Ice or cream? study tests cheaper pain relief for laser hair removal
NCT ID NCT02318654
First seen Jul 01, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study compares two ways to reduce pain during laser hair removal of the armpits: a simple ice pack or a numbing cream called EMLA. Thirty women will have one armpit treated with ice and the other with EMLA before laser treatment. The goal is to see which method works better for pain control.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ice pack and EMLA cream (lidocaine/prilocaine)
- What this could lead to
- If ice works as well as EMLA, it could offer a cheaper, faster, and needle-free way to ease pain during laser hair removal.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 30 women, so results may not apply to everyone. EMLA can cause skin reactions, and ice may not numb deeply enough.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States