what sort of alcohol do you have to use to clean the stylet tips? does it have to be pure alcohol (where can i get that?) or can i use something like aftershave with alcohol in it?
also what setting is best?
[ August 01, 2002, 04:43 AM: Message edited by: allowit ]
Just rubbing alcohol (also known as isopropyl alcohol).
You can get it at any drugstore; it’s usually near the Band-Aid adhesive strips and stuff like that.
As far as settings, practice a little with a lower setting till you get the hang of it and the timing down. A lot of people are tempted to test it on their hands, but this is a pretty sensitive place.
I’d try a few on your forearm. If you’re right-handed, do your left arm.
Once you get the hang of it, you want to set it to a level where you can do insertions and have the hair slide out easily. You may find it hurts too much beyond a certain point-- work as close ot your pain threshold as you can.
[ August 01, 2002, 04:58 AM: Message edited by: Andrea ]
I would caution about working close to your pain threshold. If you do any sort of electrolysis, you gradually learn to tolerate the pain and when you begin to master this, you can apply more power than is needed or safe.
Different areas of the body require different settings. I suggest starting at the very lowest setting and try different amounts of application time. Test with a very slight tug on the hair at 30 seconds and try another 30 seconds (or less) if the hair still provided resistence to pulling out. If the hair still seems to be unaffected, turn the setting up slightly and try a different hair of equal diameter and depth in the same general area. Big, deep hairs may need higher settings (I would suggest never going past the half way point of maximum power) and fine, shallow hairs should only use the lowest setting as these can easily result in skin damage if too much energy is applied as a treatment.
Galvanic electrolysis is always slow. If you are applying a high enough setting to apply adequate energy to complete the treatment in 10 seconds, it may take only an additional second to do permanent damage. At the lower settings you have more leeway and the oncoming indications of slight pain which indicate that you should cease providing treatment will be easier to detect.
I did many treatments that were successful with a 15 second treatment, but I believe I was too impatient. I graduated to lower settings at 30 second treatments which give me more control and much less risk of damage to the skin. Your own pain tolerance levels may require even lower settings of longer duration.
in the guide it says that the hair should be soaked in alcohol as well the stylet tips.
Is soaking the hair in salty water better than alcohol and also in how much alcohol should the stylet tips be soakes in alcohol after a session and for how long?
The alcohol is to sterilize the skin and equipment. Salt water won’t kill the germs you’re trying to get rid of.
Working as clean and sterile as possible is important. You can get bacteria and other nasty stuff under your skin if you don’t sterilize everything first. This can lead to infections, beakouts, and even scarring if you’re not careful.