If you’re considering laser hair removal, getting or removing a tattoo, or other minimally invasive procedures, stay tuned to find out how to make them virtually painless. We’ve all heard the expression, “No pain, no gain!” Well, when it comes to laser hair removal anywhere on your body, getting or removing a tattoo, and a lot of other surface and minimally invasive minor skin procedures, I have a way to finally disprove “No pain, no gain!” New powerful topical anesthetic creams have become available which significantly reduce or even eliminate the discomfort associated with many minor procedures involving lasers and even needles. The first one was called EMLA but there are many others. While these creams have traditional anesthetic ingredients which in the past were effective only on mucous membranes like inside the mouth, they are now able to work on your skin because new technology causes them to be absorbed by your skin… by sort of fooling the epidermis, which of course is supposed to keep stuff out of your skin… and penetrating to the level of superficial nerves. That’s how they actually cause significant numbing of your skin. The numbing is sufficient to really reduce or even eliminate the pain of many skin procedures like blood tests, injections of fillers and botulinum products, body piercings, laser procedures like hair removal and tattoo removal, and even getting tattoos! While you need a prescription to get these creams, they are readily available at most pharmacies. And they need to be applied 30 to 60 minutes before your procedure to allow them to penetrate deep enough to work optimally. So the next time you’re having one of these procedures, ask your doctor for a prescription for a topical anesthetic cream and get the gain, without the pain! Now for today's skincare trivia! Answer today's question correctly and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a free skincare product! Submit your answer at DermTV Dot Com Slash Trivia, within three days of this episode's airing. Today's question i 15What color hair does laser hair removal not work on? And don't forget. You can find the answer to all questions in past DermTV episodes.