Short answer: some numbing creams are a fair thing to ask your artist about, and some are a safety problem. In March 2024 the FDA told people not to use over-the-counter lidocaine products above 4 percent on their skin, not to cover treated skin with plastic wrap or any other dressing, and not to spread them heavily over big areas or onto broken or irritated skin. A number of the products it called out were sold specifically for tattoos.
That is the whole warning in one breath. The rest of this page is the detail, what we actually know about whether numbing creams help, and what to do if a three-hour session makes your stomach drop.
What the FDA said about tattoo numbing cream
The notice is an FDA news release dated March 26, 2024. It says the agency sent warning letters to six companies for marketing lidocaine products for use before, during or after cosmetic procedures, and it lists tattooing and piercing right next to microdermabrasion and laser hair removal. The wording is blunt. The FDA says these products “pose unacceptable risks to consumers and should not be on the market.”
The problem it describes is absorption. Some of the products list lidocaine at concentrations higher than what is allowed for over-the-counter topical pain relievers, and the products named in the letters include ones labelled 29.9 percent and 40 percent. The FDA says that when high-concentration lidocaine is used in ways that increase how much your skin absorbs, it can cause serious injury, including irregular heartbeat, seizures and breathing difficulties. It can also interact with medications and dietary supplements.
The letters went to TKTX Company, SeeNext Venture, Tattoo Numbing Cream Co., Sky Bank Media (doing business as Painless Tattoo Co.), Dermal Source and Indelicare (INKEEZE). If a product from one of those companies is sitting in your cart, read the release before you click buy.
The FDA also says it is not aware of evidence that these products are safe, and that it has warned about similar products over the past decade and still finds them online and in stores. That last part matters. A product being easy to buy tells you nothing about whether it passed a safety check.
The plastic wrap rule people skip
A lot of numbing cream advice online goes like this: put a thick layer on, wrap the area in cling film so it “works better,” wait. The FDA says the opposite. Do not cover treated skin with plastic wrap or other dressings, because any covering can raise the chance of serious side effects. The same goes for heavy application over a large area, and for skin that is irritated or broken.
If a product’s own instructions tell you to wrap it, that is your answer about the product.
Does numbing cream even work on tattoo pain?
No trial of over-the-counter numbing creams on pain during tattooing turned up in the sources behind this page. That does not mean they do nothing. It means the confident “works great” lines on product pages are sales copy or personal stories, not measured results, so read them that way.
The research that does exist points somewhere less exciting. In a 2020 survey of 1,092 tattooed people in Poland, the authors report that the factors increasing pain most were how long the tattoo took, bleeding, and the person’s stress level. Only 33 people (about 3 percent) said they had taken painkillers beforehand, and they reported higher pain during the tattoo. The authors suggest people with a low pain threshold may simply have been more likely to take something. That finding is about pills, not creams, and it comes from a self-reported survey, so do not read it as “pain relief makes it worse.” Read it as “nobody has pinned this down.”
What helps with tattoo pain that does not come in a tube
Ask your artist first. Before you buy anything, ask what they recommend and whether they allow anything on the skin at their studio. They do this all day and they know their own rules.
Think about session length. Time was one of the biggest factors in that survey, so the same design done in one long sitting and in three shorter ones is a different experience. If you are eyeing a big piece, ask whether it can be split.
Look after the basics. Healthline’s tattoo pain guide suggests talking to your artist about numbing cream, staying hydrated, and cutting back on caffeine and alcohol beforehand. Eat something and sleep the night before, too. A shaky, wired, hungry version of you is not going to have a better time.
Choose the spot with the clock in mind. Some places are slow and sore however you handle them. We have separate posts on tattooing elbows, finger tattoos and neck tattoos, and all three open with a warning.
Stress counts too. Pick an artist you trust, and ask for breaks. Asking for a break is not weak. It is the cheapest pain relief in the building.
If you still want a numbing product
Start with the artist, not the checkout page. Then run through the FDA’s points:
- Read the label for the lidocaine percentage. The FDA advises against over-the-counter products with more than 4 percent lidocaine on the skin.
- Use a small amount on a small area. No heavy layers over large patches.
- Keep it off broken or irritated skin.
- Do not wrap it or cover it with anything.
- If you take medication or supplements, check with a pharmacist or doctor first, since the FDA flags interactions.
- If you get serious symptoms such as a racing or irregular heartbeat, trouble breathing, or a seizure, treat it as an emergency. The FDA also asks people to report bad reactions through its MedWatch program.
A product page that promises a painless tattoo should make you more suspicious, not less. A tattoo breaks the skin with needles. Nobody can promise you zero feeling, and the FDA has already said what it thinks of the 40 percent tubes.
Numbing does not touch what comes after
Pain during the session is one thing. The next two weeks are another, because a fresh tattoo is a wound, and it helps to know what normal healing looks like before you book. Our tattoo healing timeline walks through it, including the signs that mean you should see a doctor.
Healthline’s pain guide also notes that pain can climb when an artist works too deep, which is the same problem that causes a blowout. If a session feels far worse than it should, our post on tattoo blowouts explains what that can look like. And if budget is the other thing on your mind, here is what a tattoo costs.
Skip the 40 percent tube. Talk to the artist. Book the smaller session.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA warns consumers to avoid certain topical pain relief products due to potential dangerous health effects, March 26, 2024.
- Witkos and Hartman-Petrycka, Gender Differences in Subjective Pain Perception during and after Tattooing, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020.
- Healthline, Tattoo pain chart.
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