Real-life experience of a lidocaine/tetracaine self-occluding topical anesthetic for dermatological procedures.

Background: Pliaglis is a self-occluding topical anesthetic containing a eutectic mixture of 7% lidocaine and 7% tetracaine, with proven efficacy and safety in several trials.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Pliaglis for different dermatological procedures in real-life clinical practice.

Methods: This retrospective, multicenter study included 35 patients treated with Pliaglis prior to five dermatological procedures (pulsed dyed laser, picosecond laser, non-ablative fractional laser, radiofrequency microneedling, and photodynamic therapy). The primary endpoint was to assess the pain during the procedure with a visual analogue score (VAS) from 0 (no pain) to 10 (most severe pain). Secondary endpoints were the global effectiveness and tolerability (from 0 = very low to 10 = excellent), and the adverse events (AEs) after Pliaglis removal, classified according to intensity (1-3).

Results: The median and mean pain VAS reported by patients was 2 (range 0-9) and 2.9 (±2.3), respectively. More than 65% of the patients had a VAS score ≤3. The effectiveness reported by investigators was "very good" (median 8 [range 2-10], mean 7.5 [±1.9]), which was strongly correlated with the pain VAS reported by patients (Spearman coefficient = - 0.9; p < 0.001). Forty-five percent of patients reported AEs and they were transient and mostly mild, with a mean intensity score of 1.5 (range 1-3). Tolerability of Pliaglis was reported by investigators as "excellent" (median 10 [range 1-10], mean 9 [±1.8]).

Conclusions: Pliaglis is an effective topical anesthetic for several dermatological procedures, with an excellent safety and tolerability profile.