LASER NUMBING CREAM

Compound BLT is the standard pre-procedure topical for laser hair removal. Pro is typical for face, underarm, and bikini. For larger areas like full back or full legs, calculate the dose against the 30 g maximum and divide if needed. Elite (no Benzocaine) is an option for patients with ester sensitivity.

Apply 20-30 minutes before the session. Use occlusion for darker skin types or thicker dermal areas like bikini and underarm. Remove completely before laser fires — the handpiece needs clean dry skin for proper coupling, and residual cream can absorb laser energy unpredictably.

Compound BLT or quad-agent BLT+ (MediCaine Ultra) are used for laser tattoo removal because the procedure is significantly more painful than the original tattoo. Apply 25-30 minutes before with occlusion. For full sleeves, calculate body surface area against the 30 g daily maximum and divide treatment across sessions if needed.

Yes — compound BLT is the standard pre-procedure topical for non-ablative and ablative fractional resurfacing (Fraxel, Halo, ProFractional). The skin must be completely cleansed of cream before treatment — residual anesthetic interferes with laser-tissue interaction. For aggressive ablative work, providers may combine topical BLT with regional nerve blocks.

Full back is approximately 1500-1800 cm². At 1 g per 100 cm², this is 15-18 g per session, within the 30 g daily maximum. Combined back plus shoulders plus chest may approach or exceed the maximum and should be divided. The 454 g professional jar supports approximately 3-8 full-back sessions.

Full-body sessions can require dose calculations that approach or exceed safe limits. The maximum single-use dose is approximately 30 g on intact skin without occlusion. A full-body treatment area exceeds this — divide across multiple appointments, or anesthetize only the most pain-sensitive areas (bikini, underarm, face) while accepting un-numbed treatment of less sensitive zones.

Formulation is identical. Differences are application: laser usually requires occlusion for adequate depth on body areas, longer wait times because body skin is thicker than facial skin, and rigorous removal because the laser handpiece needs clean dry skin for coupling. Same MediCaine Pro or Ultra works for both indications.

IPL is typically tolerated without topical anesthesia in most patients. BLT can be used for low-pain-tolerance patients, aggressive settings, or sensitive areas like chest, neck, and decolletage. Apply MediCaine Pro 20 minutes before, remove completely before treatment. IPL crystal contact requires direct dry skin coupling.

In clinics it is usually called BLT — the initials of Benzocaine, Lidocaine and Tetracaine, the three anesthetics in the compound. You will also see it written "BLT 20/10/10" (the concentrations), "triple anesthetic cream", or simply "compounded numbing cream". The over-the-counter alternatives are single-agent lidocaine at 4–5%. Full background on the BLT cream guide.

For a clinic, the practical answer is a compounded BLT: it reaches working depth in about 15 minutes, which fits a hair-removal appointment, and it covers the sensitive zones patients actually complain about — bikini, underarm and upper lip. "Best" is constrained by area, though: large sessions like full legs or a full back are where dose discipline matters more than potency, so numb in sections rather than covering everything.

MediCaine is compounded as a cream or an ointment. The base changes how it sits on the skin — cream absorbs and spreads, ointment stays put and releases gradually — but the anesthetics are the same. Whichever you use, it comes off completely before the handpiece touches the skin.

Yes, completely. Wipe it away, then cleanse and dry the skin. The handpiece needs clean, dry contact for its cooling to work as intended, and anything left on the skin keeps absorbing after the session has started.

Yes. Many patients tolerate IPL without any topical, so it tends to be reserved for low-tolerance patients or aggressive settings on the neck and chest. Q-switched and picosecond tattoo removal is the opposite case — patients often find it sharper than getting the tattoo — so numb the piece plus a small margin, and treat large tattoos in sections across visits.