Questions on Progressive Blend with the Apilus Junior Plus

Hair Removal Methods Do-It-Yourself Electrolysis
#1

Hello there,

I have a few questions regarding optimal technique for removing facial hair (not vellus/lenugo, but beard (20mtf), with the Apilus Junior Plus. I assume the best method will be progressive Blend. Thank you for any help.

Current state of knowledge (feel free to reccomend more):

  • “The Blend Method” - Michael Bono
  • “Short Blend Guide” - Michael Bono
  • “Electrology Handbook” - Florida Medical College (read only partly)
  • “The healing skin” “Hinkels Lectures” - Electrology Now | Michael Bono
  • Assorted videos on common questions - Electrology Now
  • Help from person who has done full face diy with the AJ+ (will be called Jane Doe)

Experience so far:

So far I’ve epilated a few hair on my lower extremities succesfully without complications with a One Touch System, and I want to start working with my apilus junior plus machine that I recently bought

Questions/Assumptions

  • is the the progressive Blend method the best mode of choice for Facial hair removal?
    • on the AJ+ (Apilus Junior Plus), is the best option the Omniblend option? (simultaneous HF and Galvanic)/[the other would be pulsed Blend, which Bono seems to like less] (Jane Doe (see above) used pulsed blend on her face however)
    • is setting Galvanic before HF ok? (source: AJ+ Manual)
  • how to progressively epilate with the AJ+
    • AFAIK you can’t prematurely stop the Omniblend with the footpedal, and how to control the DC aftercount too

Plan of action

  • practice: lower leg insertions only → lower leg → feet (wierder hair angles) → stomach → face (chin, in case I mess up) → face (upper lip) → side of face → Jawline
  • question: do i have to disenfect the needle after each practice insertion?
  • disenfection: softasept surgical disenfectant for skin. Isopropyl Alcohol 80% for Instruments.
  • needles: insulated needles (AFAIK needles difference is minimal at best?)
  • possible complications:
    • hyper/hypopigmentation unlikely with dirty blond hair (source bono)
    • infection risk managed by disenfecting, as well as aloe verae post treatment question: how long before washing face/shaving?, can I cover my face with a mask post treatment?
  • adequate needle insertion depth/accuracy to avoid overtreatment (and progressive epilation ofc)
  • face treatment tips:
    • will grow out hair under mask question: what length is recommended? 3-5mm?
    • using the same mirror as Seanna propped up on tripod
    • won’t epilate too close to another (3mm) in order to avoid overtreatment question: can I thin facial hair daily?
    • 6-20 seconds epilation time to avoid overtreatment
    • possibly get lidocaine cream from a gp for upper lip

My goal is not to do this as fast as possible, my goal is to do this with the highest amount of security and risk minimization as I am working in my face, I will not be seeking a professional to do this for me, any advice adjacent with my goals is greatly appreciated

#2

Didn’t the Apilus epilators come with that “Pico Flash” that everyone was nuts about?

Disinfect your needle? I don’t. If I’m concerned about bacteria on the needle, turn up the HF and run it for 5 seconds or so. The bacteria will die.

Equipment disinfection… Change it to a quat disinfectant like a barber uses. Autoclaves are also popular. But honestly, if you’re working on yourself it might be overkill.

No difference between insulated and regular needles.

If im shaping my beard I’ve had great luck with two days growth.

Wash and shave it right away. Others might tell you different but I don’t use any aftercare or disinfect the area right after. Heck i even put retin-a on every night.

1 Like
#3

Hey, thanks for the answers,

Do you do a waiting perior in between beard treatments? Or could I thin out every day?

Sadly mine does not have this “pico flash” only “pulsed blend”. Still not sure which to prefer. I might use Omniblend (simultaeneuous currents) because Bono seemed to prefer that. Advice on that is appreciated, as well as the state of “progressive epilation”.

Do you perhaps have any other literature reccomendations?

I meant specifically disenfecting when I’m only inserting the needle multiple times to practice without flow, thanks for the HF tip though :slight_smile:

#4

Yes. Definitely wait between treatments. The face is the most delicate area. You already know not to treat hairs close together or you can crater it. Assuming area A and area B are two entirely separate spots on the face you should be okay treating and gradually thinning out the hair. Two-three weeks time may be sufficient but again, it’s operator skill that will lead you to downtime between treatments. If it’s overpowered, obviously let the skin heal.

Find the delicate balance between your skin and the visible ‘damage’ electrolysis can cause and you can shorten treatment times.

Dunno about these Omni blend. Or whatever. You may know more than me and I’ve been doing this for close to 10 years. For the blend I do, I insert with galvanic, pulse HF once, let the galvanic sit for 8-9 seconds and pulse HF before I withdraw. There may other techniques, but that works for me

#5

Omniblend is fine. The Thermolysis intensity is so low that it is unlikely to cause cauterization of tissues. Pico Blend or Multiplex are also acceptable. I think I used mostly multiplex on my SM-500.

For tweezer sterilizatioon, as a DIY’er honestly boil em for five minutes or so. You dont have to comply with health regulations to DIY and simple methods such as boiling implements sufficed for many years in the medical world.
Dont sterilize probes. Replace them for diffrent treatments. For blend Sterex one piece probes work just fine, and can be shipped by Texas electrolysis supply to canada ( ballet wont let them ship here) . Your other option would be to get Velona Probes From Aesth Source in quebec. . probes arentworth sanitizing even as a DIYer, you’ll bend them and its just better to use a new one for a new treatment. At about $1.50 a probe this isnt your biggest expense. I mentione TES as a source, because I know they will sell you probes. . Places like Dectro or prestige may not as a DIY’er. Hint, you probably want a box of f3 and f4.

The most important part of seeing, if your positioning. I suspended the magnification mirror from the ceiling because it meant I could lie on y back under it. Youcan accomplish the same thing with an old springarm desk lamp . You’ll find ergonomics your biggest challenge. Giving your arm a resting point to help support you while youinsert is a big deal. I promise you if you are tryingto DIY you will get into some uncomfortable positions fast trying to get an accurate insertion.

#6

Hey thanks for the answer, I thought I could treat in much smaller intervals from a person that did diy. But I guess to be safe I’ll thin the whole face with adequate distance every month or so and see how I react.

Do you happen to have any more tips for diy face? I only know like 2 people who have done that.

#7

Thanks for the Omniblend info, I swear there are so many patented methods its hard to know if something is worse or better than the other.

I have a few needles from the previous owner have to figure out the sizing as its for some reason not on the packaging. Thanks for the sizing tip, I’ll see what I can order in the EU.

I’ve already tried your setup btw ;), very inventive.

Did you have a particular strategy for removing facial hair? Did you go in zones thinning out? Or a whole face thinning every month or so?

#8

being blend, its a little slow to begin with. I honestly didnt worry about thinning and just killed the hair I could. You become a bit of an opportunist, some places insertions re easier.especially if you have a clear area above, so a clear and advance strategy actually works well. Obviously if you are worried about overtreatment you can go ahead and thin, but with the low thermolysis levels of blend on a dectro machine it’s not necessary. More important is that your insertions are the correct depth. You;ll get a feel for this over time but know that with most chin and cheek hairs ontransgender people I tend to bury at least 80 % of the length of the probe. Upper lip is shallower and some sidr neck hairs maybe 2/3 of the probe. You’ll have fun figuring it out. Take a depth guide often to confirm your root depth.

#9

oh cool, so in theory I could ignore the adequate distance of 3mm? sorry I re-ask so much. This stuff is really fun to learn and do though :slight_smile: I think I might offer my services to other trans people once I’m done with my face

could I also ask if you just use the apilus default settings? I’m not sure if I wan to use the defaults for Omniblend/do it the Hinkel way.

Or for that matter how to do progressive epilation with aftercount using the apilus :confused:

#10

If you are doing blend, you should be fine. It’s mostly a concern with thermolysis crossing from one to adjacent follicles, and in blend we use so little thermolysis that it shouldnt make a difference. in terms of overtreatment.