The effects and side effects of lidocaine tetracaine peel off on laser-assisted hair removal

BACKGROUND: Lidocaine 7%-tetracaine 7% is one of the combinations recently offered for performing laser-assisted hair removal. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of this combination with placebo on the side effects of laser-assisted hair removal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial was carried out on 110 women who referred to Isfahan Spadana laser clinic for laser-assisted hair removal. Lidocaine 7%-tetracaine 7% was applied on one-half of the face, whereas placebo was applied on the other side to create local anesthesia, and after 30 min, the place was cleaned and investigated for complications (edema, erythema, and pallor); then laser therapy was begun. At the end of the therapy, the patients’ pain was estimated using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The data were analyzed using SPSS software by Chi-square and paired t-tests. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 27.74 ± 10.8 years. Average levels of anesthesia at 30 min after using lidocaine 7%-tetracaine 7% and placebo based on VAS were 3.6 ± 1.4 and 8.4 ± 1.5, respectively (P = 0.001). In other words, patients felt less pain by using lidocaine 7%-tetracaine 7%. The frequency of complications in patients was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Considering the better effect of lidocaine 7%-tetracaine 7% compared to placebo and its minimal side effects, we can use it before performing laser-assisted hair removal.