This was just on our local news...I thought it might be of some interest to many of you-especially those who have to have a lot of "pokes" and "jabs"
every time you visit the doctor!-Pam
Reported August 23, 2004
Painless Shots?
CLEVELAND (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- If you hate getting shots, you're not alone. Most of us cringe at the thought of getting a shot. All that sticking and poking -- even thinking about it -- is likely to make you squirm in your seat.
University Hospitals of Cleveland dermatologist Elma Baron, M.D., may have the solution to patients' fears. It starts with a low-powered laser. It's non-invasive, and she says it's painless. Then comes the topical anesthetic, lidocaine.
"This laser, if you use it first, it ablates or it removes the very top portion of your skin such that when you apply the anesthetic cream, it is absorbed much faster, and you achieve that numbing effect in five minutes, instead of 30 minutes," Dr. Baron tells Ivanhoe.
Alison Bibb admits she can get a little edgy before the needle goes in. "[I usually feel] a little nervous. A little anxious," she says. "Today, I didn't feel anything."
Studies show the low-powered laser treatment prior to the use of lidocaine can result in a 61-percent reduction in needle pain. Bibb says she felt a little pinch, but that was all.
"That really shows this thing works," Bibb says. And it could make going to the doctor a little easier for everyone.
Researchers are now looking into other applications for the combination pretreatment. They include vaccines for children and the area of skin allergen testing.
If you would like more information, please contact:
The Skin Study Center
University Hospitals of Cleveland
Cleveland, OH
(216) 844-SKIN
Have heard and read a little about this 'new' invention just wot Dr ordered eh?? 
