Skin numbing creams and what you should know

The tattoo numbing cream is a skin numbing cream that normally works through blocking the sodium channels, thus the nerves which supply sensation to the skin will not be able to send signals of pain. The creams might be utilized during the cosmetic appointments, before having to receive a tattoo, before a minor surgery, or other times when the skin gets exposed to pain.

The uses of skin numbing cream

Due to the numbing creams desensitizing the skin to the pain, it can be utilized for various applications that might include:

  • Preparing an area for a surgery which is minor
  • To relieve local pain like an area where the tattooing or the piercing of the body has been done
  • To relieve itching that is severe like an exposure or irritants such as poison ivy
  • Relieve pain form procedures of dermatological nature like the botox, dermabrasion, laser procedures, and filler injections
  • Minimizing pain in the procedure of hair removal such as laser or waxing hair removal
  • Relieving pain from a minor skin rash, injury like the dermatitis or the sunburn

Active ingredients

If you happen to be familiar with the creams for skin numbing, you might have heard about lidocaine, which is the active ingredient in majority of the brands. The lidocaine is known to be quite effective, having the benefit of providing quicker results for relief of pain. The lidocaine can be readily found in creams for skin numbing such as lidorx, dermoplast and Lidoderm. Other ingredients which are active in the creams for skin numbing include:

  • Tetracaine that you will find in creams such as pontocaine, ametop gel, and viractin
  • Dibucaine which you will readily find in creams such as rectacaine, nupercainal
  • Pramoxine found in creams like prax, proctofoam and saran sensitive
  • Benzocaine which is readily in creams like lanacane, dermoplast and solarcaine

Medical vs the over the counter creams for numbing

The skin numbing creams which are found over the counter might differ from the variations for prescription in concentration and strength of the medication. Also, majority of the OTC medications aren’t approved by the FDA – food and drug administration, but in most cases, they tend to be marketed as compliant when the company happens to follow the FDA regulations which are applicable.

The prescription preparations for the lidocaine are gotten in a concentration of 5% of the ingredient which is active but most of the products for OTC contain a lower concentration in most cases. Other numbing agents differences which you will get in the OTC as compared to the ones which require prescription involves the mixtures types.

Side effects

Various side effects might be caused by having to use skin numbing cream and it will depend with the use.

Signs of a reaction which is allergic

Some of the side effects might indicate an allergic reaction or a need for a medical emergency and it includes:

  • Drowsiness
  • Dizziness
  • Swelling of the face, lips or throat
  • Rash or itching on the skin
  • Irregular or rapid heart rate
  • Chest pain
  • Problems with breathing
  • Vision that is blurred

Comments are closed.