The U.S. FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) has alerted healthcare professionals and users about the abuse of anesthetic creams, a type of product that is sometimes used in aesthetic treatments, in particular laser hair removal treatments.

However, these creams are drugs. The composition usually include a local anesthetic drug such as lidocaine, benzocaine, prilocaine, or others. Under certain conditions, these substances could be absorbed and eventually produce serious side effects: irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing or neurological symptoms (seizures, coma …) and even eventually cause death. Furthermore, systemic absorption of these creams may interact with another medication.

These creams must be purchased with a prescription.

Are you planning to undergo a laser hair removal treatment or some other procedure that requires this type of product? Consider the advice:

• Do not use these anesthetic creams without consulting your doctor: if in a spa recommend using a product of this type without medical supervision, do not accept without first consulting a doctor.
• Do not use plenty of cream: apply only the recommended by your doctor.
• Do not use the cream to large areas of skin (be careful with hair removal, for example, extensive areas as whole legs …)
• Do not apply on irritated or damaged skin, or wounds (eg, by meeting some of the laser burn above) and in mucous membranes, since in these cases the absorption is greater.
• Do not wrap the treated skin: the dressing increases the absorption area. Beware of tight clothing.
• Avoid applying heat in these areas treated with the cream, and the temperature rise may also increase systemic absorption.