Numbing Agents
Updated: December 2024
What can I realistically expect with these products?
This is probably one of the most asked questions I receive regarding appointments: Am I able to use a numbing cream?
70% of my clientele are either coming to me for their first tattoo experience, or are used to getting smaller, less intricate pieces done, and don’t know what to expect as far as pain goes during a longer tattoo session.
Depending on the tattoo design, location, and your personal experience with getting tattooed, I’ll let you know if I think it’s necessary to use a cream or not for your appointment. 95% of the time I DO NOT recommend using numbing creams as it negatively affects the healing outcome, but I can offer a run down of how these products work, what to realistically expect as far as getting tattooed goes, and what these products can actually do to give you some comfort.
Getting tattooed can be an uncomfortable experience, and if you’ve never had one before, I can understand how nervous someone can be when it comes to the pain aspect. I generally use a smaller needle set and specialize in a more delicate, low-trauma tattoo style (outside of my color work that is) and have been told that I’m very light handed compared to other artists. I’ve tattooed myself before on multiple occasions, and tend to agree for the most part!
It’s difficult to explain the pain level as everyone processes pain differently, but typically the initial reaction I receive from clients is “… Is that it?” I would say it most closely resembles a burning sensation, similar to scratching a sunburn, and I’ve honestly had cat scratches that hurt worse than getting a tattoo. The discomfort that most people tend to talk about is as the hours progress and you’re layering up tones and adding color (if that applies to you), it can start to feel pretty raw, but it takes hours to get to that point which is where I’m pretty divided on whether it’s worth using a cream or not.
Numbing creams contain a local anesthetic called Lidocaine, which blocks the signals at the nerve endings on your skin, giving you a brief numbing sensation. Most FDA approved numbing creams on the market contain 5% or less lidocaine in their product, so the alleviation it can offer you is pretty minimal, and only affects the top layer of skin.
If you look at the illustration above, it’s a great visual representation of how tattoos are administered into the skin, and what layers of the dermis we work with. Numbing creams (because they are topical) only block the nerve endings on the outer layer of skin, the epidermis. Your tattoo artist injects the ink into the second layer of skin, the dermis, which is what makes these pieces last a lifetime. To numb the second layer of skin, you would need a very high concentrate of lidocaine to seep into that second layer (which is very hard to come by without a prescription), get an injection to numb the internal layers, or wait until all your pores are already opened up, and then using numbing agents.
These products usually recommend applying them 15-20 minutes before your appointment, and I just don’t think that’s enough time to let them properly absorb into your skin. I usually recommend leaving it on for at least an hour, and apply it in a very thick layer. When I see clients use these creams, they tend to use a very small amount and rub it in similar to a lotion, so I would definitely lather it up until it’s a thick paste on the surface of your skin.
The main reason why I’m apprehensive about using creams is because the chances of them completely numbing your skin is pretty slim, and if it does alleviate any discomfort, you might get an hour of numbness at the very beginning of your appointment, and that tends to be the easiest hour of a tattoo appointment to sit through in my opinion. The appointment tends to start to become uncomfortable near the last few hours, which is when I tend to use an antiseptic Bactine spray.
The first 5-10 minutes of the tattoo are a little uncomfortable because it can take a few minutes for your body to stop it’s fight or flight response, and enter a meditative state. From there, you build up a slow acceptance of the pain over the next few hours, and usually by hour 3 is when people may start to feel a little raw. By this point, I like to use my Bactine spray on the piece once we’ve gotten a few passes done, and your pores are more open and receptive to absorbing the product. I personally prefer a gradual build up of pain and ending the session on a calmer note, versus starting on a numb slate and not having that natural build up of pain, and having it all hit you at once.
Another downside to using lidocaine, is that your body builds a tolerance to it VERY quickly. so if you use a cream on your skin, followed by the spray near the end of your appointment, there’s a chance the spray may not work because your body has already built up a tolerance to it. Some other factors that may affect whether it may work or not include:
If you’ve had any dental/medical procedures recently that required numbing agents.
If you use any medications or substances that are relatives of the “-caine” family.
Genetics: some people have a natural tolerance against anesthetics (for example, red headed people are prone to this genetic intolerance).
Tobacco smokers
Alcohol consumption (if you’re hungover, it may affect how well these products will work on you)
All that aside, there are certain appointments and situations where I’m comfortable using numbing agents. When it comes to large scale appointments, I like to finish projects in one sitting instead of breaking it up into multiple sessions if I’m able to, and the skin is permitting, but sitting for a 6, 8, and sometimes a 10 hour session can be a rough day. Those are appointments I usually recommend people use numbing creams on and may reapply them as the session progresses so we can hopefully get the project done in one session. Sometimes it’s not possible, but it’s worth the effort! If it’s an appointment that I think someone would benefit using it (or would like the option to use it) I’ll let them know in their appointment details.
There are lots of creams and sprays on the market, so I’ll attach a link of the pros and cons of the top 9 sellers on the market, but I always recommend reading the ingredients list, and letting me review them before you buy one. I recommend not buying anything less than 5% lidocaine, and leaning towards more natural/organic products (especially if you want to reapply as the session progresses and your pores are open). The spray I use is Bactine, but feel free to compare different products and see what works best for you!
