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Electrolysis Pain : What to
expect; factors involved in the perception of pain. |
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Pain Control : A
preferred method to alleviate/eliminate the discomfort of electrolysis
treatment. |
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Oral Nonopioid
Medications : Oral pain medication used in addition to topical pain
management. |
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Adjunct Medical
Support : Physician facilitated pain management during electrolysis treatment. |
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EMLA : A topical
anesthetic. |
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Occlusive Dressings
: Application instructions for cream type topical anesthetics like EMLA. |
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OTC topical analgesics
: Non-prescription topical analgesics available to the electrology
patient. |
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CLICK ON AN ITEM,
ABOVE, TO GO TO THAT TOPIC
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OTC
topical analgesics
In the
U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), regulates the
concentration of each active ingredient that can be formulated in
non-prescription products, also called over-the-counter (OTC) products.
The
commonly used OTC topical anesthetics belong to the "caine"
family and will contain no more than a specific maximum concentration
for the active ingredient. The limitation for active ingredients
reflects the relative potency of the drugs. As an example, the
maximum concentration set for lidocaine is 4%, while benzocaine
preparations have a maximum concentration of 20%. Caine mixes, or
combinations of caine products within a preparation, also have set
maximum concentrations.
So, the
analgesic effect of preparations is used to set whether the sale of a
product is controlled by prescription. As an example, EMLA cream, which
contains a combination of lidocaine (2.5%) and prilocaine (2.5%) is a
prescription product. EMLA cream, with its combination of these two
analgesics, produces a greater analgesic effect than similar
non-prescription products. However, EMLA cream is still a very weak
anesthetic and has little to offer when compared to alternative
physician prescribed compounded medication.
While
electrologists have no allowance for the purchase of more potent
medication than is available to the general public, specialized
non-prescription analgesic products are made available through
electrology trade suppliers and vendors. Your electrologist will
likely be the best source of non-prescription topical analgesics.
The following list represents some of the items made available to the
electrology trade:
|
| Selected
non-prescription topical analgesics |
| Analgesic |
Description |
| Hurricaine (Benzocaine
20%) |
Liquid and gel
preparations |
| Topicaine (Lidocaine 4%) |
Gel preparation |
| Laracaine (Benzocaine 2%,
Lidocaine 2%) |
Liquid and cream
preparations |
| Zap (Benzocaine 18%,
Tetracaine 2%) |
Liquid and gel
preparations |
| Anesthall (Benzocaine
11%, Lidocaine 1%) |
Liquid preparation |
| Protocaine (Benzocaine
2%) |
Menthol and camphor added |
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