I’ve been using this forum diligently to lurk and collate information while trying to find a new electrologist (long story), and it’s been a great and very reassuring source of information. So thank you all. :]
Anyway, I have a consultation with a local electrologist next week (very local, as in 5 minutes away… how did I never notice that shop before?). I used all the tips around the 'net, including here at HairFacts/HairTell, to give a brief email interview and everything they’re saying sounds good. But I’ve never heard of their brand/model machine before, which they listed as “FISCHER SE-4 and SE-5”.
I poked around with the Search function and found generally positive commentary about Fischers, but all those “just fine” comments are in relation to DiY’er projects. Could anyone provide some quick feedback about whether Fischer SE-4/5 is a good machine for a professional electrologist to be using? Everyone else I’ve interviewed is using some species of Apilus, is this comparable?
I do understand that a skilled practicioner can beautifully transform a silverback gorilla into Mr. Clean using only a shoebox, a bobby pin, and a spark plug — but I’m just trying to be the most responsible consumer I can by investigating every angle before choosing someone. ;]
Hi Audrey, where in SoCal are you located? I’m always looking for good electrolysis bargains.
Sorry I don’t have any info on the machine. You may just want to have a trial area done and see if the hair slides out easily without excessive redness or irritation afterward (aside from the normal red spots that fade very quickly). If so, then the machine did what it was supposed to, and there’s no problem. It may be slower than some epilators, or not as comfortable as picoflash or something, but if the practitioner is terrific in all other areas, you may decide that doesn’t matter.
There’s no harm in giving her a try if you think she’s talented.
Fischer epilators are very respectable. You should have no concerns. Go forward and seek. If you are really curious to compare this practitioner with an Apilus practitioner, then do so and report back for all the wondering minds reading this thread.
I would not make a decision based on epilator choice alone. Give her a good, fair try.
Rest assured, an electrolysis technician working with a Fischer SE-4 or SE-5 would not have to be McGyver in order to perform good treatments. The first Apilus was designed around the Fischer computer system for performing electrolysis and repeating complicated treatment mixes.
You won’t be slumming it with a Fischer. It even has an auto-sensor.
The strange thing is that there is a lot of alleged so-called information/slander swirling around about me that is just as untrue. I tell you, the imaginary James-7 is worlds more interesting than the real me. Although, I guess both are worthy of a book being written about them. Too bad the imaginary one already has his book serialized on the web, and the real me gets little if any ink.
Hello, mystical feline! I’m in Simi Valley, I’ll be consulting with Arlene Spratt. She has a website, but it’s not very informative; however, she is very responsive via email and will readily discuss basically anything with you.
Anyway, thanks all for the useful feedback, and thank you James for the technical details. As I said, the machine is only one of many factors y’all have trained me to look into. It is of course not the only decision-making tool; my previous electrologist was working on me with a homemade (!) galvanic machine and actually did a pretty good job. ;]
I have had consultations with two practicioners using Apilus machines (Apilus Senior II, and … I forgot), so I’ll write back after my consult with Arlene and comment about any differences, for posterity. :]
Thanks for posting that. We get lots of heat for our equipment stand. I just think it is a case of selective hearing. We say that first of all, Skill is the most important thing. Then we say that better equipment makes it easier for a new person to get better fast, and a highly skilled person can fly high with certain restraints lifted, due to the newer machines increased capabilities over the old sparkies.
I am so glad you mentioned that you got great treatments from a homemade machine, as it makes our point clear. A sewing needle wired to an onion soaked in gatorade could perform good electrolysis if the person doing it was skilled at using that system. Just imagine what that McGyver Electrolysis Technician would be able to do with something that allowed pre-programmed settings, an insertion delay, and wall current!
(yes, folks, an onion soaked in gatorade would perform electrolysis, or charge your Ipod for that matter.)
Yeah, I actually had an opportunity due to circumstances to see your point demonstrated in practice. The galvanic practicioner I was using killed hairs steadily, and did have a noticeable effect on thinning me out, but:[ul]
[li]It was amazingly painful, compared to the mildly annoying Apilus nips
[/li][li]Progress has been very slow, compared to the machine-gunning that the microflash practicioner gave me in a 5-minute sample treatment and the approximate clear times local practicioners are estimating for me
[/li][/ul]So it seems to me, from my limited personal experience, that modern machines’ primary benefit is to improve comfort and efficiency, other factors held equal.
On a related note — while I have your attention anyway — I’ve had consults with 2 practicioners in my area so far. Both of their test patches are 3 days old now, and the overt swelling/massive pinkness is long gone. But every follicle that got hit still has a dull red/dark pink (non-raised) “dot” representing it. Is that normal? My face was such a weeping mess of lymph crust after sessions with my previous electro that I don’t really have a reference frame to compare with. ;]
No, I kind of blew off the aftercare instructions because my last practicioner got me into some bad habits. They basically told me, “Don’t worry about it, just don’t touch it” when I asked them about aftercare, and my skin always recovered fine. But that was galvanic (non-blend), so maybe thermo requires better diligence. Oops.
So, I haven’t been using makeup or other products, but I did skip the antibiotic ointment / aloe vera / witch hazel they gave me. I’ll start being more responsible about the aftercare now that I understand thermo needs more attention.
About the tea tree oil: I asked my mom about it and she already has a bottle, but it’s 3 years old and already opened — is it still good? If so, what’s the correct way to apply it? And do I do it just before bed?
If the bottle is brown, and the cap has been closed, it is just fine. If the bottle is clear, and the item has had a lot of sun exposure, and the cap is letting air inside, it may have lost some strength, but it doesn’t spoil.
A little dab will go a long way. Apply with a cotton swab, to avoid contamination of the contents of the botle.
Thank you James. The bottle is clear, but it’s been locked inside a medicine cabinet and capped the whole time, so I’ll assume it’s still good and follow your application instructions tonight. :]
I had a consult this morning and the practicioner was showing me the hairs as she removed them. They all had black bulbs, but not the clear sheath. Should they still be assumed to be a clean kill, or is the sheath important to see?
Answering my own question based on additional research: black bulb probably indicates the sheath came out too, but may have torn into fragments or simply been too thin/small to see without magnification. And sometimes the pore isn’t wide enough to let the sheath come out cleanly, even if the follicle did get a clean hit.
Next up: I said earlier in the thread I’d comment on any perceived differences between the Apilus treatments and the Fischer machine. Having had my consult with Arlene today, I can say that…
It felt exactly the same (in fact slightly more comfortable) and the skin actually looks nicer in Arlene’s area compared to the other test patches (most of them done with an Apilus Senior II). I assume this is related to her doing electrolysis work for 20+ years, but it does help reinforce the argument that a swanky machine is only part of the equation.
Thanks all for the advice and helping me go into the session with an open mind. :]
