Anesthetics

Anesthesia is the loss of sensation or ability to feel pain. Medications are often used to produce anesthesia during surgical procedures or other medical procedures.

• Local anesthesia uses techniques to numb only the part of the body being worked on. The anesthetics may be applied to the skin (topical anesthesia) or injected into the area. (i.e. dental procedure, stitches)
• Regional anesthesia involves injecting an anesthetic into an area to numb a large area such as the lower part of the body (epidural, spinal anesthesia)
• General anesthesia involves the use of medications to put you into a temporary deep sleep

Local anesthetics include bupivacaine, lidocaine, benzocaine, procaine, tetracaine, epinephrine, cocaine, prilocaine. These are frequently used for dental procedures, stitches or minor surgical procedures such as removal of a small mole for biopsy.

Topical anesthesia (lidocaine, prilocaine) - involves the application of a local anesthetic directly to the skin or a mucous membrane (i.e. inside the mouth or nose). The drug may be in the form of a spray, cream, lotion, or patch. The effect lasts for a short period of time and is limited to the area of contact. When a topical anesthetic is applied in patch or ointment form to numb a site before a procedure, the drug must be applied 45 to 60 minutes before the procedure to provide adequate numbness. A large amount of ointment should be applied to the area and then the area should be covered with an occlusive (non-breathable) wrap such as Saran Wrap.