I know this has been talked to death, but I just did another implant and thought it worth posting for new comers… There are so many comments that it “doesn’t make too big of a difference either way…”
I had my xM1 and NExT (positions R0 and R3) installed by a pro - guy did his thesis on “cultural significance of body modification.” He has DT implants, but also subdermals, piercings, etc. He installed mine bevel up, and I’ve never had any complaints…
But - I self installed my xSLX last night (R1) and did bevel down. This morning, you can barely tell I did anything - no obvious puncture wound. Just a small “c” cut that almost looks like a scratch. HUGE difference, not that the first two were even “bad.”
Anyway… just a PSA. It’s worth the little bit of hassle to ask your installer, or when doing it yourself. Without a doubt.
It’s possible my installer was a bit of a brute then. lol.
The first two weren’t bad, but there was more swelling and a clear puncture wound. And, both chips are right where they should be, not too deep and didn’t move around later.
This one has been phenomenally easy. Maybe I’m just that damn good and it had nothing to do with the bevel.
Or it’s possible your skin is just different… bodies are all different in so many ways, it can have a big impact on outcome. That said, the bevel up (point down) method carries a possibility of skin scooping into the needle as you go in, and flipping back like a tiny flap. That means there is a bigger chance of the needle encountering some resistance at that point, which requires more force to overcome, which means the point of the needle is going to stab inward once the needle is pushed past this resistance. That could create some additional tearing of tissue or result in a slightly different outcome.
On removal of the needle, that flap may flip back and aside from a slightly more difficult insertion, there won’t be much difference after. However, if it does not, and it remains folded up under your dermis, then healing will involve a “bump” at the incision site and possibly a more visible scar and a longer time to sort itself out aesthetically speaking.
Ultimately though, if you have good control over the skin for the entire length of the needle’s path, then bevel down usually results in best results.
