When someone says “tattoo cream,” they can mean three different things: a numbing cream to make the tattooing process as painless as possible. The topical numbing cream is designed to keep the newly tattooed area moist and promote healing; And finally, for those with regrets, it can also mean a cream to help remove a tattoo design that no longer pleases its owner.
Let’s look at these different types of the best tattoo cream separately:
Numbing Cream:
This allows you to get a tattoo without (or at least with a minimal level of) pain associated with the procedure. A popular cream called “EMLA” is a lidocaine/prilocaine combination and comes in both cream and topical disc forms. The cream is applied under the dressing, and the disc is applied to numb the area of skin and in about 60 minutes, the area is ready to be tattooed. The effect of the cream or disc lasts for about 2 hours. In the US and Canada, EMLA is available by prescription only.
LMX-4 is a non-prescription alternative to EMLA, containing a 4% concentration of lidocaine as the active ingredient. Both are valuable. The LMX-4 will set you back about $41.00 for a .05 fl. oz tube, while EMLA in 2.5% concentration can run up to $65 for 30 grams of cream.
Another non-prescription alternative numbing cream is “Dr. Numb” Pre-Procedure Tattoo Numbing Ointment, a 13% lidocaine cream available on Amazon.com for $39.03 for 30 grams. Finally, there is Tattoo Numbing cream 5% Lidocaine, which comes in spray form and costs $30 for 4 oz. on Amazon. It should be noted that there are many other similar products available in the market online or at your local drug store.
Aftercare Cream:
Although instructions for aftercare usually vary from tattoo technician to technician, they all agree to keep new tattoos out of the sun and avoid scabbing and cracking. tattoo
Some will recommend products specifically formulated to help heal tattoos, such as Tattoo Goo, or common OTC ointments such as A&D Ointment, Bacitracin, Aquaphor, or Eucerin Lotion. The important thing is to always keep your new tattoo well moisturized. Applying an ointment or lotion can also help with itching associated with tattoo healing.
Removal Cream:
Before investing in any tattoo removal cream, you should know that there are FDA warnings against them. Why? Due to one such cream, there were complaints that the product caused severe irritation and secondary skin infections. Because of this complaint, the FDA does not recommend any tattoo removal product as safe.
Most dermatologists will tell you that it is almost impossible to remove a tattoo with a cream. You may notice some fading after several months of faithfully using the product, but your patience and money will pay off before your tattoo disappears. Laser therapy is by far the most effective means of removing unwanted tattoos, but even laser treatment does not always remove 100% of all tattoos successfully.
In short, think carefully about your decision to get a tattoo, because it is almost impossible to remove it without expensive and painful laser therapy. Always follow your tattoo technician’s recommendations for aftercare, and for the timid, consider using a numbing cream or spray to make your piercing less painful.
