Delay creams contain locally acting anesthetics such as benzocaine or lidocaine and are used to prolong intercourse in cases of severe premature ejaculation. The cream is used to rub and anesthetize the glans of the penis with the foreskin pushed back about 20 minutes before intercourse, depending on the active ingredient, so that the highly sensitive touch feedback that contributes to premature ejaculation is suppressed.
What is a delay cream?
Delay creams are used to prolong sexual intercourse in cases of severe premature ejaculation. Delay creams, which contain local anesthetics such as benzocaine or lidocaine, are used to desensitize and suppress the highly sensitive touch feedback of the male penis during intercourse. Penile touch feedback is partly responsible for the problem of premature or early ejaculation (ejaculatio praecox). Ideally, men who suffer from the problem can engage in sexual intercourse for significantly longer before ejaculation occurs. Depending on the active ingredient, the glans of the penis is carefully rubbed and massaged in a few minutes before sexual intercourse with the foreskin completely pushed back, so that the active ingredient(s) can penetrate the skin. After a few minutes, the man then feels a local anesthesia of the glans. Before actually getting started in bed, the glans must be carefully cleaned of excess residue of the cream, otherwise there is a possibility that the partner’s vagina will also be anesthetized during intercourse. The active ingredient benzocaine has the advantage over lidocaine that it acts quickly after application – usually within a few minutes. However, the effect wears off again after just 10 to 15 minutes. Lidocaine, on the other hand, has the advantage of being effective for up to 60 minutes. A disadvantage, however, is the long lead time of up to 30 minutes before the anesthetic effect sets in after massaging in the cream. For spontaneous sex, this is rather a hindrance.
Forms, types and types
Delay creams are sold under more or less imaginative names. Also so-called long-lasting sprays, which contain the same or similar active ingredients, are offered in large selection, mainly in pharmacies, sex stores and online stores. Another variant of delay creams is found in special condoms that contain small amounts of a local anesthetic in their tip, which is intended to additionally reduce the sensitivity of the glans during sexual intercourse in order to delay ejaculation, in favor of a longer sexual intercourse, as much as possible.
Structure and mode of operation
The descriptions of the delay creams and long-term sprays are often flowery and fanciful, but usually do not allow any conclusions about the concrete active ingredients contained. However, it can be assumed that all products contain more or less effective local anesthetics. As a rule, these are benzocaine or lidocaine as the main active ingredient. Stimulation in the skin occurs through four different classes of mechanoreceptors. The receptors that are particularly sensitive to specific stimuli transmit their electrical action potential through voltage-gated sodium ion channels. Benzocaine has the ability to dock onto voltage-dependent sodium channels, resulting in a blockade and preventing action potentials from being transmitted. The active ingredient lidocaine also inhibits stimulus transmission in a similar way. This means that the mechanical pressure and gliding stimuli, which are sensed by the numerous mechanoreceptors mainly via the male glans during the sexual act, cannot be transmitted to the spinal cord and brain. One of the problems of premature ejaculation is that the many mechanical stimuli reported by the glans sensors to the appropriate centers in the spinal cord and brain during vaginal penetration trigger the immediate cascade of actions leading to immediate ejaculation. The effects of the delay creams or long-lasting sprays are that the brain has no reason to trigger the ejaculatory cascade because of the absence of the mechanical stimulus messages, so that prolonged sexual intercourse is possible.However, ejaculatio praecox is not only based on the mechanical stimuli reported to the brain, but is also strongly influenced by psychological factors and the hormone serotonin, among others.
Medical and health benefits
The line between early ejaculation and premature ejaculation that can be classified as pathological is fluid and cannot be clearly drawn, as many factors have an influence that can change daily and hourly. The partnership relationship can also have a great influence on the timing of ejaculation. The medical and health benefits of delay creams and long-lasting sprays are less in the medical-physiological area and more in the psychological area. The actual causes of premature ejaculation cannot be eliminated by the creams or sprays. By blocking the sensitive messages of the penile glans to the spinal cord and brain, only one of many possible causes is addressed. However, if the various creams or sprays are successful in delaying ejaculation sufficiently, positive psychological effects of considerable magnitude can occur. If the problem of premature ejaculation persists, not only can partnership problems arise, but the affected man may also experience psychological difficulties that go far beyond the purely sexual sphere. Conversely, the mind can be put at rest if the existing sexual problem is solved by the application of creams or sprays. If premature ejaculation cannot be resolved by creams or sprays, other therapeutic measures are available, including training of the pelvic floor muscles.
