Show Notes
In this episode of the Faded Podcast, Billy DeCola answers the questions clients ask all the time about numbing cream and laser tattoo removal: which cream to use, which ones to avoid, how to apply it, and whether it affects the results.
Studio Kiku recommends Zensa, a 5% topical lidocaine cream sold over the counter. It numbs the area locally and takes the edge off, though it will not take the pain away completely. Billy covers:
- Why imported creams from countries with no regulations around them, and strong pharmacy compounds such as BLT (benzocaine, lidocaine, tetracaine), are best avoided
- Timing: about 30 minutes before the appointment, since 15 minutes is not enough and an hour and a half is too long
- Why a plain topical numbing cream has no impact on the laser, while creams with a vasoconstrictor such as epinephrine can interfere with the inflammatory response after a session
- How numbing cream, ice and cold air together make a session far more comfortable
Recommendation: Use an over-the-counter 5% lidocaine cream, apply it generously about 30 minutes before your appointment, and check with your doctor before using any numbing cream.
Transcript Highlights
"If I get laser done, I always use numbing cream. It totally takes the edge off.", Billy DeCola (00:00)
On what numbing cream can and cannot do:
"It's not going to take away the pain 100%. But it is going to numb the area somewhat. It takes the edge off big time.", Billy DeCola (01:27)
On what to buy:
"Just stick to something that is over the counter, 5% lidocaine, that's what you wanna do.", Billy DeCola (02:46)
On timing:
"You wanna be around 30 minutes, that's the sweet spot.", Billy DeCola (03:16)
On whether it affects the laser:
"So putting numbing cream on is not gonna have any impact on the laser hitting the pigment and shattering it in the skin.", Billy DeCola (04:56)
On the one kind to avoid:
"So what you wanna avoid is any type of numbing cream that has a vasoconstrictor in it.", Billy DeCola (05:45)
"So if you're going to a laser removal studio that's not doing any of those three, then maybe you should find another place to go because they don't care about your pain.", Billy DeCola (06:48)
Full Transcript
If I get laser done, I always use numbing cream. It totally takes the edge off.
Welcome to the Faded Podcast. Today I'm gonna talk all about numbing cream. The questions we get all the time are around pain, believe it or not. So, is it gonna hurt? How bad is it gonna hurt? And is there anything that I can do to alleviate some of that pain? And when people ask me if it hurts, I don't lie to them, I tell them yeah, it does hurt. It's not fun. It's probably one of the most painful things that I've gone through. But luckily, there are some things that you can do to alleviate the pain.
We always ice before, during, and after the treatment. That's for sure. And we have the Zimmer chiller, which blows super cold air. So, the cooling down definitely takes away a lot of the pain. But numbing cream is gold.
The questions we get about numbing cream are, what numbing cream should I use, and what should I avoid? How do I apply it? And will it have any negative impact on the laser removal process?
The numbing cream that we recommend is called Zensa. And Zensa is a 5% topical lidocaine. And what it does is it just absorbs into the skin and it numbs locally. It's not gonna go in and numb your whole body. It's not going to take away the pain 100%. But it is going to numb the area somewhat. It takes the edge off big time. So, we do carry Zensa here at Studio Kiku and we sell it.
There are lots of other types of numbing creams out there that can be much more powerful. Not all of them are safe though. So, if I were you, I would avoid anything that's imported from China or India or any country that has no regulations around numbing creams. Anything that's not sold over the counter, I would recommend avoiding. A lot of our clients come in and they have these weird tubes of numbing cream and they're putting on their skin. I've seen people have allergic reactions where their mouth starts getting all swollen, people's tongues get swollen. You don't wanna get into any of that type of stuff.
I would even avoid the stuff that you get from the pharmacy. So, a lot of people go and they get the BLT. So, not bacon lettuce tomato. It is benzocaine, lidocaine, tetracaine. So, I would avoid that. Although they do sell it at the pharmacy, I would avoid getting anything that strong because it can be toxic and you can have some side effects. Just stick to something that is over the counter, 5% lidocaine, that's what you wanna do.
How to apply it. What I recommend is cleaning the area off. If you're gonna shave it, shave it, that's cool. Wipe it down with a little alcohol, put the ointment on right away and then put some Saran wrap, plastic wrap on it and just tape it on. Put it on about a half hour before you come in. 15 minutes is not enough and an hour, hour and a half is way too long. You wanna be around 30 minutes, that's the sweet spot. And we do have clients who come in and they think, like, oh, I put it on an hour and a half, it should definitely be working by now. It's already stopped working, like it's starting to fade away. When you come in, we'll wipe it off and we'll take picture, we'll ice it and we'll zap it and we'll wrap you up and you're out the door. It's pretty smooth.
If it's on your eyebrows, the same thing. Put the numbing cream on, put a little strip of plastic wrap across your eyebrows and come on in. We have clients coming in all the time like that. They think they look crazy, but they're one of many who are doing the same thing. And when you apply it, put it on pretty generously. You don't wanna put on a super thin layer where you can totally see the tattoo.
Now, that being said, larger areas of tattoos, like a big, huge tattoo, you have to be careful with how much you put on your skin. And this is a good time for my disclaimer that I am not giving any medical advice, I'm not a doctor. Everything I say is my opinion. And if you're gonna use any type of numbing cream, then you should check with your doctor first before doing anything because I am in no position to give you any type of medical advice.
The last question that we get all the time is, if I do use numbing cream, is it gonna have any negative impact on the efficacy of the laser? Which is a great question, but I want you to think about something here. There's two things going on. One, it's the laser hitting the pigment. The energy pulse will penetrate the skin and it hits the pigment in the skin and it shatters it. So putting numbing cream on is not gonna have any impact on the laser hitting the pigment and shattering it in the skin.
But there are some numbing creams that will have an impact on what happens after that goes down. So once the pigment is hit and shattered, then it's up to your lymphatic system to pick up those pigment particles. But the immediate response, the inflammatory response is part of that process. So if you use any type of vasoconstricting agents like epinephrine, then that will reduce the blood flow. And when the blood flow is reduced, it also kind of messes with the inflammatory response. So what you wanna avoid is any type of numbing cream that has a vasoconstrictor in it. And one of the vasoconstrictors that I know is epinephrine. I'm sure there are some others out there, but anything that's gonna restrict blood flow and try to prolong the numbing, that is the type of stuff that you want to avoid. Just use the topical numbing cream itself and you should be totally fine. And if you do that, then it's not gonna have any impact on how effective the laser is and it won't mess with the process whatsoever.
So I hope that helps you understand a little bit about numbing cream. If you wanna do a little experiment one day, use numbing cream on half your tattoo and the other half, don't put any numbing cream and you're gonna see a huge difference. So between using numbing cream when you come in and then icing it when you sit down right before you get tattooed and blowing the cold air on it, it is a breeze compared to not doing any of those. So if you're going to a laser removal studio that's not doing any of those three, then maybe you should find another place to go because they don't care about your pain.
I hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Faded Podcast. Like it, love it, leave a comment, subscribe, all that stuff. We really appreciate it and we will see you again next time on the Faded Podcast.