Is the tattooing process a painful one? The answer is yes. Writing that name or drawing that figure on your body can be a painful process. Ever heard the saying “no pain no gain”? Well, that saying can be applied to the tattooing process. Even though tattoos can be painful, the end result is always beautiful.
We have established the fact that getting a tattoo on your body is a painful process but the pain is something you can bear, except you have a low pain tolerance or you have sensitive skin. If that’s the case, you don’t have to be afraid of letting the tattoo artist know that you have a low tolerance for pain or that you have sensitive skin and let them know that they’ll or you’ll need to use a numbing cream on your skin before drawing your chosen tattoo on your body.
Now you know, you can have tattoos drawn on your body even when you have a low threshold for pain, the question becomes which numbing creams work best for people with low pain tolerance? If you have a low tolerance for pain then, this article was made specifically with you in mind, and in today’s article, you’ll learn about numbing creams for people with low tolerance.
What is a numbing cream?
A numbing cream is a type of cream that is applied on the surface of the skin before receiving a tattoo (for people with low pain tolerance), before minor surgery, during cosmetic appointments, etc., in order to receive the pain associated with those processes.
Who needs a numbing cream while tattooing?
Every and anyone who feels they can’t take the pain that comes with tattooing can use numbing creams before being inked to achieve a painless tattoo experience.
It’s important to note that even though most tattoo artists are okay with you using a numbing cream to make your experience smoother, some may even have the numbing creams in their shops, they are tattoo artists that are against it and are of the opinion that the pain is part of the process. Therefore, before getting inked, ensure that your tattoo artist is okay with you using numbing creams.
How do numbing creams work?
Numbing creams work by blocking the sodium channels, to prevent nerves that supply sensation to the skin from sending pain signals. If the nerves are unable to send pain signals to your skin, it means that you’ll be unable to feel pain.
What numbing creams are made of
It’s difficult to talk about numbing creams without mentioning lidocaine and the reason for that is, for most brands, lidocaine is the active or main ingredient. Other additions you might find in topical anaesthetic include terracing, prilocaine, and benzocaine. You could even opt for numbing creams that contain a combination of drugs—for these types, as well as, all other types of numbing creams, ensure that they are being used under the strict guidance of a doctor most especially when you are prone to allergies or have sensitive skin.
The number of numbing creams you’ll find in the market today are numerous and they all function differently because of the composition and main or active ingredient used. So you don’t get confused when trying to purchase a numbing cream for yourself, it’s often easier to classify them based on the main or active ingredient used. Numbing creams fall into two main categories when they are classified based on the main ingredient. The two main categories are:
Nerve deadeners (Lidocaine): Numbing creams that are being classified as nerve deadeners are numbing creams that have Lidocaine as their main or active ingredient. They are called nerve deadeners because they deaden the nerve endings (prevents the nerves from registering or recognizing pain) in the skin. Since Lidocaine stays on the skin and doesn’t seep into the skin, they have a short-lived numbing effect.
Nerve blockers (benzocaine and tetracaine): Numbing creams that fall into this category have benzocaine and tetracaine as their main ingredients are strong and help the skin absorb the impact of the pain while tattooing.
Some of the best numbing creams you can try if you have a low pain threshold include:
- Zenza topical anaesthetic numbing cream.
- Uber numb topical numbing cream.
- TKTX numbing cream.
- Deeveeant topical numbing cream.
- Ink Scribd premium tattoo numbing cream.