7 Best Skin Numbing Creams Available Over The Counter

The counter Skin numbing creams such as Emla Cream is used as a topical anaesthetic before minor procedures such as injections or to numb the area before skin procedures including cosmetic procedures, tattoo application, laser tattoo removal, microdermabrasion, waxing, body piercing, and cosmetic filler injections.

This post will cover the uses, ingredients, and the 7 best skin-numbing creams that are available over the counter.

Active Ingredients for Skin Numbing Creams

Numbing creams that are available from the pharmacy contain a local anaesthetic as the primary active ingredient. When applied topically prior to a procedure, skin-numbing creams temporarily stop signals of pain sent from the nerves located in the skin.

Most topical skin numbing creams include the following ingredients:

• Tetracaine
• Lidocaine
• Prilocaine (used together with Lidocaine)

7 Best Over the Counter Skin Numbing Creams

1.  Ametop Gel (4% Tetracaine)

Ametop is available in gel form and can be used for adults, children, and infants over one month. Ametop numbing gel should be applied 30-45 minutes before immunisations or for drawing blood as a skin preparation gel for injections as well as other minor procedures. 

2. Denela Cream

Denela Cream is an effective skin-numbing cream; however, it is not typically prescribed in the UK. But your pharmacist can easily order it for you as needed. Denela, 5% cream contains the same active ingredients as Emla Cream (2.5% lidocaine and 2.5% prilocaine) and is equally effective as a topical anaesthetic.

3. Lidocaine 5% Ointment

Although not a cream, Lidocaine 5% ointment can be used as a numbing skin product as well.

Lidocaine 5% ointment is used as a numbing product to:

• Numb the skin
• Numb the gums during dental procedures
• Relieve haemorrhoids
• To relieve sore nipples for mothers who are breastfeeding

Lidocaine 5% ointment is safe for use by the elderly, adults, and children.

    4.Emla 5% Skin Numbing Cream (2.5% lidocaine, 2.5% prilocaine)

Emla 5% cream is the most popular numbing cream that is prescribed by GPs and used by the public due to its superior effectiveness as a skin numbing agent. Emla skin numbing cream can be used for newborn infants 0-2 months and up to elderly patients.

5. LMX4 Skin Numbing Cream (4% lidocaine cream)

LMX4 cream has proven effective as a skin-numbing topical anaesthetic when applied 30 to 60 minutes before procedures to relieve pain. LMX4 contains 4% lidocaine as the main active ingredient. It can be used for children over the age of 1 month.

6. Lanacane Skin Numbing Cream (benzocaine 3% cream)

Lanacane cream contains benzocaine as its active ingredient which is classified as a local anaesthetic. However, it differs slightly from previously mentioned numbing creams because it has additional uses that others don’t have.

Lanacane can also be used for:

• Insect bites, itching, and skin rashes.
• Relief of itchiness of the external anal (haemorrhoids) and genital (yeast infection) area.

7. Evo-10 Skin-Numbing Cream (lidocaine 10% cream)

Evolution 10 (Evo-10) contains Lidocaine 10% and is primarily found in online pharmacies. This local (topical) anaesthetic is typically used to numb the skin for the following procedures:

• Waxing
• Hair removal
• Micro-needling
• Piercing
• Needle Procedures (tattooing)

Shop Online4Pharmacy to buy a skin-numbing cream and have it quickly delivered straight to your front door. We also have a full pharmacy line of all medications and healthcare products and treatments for all health conditions.