Dermatol Surg. 2026 Sep 1;52(9):877-879. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000005078. Epub 2026 Mar 23.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Vibratory anesthetic devices (VADs) reduce dermatologic injection pain, but their vibration can feel harsh at sensitive anatomical sites. Simple modifications improving patient comfort may enhance VAD adoption.
OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated whether dampening VAD vibration with a cotton buffer improves patient comfort and characterized tactile features influencing preferences.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a single-site, participant-blinded pilot study (N = 53), adults received a dampened VAD (D-VAD) and standard VAD (S-VAD) at 5 sites-lateral nasal wall, submalar cheek, ear helix, lateral neck, and dorsal forearm-in randomized, contralateral application. Site-specific preference was analyzed with binomial and Cochran Q tests; demographic associations with univariate analyses. Word2vec and hierarchical clustering analyzed qualitative reasons behind patient preference.
RESULTS: D-VAD was preferred at all sites across demographics-lateral nasal wall (88.7%), submalar cheek (84.9%), ear helix (88.7%), lateral neck (77.4%), and dorsal forearm (75.5%) (all p < .001), with strongest preference at face and head/neck (p = .018). Computational semantics analysis of qualitative responses identified 6 themes driving preference: Smoothness, Gentleness, Controlled, Low Frequency, Low Intensity, and Less Bothersome.
CONCLUSION: Dampening VAD vibration with a cotton buffer enhances comfort across sensitive sites, with reduced harshness and smoother sensation underlying preference. This simple modification may improve patient experience, encouraging broader VAD adoption.
PMID:42655884 | DOI:10.1097/DSS.0000000000005078
