With the right numbing cream, yes, it really works. A high quality tattoo numbing cream will leave you pain free during your procedure. 

Sounds great right? The problem comes down to confidently purchasing one of the hundreds of numbing creams and gels available to you online. Unfortunately, many have been proven to not work as well as promised, or even been shown to be a fake representation of a branded product. Counterfeit numbing cream and gel is being sold online to unsuspecting customers right now. 

We’ve found many of these numbing products carry less of the active numbing agent than is advertised. Sometimes the most active ingredient, lidocaine, is suspected to be missing entirely. Customer reviews reveal they are left unhappy and in pain with these false products. 

With customers reaching out to us after having purchased low quality numbing from unreliable sites, we’ve curated a list of our top 3 recommended and tested numbing tattoo anesthetics for tattooing. We’ll list our strongest numbing cream, gel and spray and explain how they should be used. 

Is it recommended to apply a tattoo numbing cream before getting your tattoo? Tattoo artists absolutely recommend a numbing cream before getting a tattoo. Not only does it keep their “canvas” (you) calm and still, but it also frees up a lot of emotional stress that the artist can sometimes feel if their customer is clearly in a lot of pain. 

Why tattoo artists recommend numbing creams:

1. A numb client is a still canvas. Tattoo artists already have the challenge of tattooing permanent, life-long art on an uneven, soft, and often breathing, surface. They may have to find new working positions in order to place the design you want exactly so. Adding a surface that is unable to remain still due to pain and their job becomes even more challenging. Tattoo artists prefer a comfortable, and still client.
2. A calm client frees up the artist's emotional space. A client in pain creates stress for the artist. Coming in pre-numbed allows your artist to focus on doing what they do best, tattoo their best work for you. Free up their mental space so they can get into a good flow by coming in pre-numbed and relaxed.
3. Numbing reduces swelling and stops excess bleeding. Numbing cream, gel and sprays containing the active ingredient lidocaine helps to restrict excess blood flow and calm down swollen skin. This allows your artist to see their work clearly and reduces the amount of time they need to spend wiping down your tattoo.

So, if tattoo artists everywhere recommend a numbing cream you might be wondering, “why don’t they numb you before a tattoo?”

Why don’t they numb you before a tattoo? Most tattoo artists do not offer to numb you before your appointment because of three reasons:

1. A proper numbing cream needs an hour or longer to reach its peak. Artists do not usually have this amount of additional time to add to your appointment, and if they made the time they’d likely charge you for it.
2. Client’s are often uncomfortable sitting in a waiting room for an hour or more while waiting for their tattoo numbing to fully activate.
3. Numbing large areas for tattooing for every client would become expensive for an artist who sees several clients per day, and hundreds per year. As you can imagine, an artist would need to raise their fees significantly to compensate not only for the cost of the numbing cream, but the time they would need to spend with you to pre-apply it. 

We wanted to address this question separately since we are often asked, “can you numb yourself before a tattoo?” Whether or not your artist recommends that you pre-numb for your and their comfort, does a numbing cream affect the tattoo itself in any negative way? We are happy to assure you that no, a tattoo numbing cream will not affect the outcome of your tattoo.