Use of vibrating anesthetic device reduces the pain of mesotherapy injections: A randomized split-scalp study

Pain evaluation during local injections is a complex process. Injections cause patient's distress, especially when the target is a sensitive area such as scalp. Nonpharmacological methods as vibration before and during the procedure have been used to reduce pain. Mesotherapy has become a popular nonsurgical procedure for nonscarring alopecia, such as androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and alopecia areata (AA). Vibration has been successfully used in dermatological procedures, pediatrics, and dentistry. No study was found on vibration anesthesia during scalp mesotherapy. To analyze the effect of a vibration anesthetic device (VAD) during scalp mesotherapy on the patients' comfort.This is a randomized split-scalp study; thirty patients received mesotherapy with or without VAD on half of their scalp. Numerical rating scale (NRS) was used to measure self-reported pain. To test difference in means and medians in comparing device use and by treatment (AGA or AA), Student's t tests and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used. Overall mean pain score on the no vibration-assisted side was 8.0 ± 1.0 while pain score for the vibration side was 2.3 ± 1.5, for AGA (P < .001) and 7.4 ± 1.2 and 2.1 ± 1.3, respectively, for AA (P < .001). Findings were similar for medians. No complications were found following procedure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the effect of VAD in patients undergoing scalp mesotherapy. The VAD technique was found to be safe, effective, simple, and suitable for scalp procedures.