For any injectable treatment, a reputable treatment center will take a number of steps to help make sure your procedure involves little to no discomfort. While the risks are low and these procedures are quick, cleanliness and safety procedures are important. Your injector will usually start with removing any makeup and cleaning the area thoroughly with alcohol pads. A local or topical anesthetic is the next step; since injections are small and fast, this is usually more than enough to numb the area thoroughly.
Local anesthetics help prevent pain during surgical, medical, or dental procedures, and the same methods can help ensure comfort in larger-scale nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, too. Some doctors will also recommend an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain medication beforehand, just to keep any swelling down to minimize discomfort and help your tissues heal faster. If you are concerned about the possibility of minor discomfort after your procedure, your doctor might also recommend a mild, over-the-counter anesthetic or soothing cream such as the types used for rashes and bug bites. In most cases, this is not necessary — but in every case it’s important to clear any supplemental remedies with your doctor ahead of time to prevent problems.
Some doctors do prefer local anesthesia before the treatment to numb the site and allow for maximum comfort and convenience while the injectable filler is being applied. Check with your doctor beforehand if you are particularly concerned about the risk of discomfort and would prefer a local anesthetic, or if you have had problems handling injected anesthesia in the past and need to consider an alternative.
A major benefit of these procedures is that regardless of which option your surgeon prefers to numb the area, general anesthesia (and the risks associated with it) are not necessary. Whether your doctor prefers a local anesthetic injection or another method to help ensure your comfort, either method allows for extremely fast, focused treatment without the complications and risks of more extensive surgical procedures.
Dr. Michele Green is a board-certified dermatologist who makes her patients’ skin health her top priority. In addition to providing a full range of noninvasive and minimally invasive medical and cosmetic procedures, Dr. Green also requires a skin cancer screening at the outset of each treatment, and she remains at the forefront of skin cancer detection and treatment. Because of her commitment to patients’ ongoing skin health beyond aesthetic enhancements alone, Dr. Green also offers her own line of intensive skin care products to help maintain and restore healthy skin.
A Yale graduate who earned her MD from Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City, Dr. Green is highly committed to providing the latest in skin care and anti-aging treatments, and keeps up to date on the latest options in a variety of treatments including a number of different laser skin rejuvenation procedures. As a doctor who worked early in her career with product safety and development for top brands including L’Oreal and Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Green combines a researcher’s perfectionism with a down-to-earth and personal approach that enables her to adapt treatments precisely to meet individual needs.
The most popular procedures at Dr. Green’s New York cosmetic dermatology practice include Fraxel® laser skin rejuvenation, BOTOX® Cosmetic, and specialized procedures to correct a number of skin pigmentation problems. She also provides a full complement of medical procedures to treat acne, rosacea, skin cancers, and a number of other skin conditions including psoriasis, eczema, and hemangiomas.
