Nitronox is laughing gas, breathed through a mask as a comfort option added to another treatment rather than booked on its own. Patients stay awake and able to talk throughout. Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics offers it at its San Luis Obispo office. It takes effect within one to two minutes and clears in five to ten minutes.
What Nitronox does
Some people put off a treatment for years, not because of the cost or the recovery, but because of the twenty minutes in the chair. Nitronox exists for exactly that.
You breathe it through a mask during the treatment you are already having. Within a minute or two the edge comes off, both the discomfort and the nerves that make the discomfort worse. You do not go under. You stay awake, you know where you are, you can talk to us the whole time and you can tell us to stop. When the treatment finishes you stop breathing it and it is gone within five to ten minutes.
It is not an anesthetic and it does not replace numbing cream, which still goes on where it is needed. It takes a treatment you have been dreading and makes it something you get through without dreading the next one.
What Nitronox is good for
- Getting through a treatment you have been putting off because of nerves
- Taking the edge off microneedling, which people find sharper than they expect
- Making filler injections easier if needles are the part you hate
- Scalp injections), which are more sensitive than face work
- Longer sessions of laser hair reduction where the discomfort adds up
- Anyone whose blood pressure goes up the moment they sit in a treatment chair
How long it takes to work. You are not waiting around for it, and it does not change the length of your appointment or how long the treatment itself takes.
How it works on treatment day
You tell us before, not during
If you already know you want it, say so when you book, and tell us your medical history and everything you take. There is a short list of situations where this is not the right idea and we would rather find that out at the desk than in the chair.
You breathe it through a mask
The mask goes on at the start of the treatment. Nothing goes in your arm and nothing is injected. Within a minute or two you feel warm, light and a good deal less bothered by what is happening.
You stop when you want to
You are awake and in charge the whole time. If you want it off, it comes off, and the effect fades within five to ten minutes. Most people are sitting up and chatting before they leave the room.
How long it takes to clear once you stop breathing it. That short window is the whole appeal: it does the job during the treatment and it is not still with you afterward.
What people actually use it for
Nobody books Nitronox. People book a treatment and then ask whether there is anything for the part they are worried about. Here is where it comes up most.
| If this is the treatment | What people say | Why Nitronox helps |
|---|---|---|
| Microneedling | Sharper than expected, especially around the forehead and upper lip | Numbing cream handles the surface; this handles the rest and the anticipation |
| Filler injections | It is not the pain, it is the needle | Takes the edge off the anticipation, which is usually the real problem |
| Scalp injections) | The scalp is more sensitive than the face | Makes a longer scalp session comfortable enough to keep going with the course |
| Laser hair reduction | Fine for two minutes, less fine for twenty | The discomfort is cumulative, and this stops it building |
| Anything, for someone who dreads appointments | I have been putting this off for two years | Fear of the chair is a real reason people go untreated, and it is a solvable one |
If any of those sound like you, mention it when you book rather than the day of your appointment. It is easier to have it ready than to arrange it while you are sitting there.
When you can stop. You are awake, aware and able to talk throughout, and nothing about this commits you to finishing. Being able to stop is a large part of why it works.
Services are prompt, friendly, professional and most of all comfortable…it was an extraordinary experience.
The Coastal difference
Being nervous is a reason to be looked after, not a reason to be talked out of it
Plenty of people have been meaning to deal with something for years and have not, because of twenty minutes they do not want to sit through. That is a real reason and we treat it as one. Offering this at all is a decision about how we would like appointments here to go.
Two honest things about it. It is not enough for everyone, and some people find it takes the edge off rather than removes it, which is exactly why you stay awake and in charge and can stop at any point. And it is not right for everybody: pregnancy, certain vitamin and breathing problems, recent eye surgery and a short list of other situations rule it out, which is why we ask about your history first rather than handing you a mask. If it is not the right call for you, we will say so and we will find another way to make your appointment bearable.
Is it right for you?
Nitronox is probably a good fit if:
- You have been putting off a treatment because of nerves rather than cost
- Needles or the sound of a device bother you more than the actual sensation does
- You want to stay awake, aware and able to talk to us throughout
- You want something that is gone by the time you walk out
- You have a longer session booked and the discomfort tends to build
We will steer you somewhere else if:
- You are pregnant, or think you might be
- You have low vitamin B12 or a known problem processing it
- You have a breathing problem, a blocked nose or sinuses, or a middle-ear problem
- You have had recent eye surgery where gas was placed in the eye
- You have a blocked bowel or trapped gas after abdominal surgery
- Your medication list includes something that does not sit well with it, which is why we ask
Tell us your full medical history and everything you take before your appointment. That conversation is the whole screening, and it takes two minutes.
What to expect
Most people feel warm, floaty and noticeably less bothered, and then feel completely normal within five to ten minutes of the mask coming off. Some people feel briefly lightheaded, a little queasy, tingly in the hands, or get a short headache. All of it usually settles within minutes of stopping.
Do
- Tell us your full medical history and medication list before the appointment
- Eat lightly beforehand rather than arriving on an empty stomach
- Tell us right away if you feel queasy, so we can stop
- Sit for a few minutes afterward if you would rather not get straight up
Don’t
- Assume it replaces numbing cream, because it does not and you still get both
- Stay quiet about feeling odd, at any point
- Book it as a treatment on its own, because it is added to something else
- Skip mentioning a supplement or medication because it seemed irrelevant
Tell us about anything that does not settle within a few minutes of stopping. We would far rather hear from you.
What it costs
Nitronox carries its own charge on top of the treatment you are having, because it is an added service rather than part of the price of the procedure. We tell you the amount when you book so it is not a surprise at checkout.
If cost is the reason you are hesitating, say so. Numbing cream, a slower pace and a shorter session are all free, and sometimes they are enough.
What it is
Laughing gas, breathed through a mask during another treatment
Starts working
1 to 2 minutes
Wears off
5 to 10 minutes after you stop
Booked
As an addition to a treatment, never on its own. Separate cost
Nitronox frequently asked questions
The whole time. You can hear, talk, answer questions and ask us to stop. It is a comfort option rather than sedation, which is why there is no recovery attached to it and no one has to drive you.
Offered at
Offered in San Luis Obispo. Not yet available in Santa Maria.
Nervous about a treatment? Tell us when you book
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form.
Sources and medical review
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Nitronox™ is a trademark of its owner. This is a comfort option added to another treatment and is not a standalone service, and it carries a separate cost. It is not sedation and not general anesthesia. Lightheadedness, nausea, tingling and a brief headache are the commonly reported effects and usually settle within minutes of stopping. It is generally avoided during pregnancy, in people with low vitamin B12 or a known problem processing it, with breathing problems, with middle ear or sinus blockage, after recent eye surgery where gas was placed in the eye, with a blocked bowel or trapped gas after abdominal surgery, and alongside certain medications. Tell us your full medical history and medication list before your appointment. Individual experiences vary.