Investigation of the Efficacy and Safety of Topical Vibration Anesthesia to Reduce Pain From Cosmetic Botulinum Toxin A Injections in Chinese Patients: A Multicenter, Randomized, Self-Controlled Study

BACKGROUND Vibration has been proved to be effective to reduce pain during facial cosmetic injections, but it has not been studied in Chinese patients. OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of vibration for pain reduction associated with cosmetic botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections in Chinese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this prospective, randomized, split-face and right-left, self-controlled study, 53 patients received BTX-A injections for rhytid reduction, lower face, shoulder, and leg reshaping. Injections were given in a split-face and right-left design randomly assigned. A vibration stimulus was coadministered with BTX-A injections on one side, whereas the other side received BTX-A injections only. Patients completed a questionnaire immediately after treatment and were followed up 2 weeks later. A visual analog scale of pain sensation was statistically analyzed. RESULTS The patients experienced both clinically and statistically significant pain reduction when a vibration was coadministered with injections. Patients reported less pain on the treated side compared with the control side. Overall, 75% of patients preferred to receive vibration with their next treatment. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION Vibration is an effective and safe way to reduce pain during cosmetic BTX-A injections and may have applications in other cosmetic procedures.