Idea for installation of magnets - Blunt fluid dissection

edited April 2016 in Magnets
Hi there, new to the forum, and currently magnet-less. I'm a licensed physician and have read through and watched videos of the current "standard" of implanting these magnets. The lengths you guys go, and without lidocaine! I've laughed and cried over the "sterile" techniques, but I understand, because access to the equipment isn't universal. I don't remember how I became interested in implantable magnets, but I ended up here, and may end up with one in the future.

I am more of a lurker, but I created an account to share an installation idea, mainly for the magnets, but I'd imagine other uses may emerge if someone tries it. The current standard uses a scalpel, which is destructive to the tissue you're trying to preserve for sensitivity. There's a method of pocket creation which uses fluid for blunt dissection, which preserves the nerve tissue and maximizes your sensitivity. When doing superficial procedures, a small needle attached to a syringe of lidocaine (or sterile saline if you want to remain hardcore) is injected underneath the skin, raising and blanching the skin, creating a wheal which dissects the skin in a rounded pattern. Once that area is numb, you can bend the needle, enter the wheal, and advance the needle tip to the location while injecting, which again creates a linear wheal in a tract, ideally the exact width of the diameter of your magnet. Then you take a scalpel, and make a small incision the size of the magnet in the first wheal. Place the magnet inside and push with forceps or squeeze it down the tunnel like an ice pop. Once it's there, you can squeeze any remaining fluid out of the tract, seal with your choice of sterile bandage, and wrap with tape. The tunnel and wheal you created will disappear shortly and your device is cozy in a pouch. 

Here is a video to show the initial wheal creation, except smaller.  

I'll lurk around and try to answer questions if there are any. I may start getting involved in local body modification shops if they want. It's handy to have access to lidocaine and antibiotics for things like this. 


  • This is a good idea. :o

    Would it need a fair amount of pressure to divide the layers though? :s And I could see depth, in practice, being messed up pretty easily... Maybe...

    But this looks nice, thank you. ^^
  • The sensations felt are in the skin so that's where you want to place your magnet, i'd imagine superficial as the best. Someone could practice on their arm if they don't trust a first try. It doesn't hurt terribly.

    The amount of pressure is minimal to dissect the skin with a small guage needle and a 10cc syringe. 
  • Interesting. What are the relative risks or downsides?
  • Depending on the body site you wouldn't need much pressure. This technique would be good for implantation on the back of the hand or forearm for instance. I'm not sure if it could be safe when implanting in fingertops - have you ever seen it used in this way?
  • I'll give this a try. I've tried positioning intradermal before, but I've always had them simply work their way out over time. I'll trial this next week.
  • I was thinking it would work on the sides of the finger, but I don't see why it wouldn't work on any skin. BUT I've never actually seen anything implanted in a fingertip pad, so take that for what it's worth. The idea for this was born out of placing tunneled dialysis catheters in the upper chest, so not a perfect analog.

    Risks or downsides? It's much safer than using a scapel in my estimation. If everything is sterile, shouldn't be any risk, other than the rejection of the foreign body. If you're intradermal, then you shouldn't need to worry about lidocaine intravenously causing arrythmia. 
  • edited April 2016
    Hey have you ever heard of beagal head or donut face body mods? Just reminds me of them, how would this effect depth accuracy?
  • I'm just lurking with curiosity as i'm getting a call tomorrow or monday from a piercer/implanteren(? He also does body suspension etc) so i'm wondering if anyone had tried it so i can ask him?
  • JohnDoe, I'm not sure I understand your question. I hadn't heard of those body modifications but a quick Google taught me quickly. How would what affect depth accuracy?

    Anyone give this a try yet? I'm curious of your experience. 
  • How accurate would the swelling die down? What are the odds of it sinking deeper than it should as the swelling goes down....
  • The fluid would be absorbed into the tissues in minutes and any implant would be secured. There's nothing for it to sink into unless you're the sandman. The implant will sit on the tissues you dissect apart. 

  • Okay thank you for clearing that up!!
  • I did some tentative injections. Here's a link:
  • So a complete rip-off of the method I described above, reposted on your blog? At least you didn't copy and paste. Consider this my first and last involvement in your online community. Enjoy the idea, i'll keep the remainder to myself. 
  • Huh? Oh sorry dude. I'm not trying to steal credit or anything. The only people that ever go on my blog are from this site and they already know it's your idea as the only link is from this discussion. I'll totally add credit to you on it. I actually was thinking about it as being a continuation of this conversation.

    Yes, I was doing exactly what you were saying how you said it. That was the point no? I'm certainly not try to rip you off man and it's good to have someone like you posting. I'm not trying to imply in it that I came up with the method and I'm actually somewhat critical of it. I'm updating the section now.

  • edited May 2016
    Ok, I changed the heading to specifically give you credit for the method. I apologize for stepping on your toes here. It wasn't my intent. I just wanted to try the method out and report my findings.

    Also, I've updated it to include a video with a full attempt.
  • Wait so you suggest a method, and then get angry when someone tests and posts a considered writeup and analysis of it?

    What kind of proprietary bullshit were you expecting?
  • Yeah. I was hoping he would comment on it and give suggestions. For example, he said 10ml. That's a lot fluid. I only used about 1.5ml. Perhaps this is why it didn't work for me?
  • 1.5 ml's for the finger, or the arm(Or both)? Could you use something like an IV needle, with some sort of catheter that won't resist expansion inside, and then push the magnet through the tube and into the pocket? Might cause some trauma, but it seems less damaging than an incision. What size needle were you using?

    If they were so concerned about credit, he should've said so in his initial post, or at least made a polite request that the problem be resolved. This is just someone trying to make you look bad. That said, we really ought to work out the whole issue of how we're handling intellectual property in another thread.
  • I'm all for less tissue trauma but I'm having trouble visualizing this. My confusion is where once we create a wheal we then go back in and make a second one.


    1. "bend the needle" How far -- 90 degrees? What does bending the needle allow us to do? 

    2. "enter the wheal..." Are we entering the wheal in the same spot as before?  Are we entering at the same angle?

    3. "...and advance the needle tip to the location while injecting" it sounds like we enter the wheal and are just adding fluid to it as we get the needle tip to above the site which then needs to be pierced. Where is the second wheal being made? I think calling it skin and referencing placing the magnet in the skin is contributing to my confusion. Let's use layer names to clear things up (added reference pic so we all can use the same terminology).

    The first wheal is in which layers and sublayers? 
    The second wheal is in which layers and sublayers? image

    4. Why create the first wheal? It seems like it would be harder to get to the correct spot. Wouldn't it be easier to numb the area and then only do the second wheal?
  • Ok, did you see how in the video I repositioned three different times? That's what he's talking about. Ok, once I get to the appropriate layer, I squirt some fluid. It makes a spherical bulge. I turn the needle and advance it and then inject some more fluid. It's the same fluid pocket but we can move the needle around to make a bigger wheal. Also we give shape to the wheal. It's not two different pockets.
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