Investigation of the analgesic and minimum purpuric dose effects of EMLA cream in skin treated with the pulsed dye laser

Abstract

EML A (eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics) cream is an effective analgesic in the treatment of port-wine stains. A placebo-controlled study was designed to assess whether EMLA cream altered the purpuric response of blood vessels in normal skin treated by a pulsed dye laser and to assess the analgesic effectiveness of EMLA compared with placebo. There was a significantly greater purpuric response in EMLA-treated skin than in placebo-treated skin (P < 0.05) and EMLA was confirmed as being superior to placebo as an analgesic (P < 0.01).

Key Words:

• EMLA
• Pulsed dye laser
• Port-wine stains