Compound Lidocaine Cream Shows Superior Analgesia in Facial rejuvenation Procedures, finds study
Researchers have demonstrated in randomized controlled trial that compound lidocaine cream provides significantly better pain relief than lidocaine–prilocaine cream during facial rejuvenation procedures, with a comparable safety profile. This benefit was consistent across multiple techniques, including hydro-injection, gold microneedling, and CO₂ fractional laser therapy, leading to lower pain scores, higher patient satisfaction, and improved treatment compliance. However, as the total anesthetic concentration differed between formulations, further studies controlling for dosage are needed before confirming true formulation superiority.
The study’s robust randomized design and standardized pain assessment offer valuable guidance for future research in aesthetic pain management. Nonetheless, findings from subgroup analyses were based on small sample sizes and should be interpreted with caution, highlighting the need for larger, more diverse studies and pharmacoeconomic evaluations to inform broader clinical practice. The study was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology by Li Liu and colleagues.
This clinical trial was conducted to test the actual performances of two frequently used local anesthetics through a carefully planned experiment. One hundred subjects were divided into two separate categories randomly: those taking compound lidocaine cream (n = 47) and others applying lidocaine and prilocaine creams (n = 53). In order to make sure that there is no bias in the data collected in this experiment, researchers considered baseline measures and noticed no difference among participants in any category in terms of age, skin type, and medical procedure.
The main criterion for measuring successful results of the experiment was the pain experienced during the procedure; its level was indicated by patients according to a 10-point scale called VAS. In addition to the pain, other variables were evaluated, such as adverse effects and patients' compliance with treatment schedules.
Key findings:
- Pain score in the compound lidocaine cream group was 2.51 ± 1.80, significantly lower than in the lidocaine-prilocaine group at 3.75 ± 1.74, with t = -3.48, p-value < 0.001.
- It is likely that such differences are not the result of random sampling variations. In addition, it appears that compound lidocaine is slightly safer to use, but this difference is also insignificant.
- Side effects were observed in only 4.3% (n=2/47) patients who used compound lidocaine cream, whereas the lidocaine-prilocaine cream caused side effects in 11.3% (n=6/53) patients.
- According to chi-square testing results, χ² = 1.89, p = 0.169, even though the percentage was lower in the former group, both compounds can be considered safe for clinical use.
From the findings of this study, it can be deduced that when it comes to choosing the type of anesthesia to use, it plays a very crucial role when it comes to the success of the procedure because compound lidocaine cream is proved to have better results when compared to lidocaine prilocaine.
Reference:
L.Liu, F.Zhang, C.Han, et al., “Comparison of Compound Lidocaine Cream and Lidocaine–Prilocaine Cream for Pain Management in Facial Rejuvenation: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology25, no. 4 (2026): e70865, https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70865.
