Although you will use a needle fresh out of the pouch, you will still need to disinfect the needle with a 70% rubbing alcohol solution before using. Adjust your pen to the proper intensity level for the area of skin you are working on. If you are working on an area with thin skin, start at level 4. If you are not getting a good arc response from your pen, slowly start increasing the power level. Thicker skin areas such as the tummy or underarms can be started at level 7 and adjusted form there. The impression left behind should be reddish pink. If it appears almost black either the intensity is too high or you are holding the plasma pen over the area for too long. The movement should be a quick, quarter of a second zap to the skin, nothing more.

The technique that works for a variety of treatment protocols is the 5-Point Method. This grid pattern is the best method for maximum skin tightening results. The 5-Point Method looks like the number 5 you might see on a pair of dice. Simply make a square with four dots at each corner and place one dot in the middle. Do your best to space the dots evenly, about 1.5 to 2mm apart, taking care that they are not too close together. Allowing healthy, intact skin in between the dots helps the client to heal faster. The closer the dots, the better the tightening, but be sure to allow some space and never overlap. Your 5-Point Method will be the foundation of your Plasma Fibroblast Skin Tightening training. 

Having a steady hand is paramount for proper spacing and arc time. Don't hesitate to rest your hand on the client if needed during the treatment. Laying your grid pattern requires complete control to ensure you are targeting the correct areas with the right spacing. Your arm should remain still and only your wrist and fingers should move during this procedure.

To ascertain the correct level of spacing, you'll need to stretch the skin in 3 opposing directions. This is called a 3-point stretch. Using the hand not holding your Fibroblast Pen you should be able to spread the skin in two directions. With the pinky of the hand holding the plasma pen, stretch the skin further to achieve the 3-point stretch. You will not need to stretch the skin as tightly as you would for a microblading procedure. This is a mild to moderate pull of the treated site.

In this section we will be practicing using our fibroblast pens on lemons. Lemons are great because it's easy to see the plasma arc and the controlled burn it creates on the surface of the lemon. We ask that you please take a photo or send a video of you practicing on your lemons before you do any live procedures. We would like to make sure you're doing everything correctly before you move to live models. So be sure to record your practice and submit your work in the following lesson. We will be looking over your lemon work and patterns when they are all complete. 

When performing the 5-Point Method be careful to keep the extremely sharp needle from penetrating the skin. Wield the pen as close as you can to get a plasma arc, but do not touch the skin. The plasma arc will disappear if it touches a surface. Using the plasma pen for the first time you will notice a burning odor. This is normal whether you are working on a lemon or an actual person. Wear protective equipment to protect yourself from the fumes. When working on a smaller area like the eyes you can place the dots closer together. When covering larger areas like the arms or abdominal area, space the dots a little further apart so that the entire treatment can be completed quickly. The client's pain level is much higher because there is so much more area to cover, so we will need to work fast and as efficiently as possible.

Creating rows of dots will not maximize the skin tightening area, which is why we stagger the dots with the 5-Point Method. Take some time right now to practice on your lemon. Start by covering half of your lemon using this technique so that you can start to get more comfortable using this device.

On your targeted treatment area, keep the placement of your dots in the 5-Point Method shape close together. At the edges of your treatment area begin making the dots more widely spaced. The density of the dots should be concentrated at the center of the treatment area and start fanning out and tapering off. We do this to avoid a sharp line of demarcation between treated and non treated areas. We want the results to be soft and natural looking.

If you find your plasma pen is not creating an arc, take a cotton round and wipe off the tip of the needle. A clean needle tip is needed to create the charge. 

For stretch marks you may prefer to use the spray technique. In this method the plasma pen hovers horizontally across the stretch mark in a quick gliding motion. This technique is similar to how you would use a can of aerosol spray paint to paint an object. This method works better on actual skin stretch marks than a lemon, but you will still need to practice on a lemon to refine your technique. First, draw an irregular stretch mark shape on your lemon. Move across the stretch mark in one direction, instead of back and forth to avoid damaging the skin.

Draw wrinkles onto your lemon for your next practice session. Begin the 5-Point Method by starting your grid on the outside of the deep creases. For deep wrinkling and creases like crows feet we place the plasma pen outside of the wrinkle. Placing the plasma dots on the edge of the wrinkle creates a lifting effect that pulls the crease upward.