“Heel no Pain” Spray Q&A with Creator Dr. Haworth
By Jessica Tumio
Unless Iron Woman walks among us, it’s generally unheard of for a lady to go the full day wearing high heels and not complain once about foot pain. Whether it’s the balls of the feet that ache from too steep a vamp, ankles and heels chaffing from not-so-comfy straps, or a stiff toe box rubbing on the outsides of our pinky toes and big toes – avoiding heel pain is tricky. And if you have to spend the day or night in heels despite a couple aches and pains from the day before, there aren’t too many options.
Except this. Ladies, the doctor is officially IN. Renown, Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth is taking on pain caused by high heels, and it looks like he’s won. Dr. Haworth teamed up with Biochemistry™ to produce Heel No Pain – a non-prescription analgesic spray that relieves foot pain before or after it starts. Spray it right on your foot (the doc recommends using it no more than four times a day) and give it about 10 minutes to kick in. Before you know it you’ll be walking on straight clouds.
Dr. Haworth responsible for the spray is a seasoned vet when it comes to work with women and beauty. He worked as Chief Resident during his plastic surgery residency at UCLA where he was named the Plastic Surgical Consultant of the Year in 1993. 11 years later he lent his expertise to FOX’s series The Swan based on augmenting women’s appearances, as the show’s certified member of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons. He knows beauty is sometimes pain – and has done extensive work to eliminate the pain part of the equation.
The doc himself answered a few of our questions about the product regarding safety, usage and what makes this different from other over-the-counter remedies. He is sure to point out that if your feet are hurting you more than they should – it’s time to go see a doctor instead of using this spray to mask a potentially large issue.
The spray is available in a travel-size 1 oz. bottle that fits perfectly inside a purse, backpack or desk drawer. And it’s formulated not to stain leather or other materials fine footwear is made with so there is no need to worry about it ruining your favorite designer heels.
For the full in’s and out’s, about Heel No Pain, enjoy our Q&A with Dr. Haworth below!
RWH: We’re intrigued. But before we go spray crazy we need to know: How exactly does it spray work, and how safe is it?
Other topical painkillers for the feet claim to kill pain either by diverting attention (with cold temperature stimulation such as Biofreeze), by applying aspirin/ salicylate directly to the skin (eg, Aspercreme) or by creating a competing pain thus “exhausting” the nerve endings (capsaicin). But after a little while, they don’t really do much of anything. In contrast, our active ingredient, lidocaine HCI – that has been used for years by dentists and doctors to deliver comfort to their patients – works by directly numbing the nerve that transmit pain. As the only foot product to use lidocaine HCI, Heel No Pain/Style is totally unique.
Though our formula uses the strongest legal over-the-counter strength, it is perfectly safe. That said, it is recommended that you do not use our product more than four times a day.
So who needs this spray the most?
Any woman who loves her high heels or fancy footwear but is in misery from foot pain after a few hours.
And what inspired you to make it?
I have decades of experience empathizing and treating all forms of pain both as a general surgeon at Cornell and to this day as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. As an amateur athlete myself with foot pain and being constantly asked by women in my practice for solutions for their stiletto-induced foot pain, I sought a solution. I realized that the most effective method would involve formulating what physicians use every day in their practice to deaden pain and that is lidocaine (Novacaine/xylocaine). The hurdle was to formulate this into an effective easy-to-apply product that can be absorbed through the thick skin of the foot. My team at Biochemistry ™ came up what we feel is the ideal answer to the problem-HEEL NO PAIN.
What would you say to the women out there who are going to be tempted to use this every day before putting on heels?
The spray itself is safe enough to use every day but if every shoe you’ve got is causing you pain, you’re going to want to rethink your footwear. Maybe the size is off or something isn’t fitting properly.
Say I’ve been wearing heels all day and didn’t have a problem until later on. Will the spray still be effective after damage is done?
Absolutely, that’s why we also made it in a small, portable 1 fl. oz. size that you can pop into your purse. It’s good for everything from foot cramps, pinching, blisters or whatever. If you’re on the go, clean your feet as best you can (if you can) and dry your feet. Spray on the Heel No Pain and be sure to let it dry thoroughly before putting your stockings (if you’re wearing them) and shoes back on. In about 10 minutes your feet are going to be considerably more comfortable.
Do you have any other high heel pain solutions?
First and foremost, pain is a signal that something is wrong. If your shoes hurt, they don’t fit your feet properly. Admittedly, some shoe styles are never going to anatomically fit your feet and will always hurt. Heel No Pain/Style is for the temporary (that is, for a few hours) relief from foot pain that can enable you to wear your favorite styles. That said, I suggest that you don’t wear stilettos every day and vary the heights and styles of your shoes and boots (think wedges, platforms, flatforms, flats etc.). On non-stiletto days, try to wear shoes where your foot bends when you walk so that your foot gets a workout, something that doesn’t happen if your high heels have a platform on them.
Also, if your heels are so high that they’re throwing your back out, switch to something not so high. If you’re petite, remember that a 4” heel on a size 5 shoe arches the foot a lot more extremely (which can effect posture and back pain) than the same heel height would on a size 10 shoe.
One more cautionary note, if your foot pain is caused by an injury, it’s time for medical attention.
Give us the scoop about any current “out-there” plastic surgery procedures that women are getting done to their feet.
Foot surgery is really the purview of the podiatrist rather than the plastic surgeon. But I have heard that however, I do get asked on a number of occasions to inject filler such as Juvéderm ® into the balls and soles of the feet with mixed results.
