MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- In patients undergoing laser facial resurfacing, use of the CoolAnalgesia device in combination with lidocaine cream effectively controls pain and makes it unnecessary to use local anesthetic injections or intravenous agents, according to the results of a small study published in the April issue of the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.
Sarah Tucker, M.D., of Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, U.K., and a colleague studied 20 patients who underwent carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with the CoolAnalgesia device, which consists of a plate with a circulating coolant that is placed on the treatment area. The laser is applied through an opening in the device. The only anesthetic used was a eutectic mixture of lidocaine cream, which was applied at least 60 minutes before the procedure. During the procedure, the researchers assessed pain scores every two minutes on a scale of one to 10.
The researchers found that only one patient had a mean pain score higher than five for the duration of the treatment and that only four patients had a pain score above five at any time during the treatment. All 20 patients elected to complete the treatment.
"Further work is however required in order to ascertain whether [the treatment] also leads to a reduction in the healing time," the authors conclude.
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