I have seen a lot of varying opinions as to whether to use numbing cream before microneedling but, before I launch into more detail, I would like to clarify that I do not believe there is only one ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way. Each practitioner has their own way of performing their treatments, and a lot of this variation relies on personal preference and how they have been taught to do these procedures. As such, it is important for practitioners to be open about their practices so that their patients can decide who is the right fit for them!
So, I’ll start off by answering the main question – no, I don’t use numbing cream before microneedling. How cruel, you might think! But the reality is, I do not feel there is enough benefit in using it to outweigh the risks. Let’s get into why…
There are a variety of brands of local anaesthetic creams, and they are all effective in slightly different ways, but they all also have very similar drawbacks:
Time – all topical anaesthetics take 30–60 minutes to take their maximal effect. For short procedures like the injectables I offer, this is an acceptable addition of time to make the procedure more tolerable. However, the microneedling treatment takes more time, and adding this additional time is just not practical.
Side effects – topical anaesthetics are generally safe. The difficulty arises for the clinicians using these products, as many of them have an effect on the small capillaries in the skin, making them less or sometimes more likely to bleed. One of the visual guides which I use to assess how well the skin is coping with the microneedling is how it pinks up as the blood flows to the skin. If the capillaries are not acting as they normally should, I risk undertreating or, worse, overtreating an area of skin. This would lead to risks of not actually getting the benefit of the treatment, or potentially risks causing damage to the skin by overworking it, which can worsen texture and scarring – the opposite of what we are trying to achieve! There is also some anecdotal evidence (not strong, but potentially evidence of a rare occurrence) that using numbing cream can increase swelling after the procedure, which will increase your down time slightly.
The microneedling device uses very small needles to create very small microchannels in the skin – they do not penetrate through the whole depth of the skin, and both the speed and depth of these channel creations can be modified so that is it less uncomfortable during the procedure. It is normally advised to undergo at least 3 microneedling treatments to get the best results so that, as your skin gets used to the procedures, it will allow me to gradually increase the speed and depth as needed to maximise your results.
The final thing I will add is I have had microneedling myself (without numbing cream). While I can’t say it was relaxing, it was certainly not painful. And the results were certainly worth it!
As always, the best way to find out whether a treatment is right for you is to book a Consultation appointment with me so that I can offer the best, personalised advice for you.
