by Tattoo Numbing Cream: How Does It Work?
What is a tattoo?
A tattoo is something we are all familiar with. It is a form of art. People often get tattoos to express their love, pain, grief, or any emotion that they feel towards someone or something. Getting tattooed is a hard and painful process. But a tattoo numbing cream can be used to reduce the amount of pain.
A tattoo is a type of body modification. This is done by inserting the tattoo ink into the dermis layer of the skin. These tattoos can be permanent and temporary as well. These tattoos can be inked in many ways. The traditional way of inking a tattoo is by the hand-tapping method while modern tattoos are inked by using modern tattoo machines and other toolsThe art of tattooing is not new. Its history goes back to the Neolithic times. Even in those times, the art of tattooing was practiced across the globe by many cultures. The symbolism and impact of tattoos differ from culture to culture.
Apart from decorative purposes, people get tattoos for many other reasons. These reasons include a mark of rank or status, religious symbols, marks of bravery, pledges, etc.
But these are not the only reasons why people get tattoos. Several other reasons include medical purposes, permanent makeup, and identification.
Nevertheless, all of these tattoos cause the same pain while they are getting inked. Hence, many people use a tattoo numbing cream before tattooing to numb their skin.
Are tattoo numbing creams effective?
These days, a common question that people ask before tattooing is: does tattoo numbing cream work? It is a common doubt in a lot of people when they are recommended to use a tattoo numbing cream. Apart from these creams, there are other ways to numb the skin. But a tattoo numbing cream is the most effective and safest way to numb the skin before tattooing.
A lot of people choose these creams over other methods. It is because these creams are very comfortable and easy to use. These creams also help in relieving the anxiety or stress a person might feel while getting tattooed.
If you want to get a tattoo and want to reduce the pain, a tattoo numbing cream is an ideal way to do it. It is recommended that a tattoo numbing cream with a high level of lidocaine should be used for numbing the skin. Lidocaine is the main ingredient that is responsible for the numbing of skin. Hence, a higher level of lidocaine ensures the effectiveness of numbing cream.
Thus, the answer to does tattoo numbing cream work is yes. Tattoo numbing creams work perfectly fine.
How does a tattoo-numbing cream work?
A tattoo numbing cream has specific active ingredients which act as numbing agents for the skin. Some of them are Nerve blockers, Vasoconstrictors, and nerve deadeners.
- Nerve blockers: Some tattoo numbing creams use this ingredient to make the numbing effective. Tetracaine and benzocaine are the chemicals that act as nerve blockers in some tattoo numbing creams.
These chemicals make sure that no painful signals reach your brain through the nerves. However, the nerves still register some of these sensations.
Tattoo-numbing creams that use nerve blockers do not block out the pain completely. Instead, they dull the pain so that the process becomes less painful.
- Vasoconstrictor: This numbing agent is the most effective pain reducer. At the same time, vasoconstrictors are dangerous as well. This numbing agent constricts the blood vessels. Thus, this agent reduces swelling where the tattoo is. It also prevents the skin from bleeding.
Usually, this agent is used with other anesthetics. It is done to restrict the vasoconstrictor from getting absorbed into the skin too quickly.Restriction of blood can cause some health issues in the longer run. Issues like fast heart rate or lack of oxygen might occur. Hence, one should be careful before using a vasoconstrictor to numb their skin.
- Nerve deadeners: This is the most used numbing agent. This numbing agent is used in almost all tattoo numbing creams. The work of nerve deadeners is to stop all the nerves from receiving pain signals. Thus, the skin temporarily feels a loss of any sensation.However, this numbing agent only affects the surface of the skin. When the needle tears through the epidermal layers of skin, there are chances that the person might feel some amount of pain.
But some tattoo numbing creams are designed in a way that they penetrate the surface of the skin and reach the deeper layers. This way, the nerve deadeners can work on the inner layers of the skin.
Nerve deadeners are not effective for a longer time. These agents lose their ability to numb the skin in an hour or two. Hence, reapplication of the cream is necessary if the tattooing session is longer than a couple of hours.To maximize the effect of numbing agents, some tattoo numbing creams also use a combination of nerve blockers, vasoconstrictors, and nerve deadeners. This way, the cream stays effective for a very long time. Before choosing a tattoo numbing cream for your skin, you must talk to your skin doctor. Some creams might have some ingredients that might not suit your skin type and cause side effects.
Hence, it is important to take the advice of a skin doctor before using a tattoo numbing cream.
Is it necessary to use a tattoo numbing cream?
Using a tattoo numbing cream proves helpful for a lot of people. It helps in reducing their pain and their fear of tattooing as well. Hence, many people use these creams for comfort.
If a person has low pain tolerance, a tattoo numbing cream could be the best solution for them. This way, they can get their favorite tattoos without anxiety or pain. Thus, tattoo numbing creams are recommended for people who like to be tattooed frequently. However, using a tattoo numbing cream is not at all compulsory. If you think that you can tolerate the pain without using any creams, there is no need of using one.
But if you wish to ease the pain and anxiety, a tattoo numbing cream is your answer.
