A Randomized Controlled Trial of Three Noninvasive Analgesic Techniques for the Prevention of Pain During Facial Injections

Abstract

Abstract Background Injections are associated with a certain amount of pain, the tolerance of which can vary between individuals. With regard to noninvasive pain control techniques in subcutaneous injections, few studies with adequate levels of evidence and design quality exist to support any specific analgesic method. Objectives In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of 3 noninvasive analgesic techniques (cold, anesthetic cream, and vibration) during subcutaneous forehead injections in 100 healthy volunteers. Methods This randomized, single-blind, controlled trial comprised 100 healthy volunteers. Every patient received 4 forehead injections of 0.1 mL physiological saline through 29G needles after 1 of 3 noninvasive analgesic techniques (cold, vibration, or anesthetic cream) or control treatment was applied to each injection site. The results were evaluated through a survey that included a visual analog scale for pain measurements. Results All analgesic methods demonstrated better pain control than the no-treatment arm (P < 0.001), of which vibration performed better than the other analgesic techniques (P < 0.015 vs cold and P < 0.015 vs anesthetic cream). No differences were observed between cold and anesthetic cream. The average amount of pain per injection in males was higher than in females (P < 0.014). Conclusions Vibration analgesia effected significantly better pain control than cold and anesthetic cream. Nevertheless, the choice of anesthetic method should be adapted to the preferences and experiences of each patient to optimize pain control in procedures that involve subcutaneous injections. Level of Evidence: 2