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• Method 1 of 2: Soothe pain
• Method 2 of 2: Prevent new pain

People may want to temporarily numb their skin for a variety of reasons, such as to relieve pain after an injury or to prepare for major treatment at the doctor's office.Fortunately, there are many options to choose from so that you can find the one that best suits your situation.

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Method 1 of 2: Soothe pain

1. Use an ice pack. When you cool your skin, your blood vessels contract. As a result, less blood flows to the affected area, which reduces swelling, irritation and muscle cramps. This works particularly well to relieve the pain caused by bruising and minor injuries.
   • If you don't have an ice pack ready in the freezer, you can use a bag of ice cubes or frozen vegetables.
   • Always wrap the ice pack in a towel instead of placing it on your skin. This will prevent your skin from freezing.
   • After 20 minutes, remove the ice pack from your skin and let your skin warm up. After 10 minutes, you can put the ice pack back on your skin if necessary.
2. Anesthetize small areas with topical numbing creams. These creams are often available without a prescription and can soothe sunburned areas, minor burns, insect bites, stings, and minor scrapes. Always seek the advice of your doctor if you are pregnant, nursing, treating a child or elderly person, or taking any other medications, herbal remedies, or supplements that may interact with the cream. Read and follow the instructions on the packaging.
   • You can usually get these products from your local pharmacy in the form of a spray, ointment, cream, plaster or pre-treated bandage.
   • These can be drugs such as benzocaine, benzocaine and menthol, lidocaine, pramocaine, pramocaine and menthol, tetracaine or tetracaine and menthol. If you are unsure of the correct dose or how often to apply it, ask your doctor for advice. Your doctor will be able to make recommendations based on your condition and your medical history.
   • Look at the expiration date. Do not use medicines that have passed their expiration date.
   • Stop taking these medications and see your doctor if you don't see any improvement after a week, if the area becomes infected, you develop a rash, or if the area starts to burn or sting. Overdose symptoms include blurred vision, confusion, seizures, dizziness, feeling too hot or cold, numbness, headache, sweating, ringing in the ears, irregular or slow heartbeat, difficulty breathing and drowsiness. If you have these symptoms, see your doctor or call an ambulance right away.
3. Take oral painkillers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve pain caused by arthritis, gout and fever, as well as muscle pain, toothache, backache, headache and menstrual cramps. You can usually get these medicines without a prescription from the pharmacy, supermarket or drugstore. Many of these painkillers provide relief within hours. Do not use them for more than a few days without asking your doctor for advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor before taking these medications if you are pregnant, nursing, treating a child, or taking any other medications, herbal remedies, or supplements.
   • Well-known medicines include aspirin (including Excedrin, Aspro and Migrafin), ketoprofen (Rilies), ibuprofen (including Nurofen, Advil and Sarixell) and naproxen sodium (including Aleve). Children and teens should not have aspirin as they could get Reye's syndrome.
   • Do not use these medications without first seeking advice from your doctor if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, allergies to these medications, stomach ulcers, a bleeding disorder, heart problems or asthma, drink a lot of alcohol, or are taking other medications that interact with these medications, such as warfarin, lithium, heart medications, arthritis medications, and vitamins.
   • Common side effects include gas, bloating, heartburn, upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Contact your doctor immediately if you have these or any other side effects.

Method 2 of 2: Prevent new pain

1. Ask your doctor about cooling sprays. Just before a painful procedure, ethyl chloride can be sprayed on the skin. The liquid is sprayed on the skin, which then feels cold as the liquid evaporates. Your skin will heat up in minutes. The spray will relieve the pain until your skin has warmed up again.
   • This spray can be used on a child immediately before he or she undergoes medical treatment involving a needle. The spray can be a good alternative to other topical anesthetics if the child is allergic to them.
   • Do not use larger amounts of the spray than your doctor recommends, and do not use the spray more often than recommended. Your skin can freeze because of it.
   • Always read and follow the directions on the packaging. If you are pregnant, nursing or treating a child, seek the advice of a doctor before using it.
   • Do not spray the spray in your eyes, nose, mouth, and open wounds.
2. Ask your doctor about topical creams. If your doctor thinks you will need an analgesic for a procedure you are due to undergo, you will likely be given an anesthetic shortly before the procedure. Your doctor may ask you to cover the medicine with a bandage while it is being absorbed through your skin. Do not apply it to your nose, mouth, ears, eyes, genitals, or broken skin. Two types of resources that are often used are:
   • Tetracaine. This gel is smeared on the skin 30 to 45 minutes before the procedure for which you need to be anesthetized. You can remove it just before the procedure. Your skin will be numb for up to six hours. This remedy can make your skin red where you applied it.
   • Lidocaine with prilocaine (Emla cream). You can apply this cream an hour before the procedure and remove it immediately before the procedure itself. It will work for up to two hours. This medicine has the side effect of making your skin white.
3. Discuss other types of anesthetics with your doctor. If your doctor thinks that a topical anesthetic may not be enough, he or she may suggest numbing larger areas of your body. This is often done during surgery under the skin, childbirth or surgery. You have the following options:
   • Regional anesthesia. You will not lose consciousness with regional anesthesia, but a larger part of your body will be anesthetized than with a local anesthetic. The anesthetic can be injected locally. When a woman receives an epidural during delivery, it is regional anesthesia in which the lower half of her body is numbed.
   • General anesthesia (anesthesia). This type of anesthetic is used in many surgical procedures. You can receive the anesthetic intravenously or breathe it in as gas. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, a dry or sore throat, chills and fatigue.