What is multiplex? I was told it works better than blend or galvanic for dark, thick hairs.
Multiplex, literally, how Apilus describes it is: ‘Slow thermolysis with a microflash pulse at the end’. Would it be better than galvanic for thick hairs? Hmm, I really don’t think so. I think if you’re going to spend that much time in the follical, you may as well be creating lye (NaOH) with galvanic currents. That goes a long way in killing big bulb structures and nearby necessary components.
In a way it’s a simular approach; heat the follical maximally with a low level AC current, but don’t bake it, then when the microflash pulse hits, it’s maximized because everything’s already so close to baking.
The kicker here though is that big hairs have big structures. After the Multiplex hit down on the bottom, or the bulge area depending if you’re an ‘ascender’ or ‘descender’, you still have to hit up on the bulge, and do the multiplex thing all over again in the same follical. Big ugly hairs usually don’t go down with one hit, maybe a good galvanic hit, that’s a good bet, but not a good multiplex hit, it’s killing power is still too localized. It’s a bad gamble, just more pain later when it grows back finer. Multiplex always seemed like a good option on shallow hairs with fine, curvey roots. Those are one-hitters anyway, and you want to make it count.
BTW, the multiplex concept isn’t too far away from the tried and true concept of flash hits spaced closely to utilize the other’s heat energy as you move to the next close-by target area.
Mantaray
Everything is practitioner skill in this business of permanent hair removal, no matter what modality they use. Yes, multiplex is very good for permanent hair removal, but don’t poo-poo the blend or galvanic electrologist, because he/she will deliver results as well.
Electrolysis is as much an art as it is a skill and how an electrologist gets you to the end comes in many forms.
Where one does multi-probe galvanic the other swears by mutiplex. You will find the attitude “mine is better than yours” in every profession. My personal preference is microflash first and some blend later down the road. People need hope asap, so, when one uses microflash, the person is bare asap. Keeping that person bare will remain in effect for the rest of the journey. Microflash can successfully destroy a thick, growing hair in the first attempt if you use special techniques and the correct probe size. That’s why some electrologists can say truthfully that their average client is finished in 9-12 months, but it can take as long as 14-18 months if the client is interrupted by life. Of course, this all depends on whether the client is sneaking in a few tweezes here and there, as well.
You must sample as many electrologists as possible to find the best in your locale.
Dee
Big ugly hairs usually don’t go down with one hit, maybe a good galvanic hit, that’s a good bet, but not a good multiplex hit, it’s killing power is still too localized. It’s a bad gamble, just more pain later when it grows back finer. Multiplex always seemed like a good option on shallow hairs with fine, curvey roots. Those are one-hitters anyway, and you want to make it count.
Mantaray [/quote]
Why is the pain worse when it grows back finer?
Regarding the shallow hairs with fine curvey roots, are you saying that you want to make it count so you should use galvanic instead and that galvanic will get those with one hit? If so, does this apply to blend also since it is a combo?
(sorry I didn’t do the quoting box thing right, I’m still trying to figure it out)
I don’t agree that the pain is worse when the hair grows back finer. I don’t find that to be a problem with my clients unless they come to me unrested and hyped-out on a pot of coffee.
Using blend or galvanic for curvey hair is certainly appropriate. I use blend for certain situations at certain times. I love this modality.
Microflashers get those hairs as well. I see a lot of African skin clients and I use microflash. They get to the end just as fast as an Irish dude with straight hair follicles. The key to curvey hair follicles, if one doesn’t do blend or galvanic, is to catch those hairs early as they are a newly emerging hair. That way, THE HAIR IS STILL STRAIGHT IN THE FOLLICLE when it’s in early anagen. That’s why we say consistent appointments are a must.
Are your hairs curvey? If your electrologist does microflash thermolysis and blend, then all the better, but don’t doubt a microflasher automatically, they can be just as deadly.
Dee
No, the pain’s not worse. You misunderstood. What I’m pointing out is that; if you hit a bigger hair real good with multipulses, it can be dead and gone right then and there. But if you just hit it once with multiplex, it stands a better chance of surviving, which means, you’re going to have to treat that hair again down the road, which means repeating the pain down the road in trying to kill the hair again.
I think you’re trying to learn too much about it, too fast. Multiplex is not a real common modality. Apilus Senior II’s, some other’s above that machine model can be modified with a Multiplex Expansion Pac that gives it multiplex capability. It’s basically all machine programming.
You’re kind of going off on tangents here; what was stated was a good intended use for Multiplex, shallow hairs with curvey roots. Blend, and/or galvanic would work here too, so would flash, or microflash. And keep in mind speed. Blend is slow, galvanic is slower, much, much slower.
Mantaray
Point taken about the tangent…I’m just trying to weigh my options. The woman I most want to go to is an hour away and does microflash and multiplex but not blend. I’m looking for the most appropriate for my particular hair issues. Is multiplex more painful than blend?
I don’t have curly hairs but some roots seem almost sideways under my chin, but I’m not sure.
Again, the most important thing is the condition of your skin after treatment, and the effectiveness of her treatments. If she has impressed you to be the person delivering the best visual result, and has enough speed that you can see yourself getting to first clearance in 6 weeks or less, then stick with her even though she is farther away.
Don’t worry about curvey roots, it’s more of the tight curl afro-american hair type. If the lady an hour away is familiar with multiplex, then chances are she’s doing pretty good, because at least just from where I’m at I can assume she has a decent machine. She certainly sounds good enough to test drive with a 30 minute session just to see how she does. I would.
Don’t worry about her not doing blend. She’s probably now very happy with the speed one can cruise along with using microflash and now defaults to that. I personally can understand that because when I work on myself I absolutely have no patience for blend anymore as well. Blend has it’s uses, and is great in being the final kill for sparse, regrowing hairs that just seem to weather the flash treatments and seem to refuse to die. But at that point speed isn’t really the main focus, it’s complete death on the final cleanups.
As for pain, personally? It’s not so much that multiplex and microflash are less painful, but that in the amount of discomfort you will have to deal with, you’re going to get a lot more hair cleared with these modes instead of blend or galvanic. You know, you cash in more, there’s a higher pain/results cleared payoff. Blend is like six seconds of pain for one hair versus the one second of pain for one hair with microflash.
Mantaray