Local anesthesia for dermatologic surgery.

Knowledge of local anesthesia is critically important to perform dermatologic surgery. The objective of this article is to provide an updated review of local anesthesia. The principles of local anesthesia as it pertains to dermatologic surgery are reviewed. New methods of delivering local anesthesia are also presented. Local anesthetics are safe, effective drugs that provide transient insensibility to pain in a limited area of skin. There are a variety of methods of inducing local anesthesia which can be tailored to the requirements of the contemplated procedure. Local anesthetics allow dermatologists to perform a range of procedures safely. Recent developments in topical anesthetics and in tumescent local anesthesia have provided the dermatologic surgeon other methods of delivering local anesthesia.