When it’s time to look your
best and you don’t want the discomfort – Emla cream can help numb the pain and see you through your next minor superficial cosmetic procedure.
Thinking of getting a cosmetic procedure?
If you are thinking of having something done – do your homework first so you know what to expect and what to look out for.


Laser hair removal, for example, may not be as effective on blonde or grey hairs as it is on dark hairs which contain more melanin and some types of lasers may be more effective on darker skins than others.
How can Emla® cream help?
Emla® skin numbing cream – available without a prescription from your pharmacy – contains a mixture of two local anaesthetics, lidocaine (lignocaine) and prilocaine that can penetrate the skin and block nerve pain signals to the brain.
Topical anaesthetics can help to reduce the pain of cosmetic procedures such as anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, microneedling, and laser hair removal.
If you are not sure if Emla® skin numbing cream is suitable for the particular procedure you are going to have – check with your clinician, doctor or pharmacist first.
How to apply Emla skin numbing cream
Skin numbing creams, such as Emla®, are topical anaesthetics you apply directly to the surface of your skin before a procedure and removed just before the procedure is carried out.
Once applied, Emla® helps make your skin feel numb for a short time, but only in the area that you apply it to.
Emla® cream should be applied 1 hour before your procedure, so you will need to remember to leave adequate time between applying your Emla® numbing cream at the start of your cosmetic procedure.
Learn more about how to apply Emla® numbing cream.