Samppa Magnets installed by Russ Foxx

I had two magnets professionally implanted by Russ Foxx in Vancouver yesterday. The magnets he provided were from Samppa von Cyborg, they are 3x7mm cylindrical magnets with a robust parylene coating.

I've self implanted a magnet from SMM and an M31 from DT in the past, both in my left ring finger, and both rejected before fully healing. The SMM had a coating failure, and the M31 rejected due to trauma following the implant. I put it in saline after removal and it rusted, so it would have failed anyway.

The Samppa magnets clearly have a good solid coating on them, and the rounded edges should be more comfortable than the hard corners on most other magnets. I haven't been able to find many pictures of them online, so check out the attached one. That was from about 20 seconds before it went into my hand.

I have mine installed in the knife edge of my left hand(the recommended location for sensing with these magnets) and by my index finger in between it and my thumb. The latter is slightly closer to the index finger than the standard glass tag implants, and both are about an inch from my knuckles. I'm aiming for a semi-binocular sensing ability, though I'm aware that the thumb/forefinger area is not as good for sensing. I've kept my right hand nonmagnetic because I work with and around electricity and transformers, power tools, and metal shavings.

I definitely noticed the difference in regional sensitivity during the install. The knife edge one was significantly more painful, though even that wasn't as bad as a bee sting. It's a little more painful than a chip implant, and takes a little longer, but it's definitely in the same neighbourhood. More on that later.

Human binocular vision works very well even with severely reduced acuity in one eye, so I hope the magnets working together will provide more 3d information than a single magnet could. I'll definitely report back as they heal.

I had a few conversations with Russ before getting the magnets, and between his experiences with fingertip magnets, my experience with mine, and the fact that I'm an electrician and do a lot of work with my hands, a fingertip install was simply not a good choice for me. Given that, I ruled out the DT Titan due to its smaller size. With reduced nerve density, having more magnet in there is important. I also expect a much longer lifespan with them in a more protected location.

The implant procedure was extremely straightforward, and if you're considering going to a professional I can't recommend that highly enough. Self installs are rough, there's no sense beating around that bush. Even with anaesthetic (which introduces its own dangers and complications) that hurdle of cutting into your own skin is just not something I wanted to do again, and I'm glad there was a pro close enough to me. I wouldn't describe myself as squeamish, but being able to look away and breathe deeply is an underrated benefit. Plus he had both hands free!

Russ is extremely friendly, professional, and clearly knows his shit. I'm not personally interested in cosmetic body mods, but him having horns seemed like a good sign! He's very knowledgeable and is working on some very interesting projects that should be out soon.

The implant procedure involves making a tunnel with a needle the same size as the magnet, then pushing the magnet into that pocket. Unlike the xG3 implant, the Samppa one does not pass through the needle. While it adds a couple seconds to the process, it means the pocket is not oversized, minimizing local trauma and making healing faster. There should be a lower chance of it moving around during the healing process as well. From needle touching skin to the gauze being applied was *maybe* 15 seconds. We did one right after the other and I had no apprehension or need to take a break in between. I really can't overstate how quick and easy it was from my side of the table.

I'm just over 24 hours post-implant and my hand feels a little sore in those spots but otherwise fine. No issues with range of motion or anything like that. The tape and gauze pads were more uncomfortable than the implant sites by the time I got home, but I kept them on overnight to be safe, and swapped them for small bandaids this morning.

I think that pretty well covers everything, but I'm happy to answer any questions. Overall I'd give the implant process a solid 10/10, and I'll definitely be going back to Russ for any future implants.

Comments

  • I have a magnet from Samppa since 3 years in my left ringfinger - its amazing for feeling magnetic fields. I was able to feel them on the same day - after getting it implanted I visit a friend in the library :) It was like: WHOW - I feel the security gates from 1,5 meters away
    Thx for the picture :) I didn't have a picture from my magnet :(

    I have the xG3 in the near of my right tragus. Hopefully I can travel in november to the netherlands to get the "TITAN" implanted . I will put it in my right ringfinger

  • edited May 2021
    I’m going to be getting my first magnet, and first biohack of any kind, in a few weeks and it’ll be a Samppa Von Cyborg magnet! I plan on getting it in my ring finger.

    How has your healed up from a few weeks ago?

    And @Sandra how is yours holding up after all this time? I’m glad to see good reviews of these magnets as I was contemplating the Titan but then struggled to find someone to implant it in the UK (a bit scared of doing it myself especially as it will be my first one).

    Any tips on getting the most out of it?
  • If you're intending to use it for sensing, you should be very gentle with the finger for the first few weeks of healing so the nerves can grow back. Also don't be afraid to air it out for awhile after the first day or two. White loose flesh around the wound is a sign of maceration (water getting trapped under the bandage). It won't heal correctly if there's maceration.
  • That's interesting. I mean, I agree regarding all your advice.. but does it help to be gentle with it while healing re nerve regrowth?

    Ok, hear me out. Lol. When people do scarification.. how sensitize is the tissue? I'd assume.. based on much of it being scar.. that you have decreased sensation. But sometimes people have super sensitive scars!? To be fair I don't know what modality.. like is it just fine touch? Anyone with scarring have an input?

    There are also many antiscar serums and antiscar regimens where people massage the area and whatnot.. I think they start after one year usually though.. I'll look at it. So, I'm not disagreeing with the advice. Lol. It just launched me into something else.
  • Yeah, you're right I don't know for a fact that being gentle with the wound will aid reinnervation. I was just following general injury advice. It might also depend on the type of corpuscles in the area. Fingertips are an especially nerve dense area so they may also behave differently.

    Upon initial inspection this paper seems to have some relevant information about that phenomenon, but I'm not really up to the task of parsing it at this moment:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7697710/
  • @Tomaskas said:
    I’m going to be getting my first magnet, and first biohack of any kind, in a few weeks and it’ll be a Samppa Von Cyborg magnet! I plan on getting it in my ring finger.

    How has your healed up from a few weeks ago?

    And @Sandra how is yours holding up after all this time? I’m glad to see good reviews of these magnets as I was contemplating the Titan but then struggled to find someone to implant it in the UK (a bit scared of doing it myself especially as it will be my first one).

    Any tips on getting the most out of it?

    My bodymod says: don't play around for 2 month. It waas a hard time - 2 or 3 times I lift only some paperclips - to show it. Healing was very good - the stitches removed a doctor - because I need to travel to othe countrys to get a bodymod.

    Last year I was a bit bored and tried, how much can I lift. I must also say i can't do it directly, I tried it first with 40, then 50 paperclips - played around,.. then 60,... my record was 80 paperclips.

    I have the TITAN at home and must wait until I can travel, hopefully it will work in November 2021.

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