We’ve received news regarding two popular products, Ballet insulated probes and SuperJuice3—and to be honest, it isn’t great. But as your business partner, we at Prestige wanted to make sure you’re aware of these situations and suggest options for how to deal with them.
Ballet Insulated Probe Shortage
First, an update on insulated probes. Due to supply chain issues, the manufacturer has informed us not to expect new supplies of insulated probes until Fall. In response, Prestige has already placed limits on the quantity of insulated probes that can be purchased. This is to help as many of our customers as possible prepare for this shortage and transition to other options. To this end, we also offer these suggestions:
- STOCK UP ON STAINLESS. Only Ballet INSULATED probes will be affected by the shortage. One option to consider is switching to stainless steel probes. Fortunately, this month is the best time to do just that, with this month’s sale on Ballet stainless probes. It’s the best time of the year to save!
- GO FOR THE GOLD. Some customers have told us they believe Ballet gold probes deliver the closest feel and performance to insulated probes.
- TIME TO TRY TWO-PIECE? If your modality works best with insulated probes, fear not—we still have plenty of insulated probes in stock. However, they’re two-piece probes. As you may know, working with two-piece probes involves a slightly different “follicle feel.” This video helps explain the difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55q20MX5Wp8
If you want to give two-piece insulated probes a try, you have several options to choose from: Sterex, or our economical house brands, Prestige Premier and Prestige Select.
FDA Urges Caution on SJ3 and Vasocaine Topicals
Our second update relates to our popular SuperJuice3 and Vasocaine topical anesthetics. The FDA has recently become concerned about the concentration of lidocaine in these products—5%. Mostly, the agency’s alarm involves use of these products by non-professionals. When used in combination with other topicals, such as tetracaine and benzocaine, the use of 5% lidocaine products over large areas of the body can result in excessive levels of absorption, which can result in health-related issues. While the FDA’s review of these products appears to be related primarily to the practice of tattooing, the agency is also examining the use of these topicals in electrolysis, laser and other esthetic procedures.
Out of an abundance of caution, Prestige will not be selling these products online until the FDA’s review is completed. If you have questions, please email us at info@prestige-supply.com.
As an effective and economical alternative to these products, we suggest using Topicaine, available here: https://www.prestige-supply.com/product/topicaine-lidocaine/
As further guidance on using topical anesthetics, the FDA recommends the following:
- Do not use OTC pain relief products with containing more than 4% lidocaine on the skin
- Do not apply OTC pain relief products over large areas of the skin, or to irritated or broken skin
- Do not wrap skin treated with OTC pain relief products with plastic wrap or other dressings. Wrapping or covering treated skin with any type of material can increase the chance of serious side effects.