ABSTRACT
Nail unit surgery is an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool for management of nail diseases. Surgery of the nail unit cannot be performed without adequate anesthesia. Safe and effective anesthesia requires knowledge of digital anatomy, pathophysiology of pain, and pharmacology of local anesthetic agents. This chapter describes indications and pitfalls of various techniques of nail anesthesia, pharmacology of commonly used local anesthetic agents, and tips on how to make nail unit anesthesia the least painful for the patient.
