Improving Patient Comfort of Vibratory Anesthetic Devices With a Dampener: A Pilot Study

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.