The ice-saline-Xylocaine technique. A simple method for minimizing pain in obtaining local anesthesia

Prior to skin surgery, localized cryoanesthesia is initially obtained utilizing Cryogel packs before local anesthesia injection, minimizing or abolishing pain from the piercing of the skin by the injection needle. The surgical field is then infiltrated with benzyl alcohol-containing normal saline, a painless solution producing moderate local anesthesia. Subsequently, a stronger anesthetic containing a vasoconstrictor or other desired additives can be infiltrated without significant patient discomfort. This simple three-step method has resulted in excellent patient acceptance, and is potentially useful for a wide range of surgical procedures and medical specialties.