How Painful Are Restylane Injections?

Most filler injections are well-tolerated in the office with just a small amount of numbing cream (no numbing at all in some patients, depending on the area). When injecting the lips, we will often perform a dental block to ease the discomfort, but otherwise, a little topical numbing cream is usually adequate. There is still a slight amount of discomfort for some patients, but most everyone does quite well.
As with anything else, each patient is unique and some tolerate injections much better than others. We do everything we can to make the entire process as easy and comfortable as possible.
All the best,

The majority of my patients have not required a dental block and have tolerated Restylane injections well with out any type of anesthetic besides the lidocaine that is already mixed in with the product in the syringe. Many find that a topical anesthetic cream can reduce the discomfort of the injections and cold packs applied immediately prior to injection also help to minimize the discomfort. Once the product is injected, the lidocaine starts numbing the area. Although you will feel some needle pokes, most people find that once they go through their initial injectable experience, they now know what to expect and are not as intimidated with future injections.

Pain tolerance varies from patient to patient when
injectable fillers are used. In some
cases, patients are able to undergo the procedure without anesthesia, while in
other patients, anesthesia is an absolute requirement.The
lips have a high density of sensory nerves and for this reason are very
sensitive to pain.Pain thresholds vary
from patient to patient for a variety of reasons including anxiety.In some patients this procedure can be
performed without anesthesia, while in others, this would never be a
consideration.Based on your history,
quality anesthesia will be an absolute necessity for you.Multiple
options for anesthesia are currently available under these circumstances.These include topical agents, injectable
agents and drugs that address anxiety.In many cases slowing down the process and using these tools in
combination can make this a more comfortable experience.Topical
anesthetics are relatively easy to use.These agents are simply spread over the area before the procedure.They take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to
work and are moderately effective.The
administration of these agents is pain free, but doesn’t totally alleviate pain
from the injection of dermoid fillers.They can also be used intra-orally prior to intra-oral anesthetic
injections.When
using injectable fillers, nerve blocks with local anesthetics are extremely
effective.This procedure is performed
by infiltrating local anesthetic intra-orally in the area of the infra-orbital
and mental nerves.This effectively
provides anesthesia of the upper and lower lips and surrounding areas.This approach provides excellent anesthesia
which is almost instantaneous.Treating anxiety with valium is
also helpful when these situations arise.Using topical anesthetics prior to injecting and giving these drugs
adequate time to work is important as well.When injecting local anesthetics, it’s important to inject slowly to
avoid unnecessary pain.When these steps
are taken, treatment with injectable fillers can be a much more comfortable
experience for patient