Numbing Products

I am a big advocate for pre-numbing before tattoos, if you are nervous about the pain! Especially if you are interested in getting sensitive areas tattooed, such as palms, armpits, and groins, I highly recommend numbing before our appointment and require it for armpit and groin placements.

*The FDA has just released new warnings about the use of topical numbing products containing lidocaine at 5% or higher concentrations. Please read this FDA article before deciding to use a numbing product and please contact your doctor as well before use.

NOTE: Please do a patch test of the cream on your skin the day before your appointment. On occasion, artists have reported severe allergic reactions in their clients, even when the client has used the product before. If in doubt, call your doctor first!! I cannot tattoo you if you have an allergic reaction on the area to be tattooed.

I like to use the Zensa numbing cream, which has 5% lidocaine. I find that this product works more consistently well than other numbing products, without causing too much change to your skin.

Note: Lidocaine doesn’t work well on redheads because there’s a gene connected to redheadedness that makes you more resistant to lidocaine! You may have learned this about yourself already via a dentist visit. We can talk about alternative plans if you experience a resistance to lidocaine.

If you want to use a numbing cream before your appointment, and then follow these steps for your patch test the day before, and then 45 minutes before you appointment!: 

  1. Clean the skin with isopropyl alcohol. Pads like these are a great option, and you can find them at drugstores!

  2. Apply the numbing cream to the alcoholed skin using clean hands or gloves.

  3. Cover the area in plastic wrap until we start our appointment. I’ll remove the covering once we’re ready to start.

Often during the tattoo, I will apply a lidocaine spray that works on broken skin. This spray can be used once my outline is completed, before doing fill, shading, or detail lines, and tends to reduce the discomfort of the tattoo process.

Numbing products are one of many tools I use to help you manage pain during a tattoo. They may not fully numb you for the procedure and you should expect to still experience pain of a varying scale!