Dermatology : Topical
Anesthetics
Topical anesthesia is needed for common
procedures such as suturing, wound cleaning, and injection
administration. The ideal topical anesthetic would provide
complete anesthesia following a simple pain-free application,
not contain narcotics or controlled substances, and have
an excellent safety profile. The combination of topical
anesthetics lidocaine and tetracaine and the vasoconstrictor
epinephrine has been used successfully for anesthesia prior
to suturing linear scalp and facial lacerations in children.
A triple-anesthetic gel containing benzocaine, lidocaine,
and tetracaine ("BLT")
has also been reported to be effective when applied prior
to laser and cosmetic procedures. Convenience of application
without need for occlusion is an advantage of these topical
anesthetics.
The following article concludes: "LAT gel (4% lidocaine,
1:2000 adrenaline, 0.5% tetracaine) worked as well as TAC
gel (0.5% tetracaine, 1:2000 adrenaline, 11.8% cocaine)
for topical anesthesia in facial and scalp lacerations.
Considering the advantages of a noncontrolled substance
and less expense, LAT gel appears to be better suited than
TAC gel for topical anesthesia in laceration repair in
children."
Pediatrics 1995 Feb;95(2):255-8
Lidocaine adrenaline tetracaine gel versus tetracaine adrenaline
cocaine gel for topical anesthesia in linear scalp and
facial lacerations in children aged 5 to 17 years.
Ernst AA, Marvez E, Nick TG, Chin E, Wood E, Gonzaba WT
Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University, New
Orleans.
Click
here to access the PubMed abstract of this article.
The following article reported that a triple-anesthetic
gel containing benzocaine, lidocaine, and tetracaine ("BLT")
applied prior to treatment with a 532-nm KTP laser resulted
in significantly lower pain scores than with 3 other topical
anesthetics at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after application.
Cosmetic Dermatology 2003 Apr;16(4):35-7
Topical Triple-Anesthetic Gel Compared With 3 Topical Anesthetics
Lee MWC
Department of Dermatologic Surgery, University of California,
San Francisco
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