Is microneedling painful without numbing cream?

This page puts numbing cream in its place in the sequence for readers in Dexter, Michigan.

Numbing is part of the usual order of events

According to my.clevelandclinic.org, your healthcare provider cleans your skin and applies a numbing cream or ointment, such as lidocaine gel. Numbing sits at the start of the treatment, before any needling.

That order matters for your question. Going without it means skipping a step that is normally built into the visit.

Where the discomfort shows up

According to my.clevelandclinic.org, some people feel discomfort if the needles are near bony areas, such as your cheekbones. If your treatment area includes a bony spot, raise it when you plan the visit.

What to gather and decide first

• Your treatment area, noting any bony spots such as the cheekbones.
• Your preference on numbing cream, to discuss with the provider.
• Any questions on what the treatment is meant to address. A retrospective study of fractional carbon dioxide laser versus microneedling fractional radiofrequency for acne scars and a systematic review comparing microneedling with chemical peels for atrophic acne scars give context for those questions.