In the United States, over the counter numbing products during services like tattooing and permanent makeup should only contain no more than 4% Lidocaine.
This has always been a common sense thing to me. I personally vet and research all products we use here at Aesthetik Artistry Studio however, there are some artists and establishments that had no idea because they were trained this way (no, excuse because the FDA, and state/federal law can easily be viewed at the click of a button) .
Some one you may have seen the FDA warning about OTC (over-the-counter) numbing products.
This is because some OTC products have been found to have been formulated with more than the recommended percentage of lidocaine.
Now, why is this a big deal?
Well, when in comes to tattooing - especially and specifically with large areas - when it is introduced to the body in high quantities and can cause adverse reactions.
Now I'm not telling you, you can't put numbing on your skin before you get a tattoo but just make sure you
• do not use any OTC pain relief/numbing products with over 4% lidocaine
• do "not apply OTC pain relief products heavily over large areas of skin or to irritated or broken skin." (Translation : Don't get a whole back tattoo done and put a sh*T ton of numbing over it ) (example)
• do "not wrap skin treated with OTC pain relief products with plastic wrap or other dressings. Wrapping or covering treated skin with any type of material can increase the chance of serious side effects." (I mean.. 😑 I had no idea people were doing this but .. no, just don't )
So those of you getting a tattoo, pay attention to what you're buying and how you're using it.
Artists, let's be better and pay attention to these regulations and what we're buying to make sure our clients are safe.
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Now there is a list of products that are in the warning letter so you guys can check it the FDA warning here : https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-consumers-avoid-certain-topical-pain-relief-products-due-potential-dangerous-health
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