fault, and no one is coughing up any cash towards the damage to my equipment and other items broken during this ransacking of my belongings.
I have seen and experienced the work of electrologists and students who do excellent work using the standard mag. lamps however personally, I do not like using them. I have found that eventually, many electrologists have to find better magnification because of the normal aging process that effects vision and the back and neck discomfort that develops after years of hunching over the lamp.
From the very beginning of my career, I decided to purchase optics that surgeons and dentists use while operating on patients. These telescopic lenses are designed specifically for the user where vision and physical measurements are factored into the manufacturing process.