Understanding Topical Anesthetics
Understanding Topical Anesthetics By Sarah Taylor, PharmD Topical anesthetics are widely used in cosmetic dermatology, with one recent survey conducted in 2021 and 2022 reporting that 97.5% of dermatology practices utilize topical anesthetics for a variety of procedures including laser and light-based procedures, ablative skin resurfacing, injectable fillers, and tissue tightening among others. While commercially available anesthetic combinations, such as EMLA (combination lidocaine 2.5%/prilocaine 2.5%) are used frequently, over half of the survey respondents reported using compounded anesthetics, with Benzocaine 20%, Lidocaine 6%, Tetracaine 4% being the most commonly used of the compounded options. 1 In this blog post we will address common questions and concerns regarding the use of topical anesthetics with regards to both safety and efficacy. How are topical anesthetics used? Topical anesthetic preparations prepared as creams or ointments are often applied 30-90 mi