Hi! You may be here because you have questions about “numbing cream” and its implications in the tattoo process. I’m a professional licensed tattoo artist, and I’ve been gathering research over the past few years. This includes critically assessing my own experiences, talking to other artists with 15-25+ years experience, getting feedback from clients, and discussing the science with a medical doctor / former neurosurgeon to learn more about these products that are exploding in popularity online.

Many tattoo artists working today express a strong opposition to numbing creams - most for legitimate reasons, such as bad experiences during the tattoo process and muddy/traumatized healing results. Meanwhile, conversely, other artists seem to promote or push numbing creams to their clients, either in their shops or in advertisements. Some have mixed feelings, while a select few others preach opposition for questionable “conceptual” reasons, such as needing to “earn” a tattoo through pain… For the purpose of this blog, we’re just gonna ignore people who think you “need” to be in pain to “earn” a tattoo, because that is silly. NO sane artist should WANT to cause you pain; but unfortunately, tattoos do hurt until they’re done. Sorry.

These mixed messages can lead to confusion and miscommunication for clients and artists alike. Even though it would be impossible to write a blog with comprehensive opinions from every side of this issue on earth, I’ve nonetheless tried to collect all the best, most factual, and most useful information I can. I really hope the information in this blog will help you make informed decisions and have the best tattoo experience(s) possible. :)

If you’ve used “Numbing Creams” in the past without issues, great! This blog isn’t for you and I hope you have a great day :) Or maybe you heard your friend’s cousin has used it 50 times and it “worked awesome” for them - that’s great, but individual anecdotes do not represent universal truth. Read on to learn more.

DISCLAIMER: at the end of the day, the decision about whether or not to use ”Numbing Cream” must be made between an artist and a client, and any client reading this should feel empowered to have that discussion as they see fit and follow whatever guidance their artist gives them.

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First, let’s clear up some myths and common misconceptions.

MYTH #1: “NUMBING CREAMS WILL cause THE CLIENT to FEEL NO PAIN during the tattoo” //fALSE

“Numbing cream” is a very misleading term from the jump, as any over-the-counter / online topical products available DO NOT and CAN NOT numb the skin; they can only block a small percentage of nerve endings in the skin, which interferes with the body’s communication of pain to the brain, which MAY temporarily reduce perception of painful sensations. Truly effective topical numbing agents can only be legally and safely used/purchased by licensed physicians and medical professionals. Any “numbing” products available for sale at retail stores or online that a regular consumer can purchase will only contain, by law, less than 25% of the topical analgesic active ingredients needed to produce a legitimate numbing effect. Some clients with a genetic predisposition to topical analgesic sensitivity may enjoy heightened effectiveness from low amounts of active ingredients, but this is not the majority of people.

mYTH #2: “NUMBING CREAMS ARE SAFE FOR EVERYONE TO USE” //fALSE

In the United States, OTC/consumer grade “numbing creams” are not FDA regulated or approved. The manufactures/marketers/representatives of these products can (and often do) make misleading claims about the effectiveness, and there is no guarantee the ingredients on the label are what’s actually in the product. Furthermore, the active ingredients are not without risk!! The most common active ingredient is 2.5% - 4% lidocaine. Lidocaine toxicity and overdose are rare BUT POSSIBLE for certain people when topical numbing agents are applied over large areas of skin or on broken skin for long periods of time. Since the products are unregulated, they can also contain inactive ingredients, contaminants, chemicals, and fillers that may cause allergic reactions, infections, rashes, prolonged irritation, infections, delayed healing response, and skin sensitivity.

MYTH #3: “GREEN SOAP / ALCOHOL / WATER ‘CANCELS OUT’ NUMBING CREAM” //fALSE

As a client, you may or may not have heard this before. However, it’s commonly repeated within artist circles without anyone fact-checking it first. According to medical professionals, this myth is patently false and biologically impossible. Due to the mechanisms of how analgesic compounds bind to nerve endings, it’s impossible for any liquid applied to the surface of the skin (even ‘broken’ skin) to penetrate deep enough or in a way that would affect the chemical and mechanical bonds between the nerve endings and the analgesic compounds. I don’t know how this rumor caught fire. Any placebo effect or anecdotal evidence is based on personal experiences, and though it may “feel” true to the person saying it, this has no basis in fact or science. The TRUE effective lifespan of a topically applied analgesic compound is only affected by biological processes and genetics.

MYTH #4: “I SAW A VIDEO ONLINE THAT claimed their new product is better than others and completely numbs the skin??”//likely FALSE

There’s an absurd amount of paid advertising online packaged as “real” or “authentic” content with the express purpose of duping the consumer. Many, many companies are trying to capitalize on the growing “tattoo market” and will publish misleading or exaggerated social media content to try and make a quick buck. Any publicly available material online about the effectiveness of OTC/online “numbing creams” should be carefully scrutinized - like, who created the content? - a lot of times, it’s published by the consumer-grade companies marketing “numbing creams” with inflated claims or paid testimonials to get you to buy their product, or even by shops/artists who have partnered with these companies for profit. Almost every single one of these products has the exact same active ingredient, and only differs in the other fillers and fluff ingredients they put in the product. This is like saying a “new improved” brand of water is “more wet” than “other types” of water. Respect the hustle, but, don’t fall for it.

MYTH #5: “NUMBING CREAM WORKED FOR MY FRIEND, SO IT WILL WORK FOR ME” //INCONCLUSIVE

The active ingredients in consumer-grade topical analgesic creams (namely topical analgesic compounds, such as lidocaine and benzocaine) do not have universal effectiveness. This is largely due to natural, individual, genetic variances in how nerve endings cycle, interpret pain, and communicate it to your brain. You may also have experienced changes in skin structure or sensitivity during your lifetime that can affect your pain receptors as well (such as side effects of certain medications, injuries, sun damage, diseases, hormonal imbalances, etc). You won’t know if topical analgesic compounds actually work for you until or unless you test it on your skin by soaking for at least one hour and then breaking the skin barrier. If you plan to rely on “numbing cream” to get you through a tattoo WITHOUT testing this ahead of time, you may discover, once the tattoo process begins, that it isn’t effective on your skin, and then you have no other recourse than to endure the rest of the tattoo as-is. They also won’t work *at all* unless applied in a very specific manner - applied in advance, allowed to soak, etc. You would have to coordinate this in a perfect window of time, and be able to get to the shop and get tattooed before the effectiveness window wears off. If you’re unable to do this, it cannot be used again until after your tattoo’s stencil has been completely tattooed over, because it will erase the stencil your artist has applied.

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Now that we’ve cleared that up - let’s go over various cons, pros, and other advice/alternatives.

why do artists say “NUMBING CREAMS” NEGATIVELY aFFECT THE TATTOO PROCESS?

These are some of the most common reasons artists report a negative opinion after working with clients who have used “numbing creams”.

1. All “numbing creams” will alter the skin texture to varying degrees, making it more “rubbery” for the tattoo artist, which can make applying even lines and saturating shading much more difficult, and could extend the overall time needed for the tattoo. (The cost of the extended work/time will be passed on to the client, making the tattoo more expensive without improving quality overall)

2. For the VAST majority of people, tattoo discomfort and pain is made perfectly tolerable by adequate preparation (sleep, food, hydration) and natural stress responses / hormones produced by the body. Adding “numbing creams” overcomplicates the process and introduces potential issues without sufficient, tangible results or rewards for either the client or artist.

3. More or unnecessary trauma can be caused to the skin because the tattooer may have to go over areas repeatedly to saturate the ink. This can permanently damage the skin and make touch ups almost impossible.

4. The healed result of a tattoo may appear more muddy, patchy, or altered due to the texture and moisture differences during the tattoo process.

5. The active ingredients have a limited window of effectiveness. After soaking the “numbing cream” for one hour, the client may feel less discomfort initially, and then an hour or two into the tattoo, feel IMMENSE pain as the nerve endings become fully active again without the assistance of their body’s natural stress responses, such as adrenaline, endorphins, etc. This can cause extreme distress and shock to the client, as well as the artist who’s trying to tattoo them.

6. Clients may have an unrealistic expectation of what the physical experience of the tattoo will be like, causing psychological distress to both themselves and the artist who’s trying to tattoo them. In rare and extreme cases, artists report having to stop tattoos before they’re finished because the client is unable or unwilling to mentally cope with the contrast in sensations versus expectation.

What are the potential upsides to “numbing creams”?

1. They can provide a slightly more comfortable experience for certain clients who have a genetic predisposition to being sensitive to lidocaine and related chemical compounds.

2. They can cause a placebo effect (no real effect except psychological) for some clients, who don’t think they can handle the temporary discomfort of getting a tattoo without it.

3. They make a lot of money for new companies and paid promoters that market “numbing creams” to tattoo clients - especially since you can’t get a refund if it doesn’t work for you 🤷‍♀️

for a client who is unsure how to proceed without “numbing creams”, What would be recommended instead?

1. Mind over matter! For thousands of years, people have used mental exercises and breathing techniques to increase feelings of calm and endure many types of physical discomfort. Focus on the excitement of the end result of the tattoo, and do not fixate on the momentary discomfort of getting the tattoo.

2. If you don’t have many tattoos yet, talk to your artist before embarking on any large projects that you may have too low of a “pain tolerance” to get through. Ask your artist to suggest less painful areas, or get several small tattoos before getting larger pieces. If you’re dead-set on a large tattoo but don’t have much previous tattoo experience, ask if the tattoo can be broken up into multiple, shorter sessions.

3. Understand that your artist does NOT want to cause you pain, they want to give you the best tattoo possible with the least discomfort. Some TEMPORARY discomfort should be expected in any tattoo experience - but the pain stops as soon as the tattoo does, and you get to enjoy the tattoo forever :) .

4. Have realistic expectations and communicate with your artist thoroughly in advance if you have any medical or mental health conditions that might make tattooing too intense for you. Your artist would MUCH RATHER know this in advance and address it / discuss accommodations before the tattoo starts.

So you’re saying there’s NO "“Numbing Products” I can buy that will help ease the pain?? :(

1. Not at all! I recommend bringing a bottle of Bactine Extra Strength Spray to your appointment, which you can ask your artist to use it on you. This is a common product generally regarded as safe in the tattoo industry. The bottles are usually less than $10, you can purchase them at any pharmacy or general retail store, and it can be applied by your artist periodically towards the second half of your tattoo session, after the stencil has been lined over, to ease discomfort. (Again please don’t expect that it will totally “numb” the area - it can, however, help reduce the sting a bit). I suggest purchasing it yourself, as it isn’t commonly provided by shops/artists. This is because the bottles can’t be easily, safely used and/or sterilized between clients without increasing some operating costs / time / product waste for us. Artists are generally always happy to use a bottle of Bactine you provide yourself.

I hope this helps you make the most informed decision for yourself and better understand how to communicate with your artist about using “numbing creams”!~

Still have questions? Click here to text me :)

Disclaimer: These are the opinions of myself, one licensed medical doctor, and several artists I’ve spoken to about this over the past few years. You may hear other opinions from other people. I’m not a professional anesthesiologist or dermatologist, so I would recommend talking to one if you want further facts and information about “numbing” products and the chemicals they contain. ^_^