Do you use numbing solutions to reduce pain?
With regards to cosmetic treatments such as wrinkle management treatments and volume enhancement treatments, the most sensitive areas of the face are (in order of sensitivity):
Wrinkle management treatment (most to least sensitive)
- Base of the nose (to stop the nose tilting down when smiling)
- Upper lip
- Frown. Also known as the ‘glabella’, when we treat the very outermost part of the frown it is quite sensitive as we must treat very superficially.
- Lower crow’s feet. Again, we must treat superficially but this time to avoid bruising.
- Forehead – not a particularly sensitive area to treat except for the outermost part of the forehead in some cases.
- Tooth grinding– treatment for the masseter (bite muscle), which is the least painful area on the face to treat.
We use ice to numb the frown, crow’s feet, and bite muscles. The forehead is not particularly painful to treat so we usually avoid numbing with ice. When we treat the upper lip, we use anaesthetic for approximately 10 minutes, in addition to ice on the area to help reduce sensitivity.
Volume enhancement treatment (most to least sensitive)
We use lignocaine numbing gel before treating most areas of the face with volume enhancement treatments.
- Upper lip– the most sensitive area on the face to treat with volume enhancement treatment. We use strong numbing gel for at least 20 mins to reduce sensation.
- Upper lip lines– close to the lip and, again, a sensitive area. Numbing gel is used.
- Base of the nose – this treatment can help lift the nose.
- Top of the nasolabial fold. The nasolabial fold is the line that goes from the corner of the nose to the mouth.
- Tear trough– treating the bags under the eyes.
- Marionette lines
- Nasolabial fold
- Bridge of the nose– this area can feel like a slight ache but is not particularly painful.
- Cheeks– the least sensitive area to treat with volume enhancement treatments.