A lidocaine-containing formulation of large-gel particle hyaluronic acid alleviates pain.

Background: Effective pain management is an important component of aesthetic procedures.

Objective: To compare the pain relief and safety of large-gel particle hyaluronic acid (HA) plus 0.3% lidocaine (LGP-HA+L) with that of LGP-HA without lidocaine during correction of nasolabial folds (NLFs) and to assess filler safety in different skin types.

Methods And Materials: Sixty subjects were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, split-face study of LGP-HA and LGP-HA+L for NLF correction. Subjects assessed pain on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). The primary objective was to demonstrate that more than 50% of subjects experienced pain relief with LGP-HA+L, defined as a within-subject VAS difference of at least 10 mm at the end of injection.

Results: LGP-HA+L resulted in pain relief in 57 (95.0%, 95% confidence interval=86.1-99.0) subjects at the end of injection. The mean within-subject VAS difference was 34.4 mm. Injection-related adverse events occurred at similar frequencies with both products. Slightly higher adverse event rates were observed with Fitzpatrick skin type IV for both compounds. The safety profiles of LGP-HA and LGP-HA+L were similar to each other in all skin types.

Conclusion: The addition of lidocaine substantially reduces the pain of LGP-HA injection without altering safety. LGP-HA and LGP-HA+L were generally well tolerated in all Fitzpatrick skin types.