There were 4 versions originally tested before the final design was established, a great blend between easy insertion and long-term durability. I tested them on my own forehead, a generally problematic area to have long-term. They have now been flat and happy for over 3 years now, with no lifting or tilting what-so-ever.
I exclusively use the macrodermal base at my two Australian studios (
First Blood, Sydney and
Opal Heart, Perth) and my customers have healed them in areas that they have had problems with smaller bases in the past.
If you pay close attention to the prototype, you will notice a few things:
- The thread (a standard 1.2mm/14g internal thread) is lightly counter-bored. This makes changing tops MUCH easier when inside the body as you can 'sit' the thread inside and line it up before screwing it on tight.
- There is a little 'dimple' in the short leg, this is used to 'lever' the shorter side in. I personally use a disposable 16g needle blank these days, but I used to use the tip of a 14g taper. This lets you 'feel' for the right depth and make sure that the short foot is inserted to the same depth as the larger side
- The polish could be better. Production runs were small and quality control was unfortunately limited.
